Military Appreciation - Col Reginald Hairston

Col Reginald L. Hairston (3-87-BDD), Chief of Human Capital Division at Joint Staff, will be recognized along with other senior military officer alumni during the Delaware versus JMU football game on September 27, 2014 in Harrisonburg, VA.   The recognition is scheduled to take place between the 1st and 2nd quarters of the game.

DNRonline.com Article: Historical Marker Sought for Civil Rights Activist

Historical Marker Sought For Civil Rights Activist

A Virtual Unknown, City Native Had Broad Impact

Posted: September 2, 2014
By BRYAN GILKERSON

 City Council has endorsed a request seeking to put a state historical marker in front of the John Wesley United Methodist Church on Sterling Street in honor of the late Edgar Love. (Photo by Jason Lenhart)

HARRISONBURG -- A relatively unknown native son of Harrisonburg may soon have his impact on history recognized by the state.

Edgar Amos Love, born in the city in 1891, was a civil rights activist, U.S. Army chaplain, professor, Methodist bishop and co-founder of Omega Psi Phi, the first international fraternity founded at a historically black college.

Love's father, the Rev.  Julius C. Love, traveled to various locations as a minister, so it is not clear how long the family remained in Harrisonburg.  Much  of his adult life was spent in Baltimore, where he died in 1974.

Several alumni of the James Madison University chapter of the fraternity, Beta Delta Delta, have formed a committee charged with the task of having Love's contribution to history immortalized by a state historical marker to be placed near John Wesley United Methodist Church at the intersection of Sterling and Effinger streets.

Julius Love was a minster at the church and his son was born in the parsonage, although at that time the church was located at the site now occupied by Union Station Restaurant and Bar at 128 W. Market St.

Michael Peterson of New York City, one of the committee members seeking the marker, said the impetus for the effort was actually due to a mistake.

At a 2011 celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the fraternity's founding at Howard University in Washington, D.C., it was discovered that official records had identified Love as being born in Harrisburg, Va. - a location that doesn't exist.

"For over 100 years, there has been a part of our history that has been incorrect,"  Peterson said by telephone Sunday afternoon.

Other members of the committee include Brian Tyler of Hampton, Lee Parker and Rodney Jefferson, both of Richmond, Andre Wallace of Newport News and Randy Tapley of Charlotte, N.C.

Wallace's wife, Dawnn Wallace, assisted the committee in its research.

According to memoirs published by the United Methodist Church, Love was educated at Morgan College in Baltimore, Howard University and Boston University.

During World War I, he served overseas for 14 months as an Army chaplain, before returning and working as a teacher at Morgan College.

A Washington Post article dated Feb. 15, 1922, notes that Love was elected to serve as the national chaplain for the American Negro Veterans of the World War organization.

He was elected a bishop to the segregated Central Conference of the Baltimore area in the Methodist Church.

It was his social activism as a bishop that the committee members say deserves historical recognition.

"His contributions are not really well known," Dawnn Wallace said.  "Individuals in Harrisonburg have no idea of the impact he made."

Love was involved in desegregation efforts and voter registration drives throughout the 1950s, presided over interracial marriages and even held the ear of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.  

Love's efforts also helped the Methodist Church integrate in 1965, according to his 1974 obituary published in The [Baltimore] Sun.

"He was a big part of black history ... and [American] history in general,"  Dawnn Wallace said.

Harrisonburg City Council unanimously gave its support for the request for a marker at the Aug. 26 meeting, with several council members saying that they were unaware of the significance of Love in the nation's history.

The next step in the historical marker process is to gain approval from the state.  

The committee members said that the state Department of Historic Resources would review their application this month and make a determination on the marker in December.

If given approval, the committee plans to unveil the marker on Apr. 18, 2015, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fraternity's charter at James Madison University.

Love's son Jon is expected to be present for the dedication, as well as several JMU African-American organizations and the 40th national president of the fraternity, Tony Knox.

Contact Bryan Gilkerson at 574-6267 or bgilkerson@dnronline.com


 

Setting the Record Straight - Our Duty to Get it Right

Setting the Record Straight - Our Duty to Get it Right by Brother Jarrett Drake (Oracle: Summer 2011)

"History is a measurement of the past and an assurance of the future.  If a man loses or forgets his history, he will become a fugitive of yesterday and tomorrow."   This quote represents my philosophical foundation as a research archivist at the Maryland State Archives.  By reclaiming 19th century narratives of black history along its Eastern Shore, it is my task to discover and confront conflicts while helping others in Maryland to do the same.  But one such search revealed a grave mistake within our Fraternity history regarding one of our Founders, the Most Honorable Bishop Edgar Amos Love.  The Dreer History Book, the international website, and most chapter websites have incorrectly listed Love's birthplace as Harrisburg, Virginia.  He was actually born in Harrisonburg (See Figures 1 & 2).   Harrisburg and Harrisonburg are two completely different towns in Virginia, roughly 130 miles apart.

Figure 1: Edgar A. Love's Army Registration Card for World Ware I listing his actual birthplace as Harrisonburg.  Courtesy, Ancestry.com

The error could have happened in any number of ways and for any number of reasons.  This article does not seek to assign blame nor point fingers, but simply correct a mistake in the biographical details of one of our Founders and our first Grand Basileus.  In addition, I hope this revelation can elucidate two charges for the Brotherhood.  First, we should focus on the relevant details of our Fraternity history.  And second, we must continually seek evidence to substantiate said details.

Quality supersedes quantity in regards to historical knowledge.  What we qualify as relevant versus irrelevant will forever be subjective.  That is, it will shift from one brother to the next.  But we must make active decisions about what is significant and what is not.  Fraternity information must undergo a vetting process of sorts, both to reject mistruths and avoid saturation.  "Betty Crocker," as it is known in certain circles, refers to the unproven, mythical "facts" that constitute the extend of some brothers' knowledge.  Its domination of our discourse will only serve to fabricate folklore and render our true struggle artificial and obsolete.  What's the candy bar of the Frat?  I don't know, and it doesn't matter.  How many miles did Col. Young walk, as opposed to ride, on his journey to Washington?  Again, I don't know, and it doesn't matter.  Where was Bishop Edgar Amos Love born?  Well that I do know, and that matters.

The second point is an addendum to the first.  We must ever strive to retrieve evidence to support our knowledge base.  Indeed, there are some things about our Fraternity history - and black history for that matter - which have no record; and by no means do I disqualify the credibility of oral tradition and its central role in passing down our stores at a time when we had no other means or opportunity to do so.  Moreover, written records can be manipulated, doctored, or even destroyed.  Yet we have access to resources our ancestors didn't.   We have public archives,  We have integrated libraries.  We have electronic databases.  Countless Omega Men gave their lives in hopes that their posterity might take scholarship to a new level, not simply replicate it.  Locating a document - a letter, a photograph, an Army Registration Card - only assists our efforts to maintain a rich history of Omega.  Questioning the source, origin, or validity of another brother's information does not demonstrate a lack of faith.  Instead, it shows that preserving our heritage is of utmost priority, and that no brother has the right to tarnish it.

As we celebrate our first century and head into the second, the moment is ripe that we have a precise, substantiated account of relevant facts.  These facts in and of themselves do not compromise the entirety of historical knowledge, but function as the sine qua non, Latin meaning "without which there is none."  Bro. Walter H Mazyck initiated this legacy, Bro. Herman Dreer continued it, and Bro. Robert L. Gill refined it.  Yet our history is never finished.  History, out of its nature and necessity, evolves.  Not every line of their work is correct, and that's ok.  We are because they were.  It is our duty to ensure that when our Fraternity enters its third century we will have stood firmly on their shoulders and strengthened our own, with the expectation that future generations of Omega Men will assume the humble responsibility to do so as well. 

Beta Delta Delta Chapter honored by SVBHP

All,

Our research on the life and history of Bishop Edgar A. Love has connected Beta Delta Delta with the Shenandoah Valley Black History Project, (SVBHP).  The founder, Robin Lyttle, was instrumental in the successful name change of Cantrell Avenue to Martin Luther King Jr. Way, in the city of Harrisonburg, VA.  She has been a great asset in our mission to honor Brother Love and we look forward to her continued support. Please find our recognition on the website of the Shenandoah Black History Project, "Honoring" section.

www.valleyblackheritage.org/honoring.html?m

City Council Approval of the historical maker for Bishop Edgar A. Love

http://harrisonburg-va.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=4&clip_id=206&meta_id=11262

Chapter Lineage

Fall 1979 - TRICHOTOMY IN ONE

1. Carlton Brown

2. Gary T. McCollum

3. Randy Tapley

Fall 1980 - SOUL SURVIVORS

1.  Craig Patterson

2.  Clarence Jones

Spring 1981 - THE COVENANT

1.  Brian Tyler

2.  Andre Wallace

Spring 1985 - RESURRECTION 8 (CHARTER LINE)

1.  Ronald Tatum 

2.  Robert Jordan

3.  Lee Parker

4.  Julius Reynolds

5.  Rodney Waldren

6.  Darryl Coleman

7.  Owen Wilson

8.  Forrest Parker

Spring 1986 - GENESIS 3

1.  Shelton Johnson

2.  Nicholas Evans

3.  Carl Reddix

Spring 1987 - AFTERSHOCK

1.  Lawrence Smith

2.  Rodney Jefferson

3.  Reginald Hairston

4.  Alfred McGeachey

5.  John Newman

Fall 1987 - SLAUGHTER'S CREW

1.  Alfred Dowe

2.  Lawrence Jones

Spring 1989 - BLIND AMBITION

1.  Anthony Perdue

2.  Michael Peterson

3.  Lyndell Bouldin

Spring 1990 - THE APOCALYPSE

1.  Marvin Chambers

2.  Chris E. Powell, Jr.

3.  A. Mallory Brownlee

4.  Anthony Jones

5.  Kevin Early

Spring 1991 - REVELATION

1.  Donald Wright

2.  Herman Fleming (Omega Chapter)

3.  Jay Woods

Spring 1992 - HOT & COLD SWEAT

1.  William Coates

2.  Bryan Cox

3.  Daegal Richmond

4.  Leon Keesee

Spring 1993 - TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS

1.  Chris Parrot

2.  Lamont Gooding

Spring 1994 - BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY

1.  Channing McGuffin

2.  Vincent Page

Spring 1995 - A NEW BORN RAGE

1.  D'Artagnan Townes

2.  David Lee

3.  Quincy Waller

4.  Charles Grimsley

Fall 1996 - UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS

1.  Michael Ellis

2.  David Forbes

3.  Michael Howard

Spring 1999 - Y2K

1.  Mark Simms

2.  George Moore II

3.  Francisco Mayo

4.  Darrell Kent, Jr.

Spring 2008 - LAZARUS 6

1.  Roy McDonald

2.  Alton (AJ) Mosley, Jr.

3.  Sammy Everett

4.  Griff Yancey

5.  Donnell Brown

6.  Marvin Brown

Spring 2009 - SEVEN POUNDS

1.  Jason Green

2.  L.C. Baker

3.  Jon Brown

4.  Jamaris Sanders

5.  Darrelle Anderson

6.  Gerren Griffin

7.  Joseph Roane

Spring 2010 - QUEPRINT 3

1.  Demetrius Lancaster

2.  Forrest Parker, Jr.

3.  Donte Jiggetts

Spring 2011 - FOUR PILLARS OF FAITH

1.  Brent Butler

2.  Anthony Terry

3.  Adrian Cavanaugh

4.  Jonathan Oliver

Spring 2013 -THE 6 SONS OF INSURRECTION

1.  Sean Lee
2.  Lemende Coley
3.  Anthony Sutton
4.  Xavier Gary
5.  Jeffrey Matthews (Omega Chapter)
6.  Arscene Jacques

Spring 2014 - UNREASONABLE DOUBT

1.  Ryan Green-Ellis
2.  Alfred Smith
3.  John Dixon
4.  Gabriel Driver

Spring 2015 - THROUGH THE CRUCIBLE OF TRIALS

1.  Avery Coleman
2.  Jeffrey Wallace

HONORARY

Mark Wadllington - XI IOTA (1988)

John Gordon - XI IOTA (1988)

Michael Taylor - OMICRON RHO (1980)

Tracy Porter - TAU RHO (1994)

Chad Smith - PI GAMMA (1992)

Justin Ruffin - XI IOTA (2005)

  

Beta Delta Delta Chapter Historical Summary

Beta Delta Delta Chapter Historical Summary

Beta Delta Delta (BDD) chapter, also known as The Formula of Perseverence (The Formula), was chartered at James Madison University (JMU), Harrisonburg, Virginia, on December 7, 1985.  BDD is the eleventh of fifteen undergraduate chapters in the Third District.  Although granted a charter in 1985, Omega men have been present on JMU’s campus since November 17, 1979.  In fact, there were a total of three pledge classes and seven men who crossed the “burning sands” at JMU prior to the BDD charter line.  These seven pioneers were initiated through the Lambda Zeta chapter at the University of Virginia (UVA).

In the fall of 1978, “Trying to Make Omega” (TMO), an interest group comprised of 18 JMU students, traveled around the Third District seeking the support and guidance from other chapters of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.  The objective of those missions was to seek assistance to help establish Omega Psi Phi on JMU’s campus.  In spite of being disappointed and rejected on numerous occasions, the TMO group persevered and finally convinced Phi Delta Chapter (Virginia Commonwealth University) to hold an informational smoker and step show on the JMU campus.  Phi Delta Chapter conducted the informational smoker and performed the step show   during the fall semester of 1978.

Invigorated by the interaction with the Phi Delta Chapter, TMO requested a meeting with JMU President Ronald Carrier to discuss the possibility of establishing an Omega Psi Phi chapter on campus.  President Carrier rejected TMO’s request due to the perceived negative reputation of the pledge process.  In January 1979, TMO contacted Third District representative Kenneth Brown and requested that he assist with the establishment of a chapter at JMU.  Bro. Brown and TMO met with President Carrier.  Following the meeting, President Carrier agreed to allow a pledge process to begin at JMU on a provisional basis.

Several months after meeting with President Carrier, TMO was informed that Lambda Zeta chapter would oversee the pledge process.  On a Friday night in the fall of 1979, 21 gentlemen traveled 60 miles to Newcomb Hall at UVA, to begin the selection process.  The first Lamps to walk on the campus of JMU and ultimately “see it through” were: Randall Tapley, Carlton Brown, and Gary McCollum. This line was known as “Trichotomy of One.”

Two other Lampados Clubs from JMU would experience the pledge process under the supervision of Lambda Zeta chapter:  “The Second Coming” (Fall 1980) – Clarence Jones and Craig Patterson, and “The Covenant” (Spring 1981) – Brian Tyler and André Wallace. These seven brothers were instrumental in laying the foundation for BDD’s rich history and eventual charter.  In the fall of 1981 pledging under Lambda Zeta chapter was abruptly suspended.  The suspension created a period of uncertainty for Omega Psi Phi at JMU and, upon the graduation of the last Lambda Zeta initiate in 1982, the campus was without an Omega presence.

            This period of uncertainty was countered by the Friendship that had been forged among several men who were positively influenced by Omega Psi Phi’s small, but powerful presence on the JMU campus.  From 1981 until 1985 a second interest group, similar to the initial (TMO), continually sought to stay in contact, learn any available fraternity history and reach out to the brothers for any opportunity to begin another pledge process.  By early 1985 the second TMO group had burgeoned with close to 30 men sharing a common interest in Omega; their interest in Omega Psi Phi could not be ignored.  The Charlottesville graduate chapter (XI Iota) informed the students that in order to have a pledge process and charter an undergraduate chapter, eight men were needed.  In the spring of 1985, after interviews were conducted at UVA with Lambda Zeta and Xi Iota brothers, seven undergraduate and one graduate member were selected for the pledge process.  On April 18, 1985, “Resurrection 8” crossed the “burning sands.”  The new initiates were: Ronald Tatum, Robert Jordan, Lee Parker II, Julius Reynolds, Rodney Waldren, Darryl Coleman, Owen Wilson, and Forrest Parker, Sr. (graduate member).

            On December 7, 1985 BDD was chartered as an undergraduate chapter.  At the time only 7 undergraduate men were on campus.  The eighth charter member, Bro. Roderick Young (Spr. 85, Psi Nu chapter – Alexandria, VA) an undergraduate at George Mason University, was added to solidify the charter.  Forrest Parker, Sr., a well respected administrator at JMU, became the chapter’s first faculty advisor.  In the spring of 1986, “Genesis 3” (Shelton Johnson, Nicholas Evans and Carl Reddix) was the first line to cross into the newly formed chapter.  The new brothers worked tirelessly to build a model chapter. 

Determined to make a mark that could not be erased, these men immediately began to serve the JMU community and their commitment to excellence steadily attracted like-minded and enthusiastic young men until 2000.  During the chapter’s first six years of existence, this tradition of excellence continued to be evident:  three-time Third District Undergraduate Chapter of the Year Award Winner; three-time Third District Undergraduate Man of the Year Award Winner; and two-time Third District Undergraduate Basileus of the Year Award Winner. 

Due to declining black male enrollment at JMU, there was a period of eight years where there were no undergraduate Omega men on the campus. However, on March 8, 2008, “Lazarus 6” crossed the “burning sands” and The Formula was reborn.  “Lazarus 6” took the JMU campus by storm, quickly and effectively reestablishing Omega Psi Phi’s presence and storied history.  Since then, there have been five lines and 24 brothers who were welcomed into the fold through BDD.  The most recent line, “Unreasonable Doubt”, crossed over on April 12, 2014.

Throughout the 29 years of BDD’s existence, the chapter has performed remarkable work while uplifting the JMU and Harrisonburg communities.  In the chapter’s young, yet storied history, BDD brothers have “led the way” through their leadership positions in campus Christian Ministries, the local NAACP chapter, the campus Black Greek Caucus, and university NCAA sports teams.  When JMU decided to shift its focus to science and technology and compete with Virginia Tech and other national power-houses in this arena, BDD had membership on the student advisory council involved in the selection of the first President of the Science and Technology School.  Additionally, The Formula has never shied away from seeking justice and racial equality.  In 1989, Brothers of BDD co-founded and served as charter members of the organization BOND, which stands for Brothers of New Direction.  This organization works to provide a support system for all men of color in a predominantly white campus environment.  Today, it remains a vibrant and impactful organization on the JMU campus.  BDD Chapter leadership has participated in various campus and community demonstrations.  They vigorously opposed the Gulf War initiative launched on Martin Luther King’s Birthday.  BDD became a campus pioneer in the realm of civic and community leadership.  While partnering with other ethnic, civic and community organizations such as the Asian Student Union, BDD conducted numerous service projects.  The chapter has implemented countless programs that have positively impacted the community, including Moments in Black History on local radio, an Omega Queen Pageant and Women Appreciation Day to celebrate women of color, Career and Networking Days to support professional advancement, Academic Tutoring Programs in local schools, and a stepping program to promote interest in college for local youth (a few even stepped with the chapter during a campus step show).

There have been a total of 65 men who have crossed the “burning sands” into Omega through BDD.  Brother Herman Fleming who was initiated during the spring of 1991 is the only brother to have entered Omega chapter; he passed in 1997.  In dedication to his memory, a scholarship fund has been established in Bro. Fleming’s name. 

The men who comprise the chapter’s fabric leave an impressive legacy.  Alumni from the chapter have gone on to become leaders in various careers including law, medicine, education, the military, business, private industry, and government.  The chapter shares a close and continuing bond with its members which transcends several generations.  From its early years to the present, The Formula is committed to furthering the vision of the founders and promoting the ideals of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.