From the Desk of Herman "Skip" Mason
hmason1906@aol.com
Iota Chapter, Spring 82(Morris Brown College/Atlanta, Georgia)
Eta Lambda Chapter since 1984
Historian, Pastor, Author, Entrepreneur and Lecturer
READ IT, SAVE IT, COPY IT, FILE IT, FORWARD IT, DISCUSS IT AND BE RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF THE FRATERNITY

VOL. 1, NO. 3 - April 19, 1999
"FIND THE GOOD AND PRAISE IT"
Alex Haley

Skip's Note: Well, I am overwhelmed by your response to this page. Your kind notes are very encouraging. Thank you brothers for receiving so warmly and graciously my historical intrusion of your time. Also glad to know there are many AKA/APA marriages. Many brothers wrote to say that they shared Issue No. 2 with their wives. As with any new item there are constant changes and revisions. This page is now called Skip's Historical Moments(changed from Insight). The letters of the new title are also the letters of my name Herman "Skip" Mason (HSM), though not in order. My web page is currently being designed by a dear brother at Baylor. I look forward to sharing the website with you soon. Any questions or comments may be sent directly to my email address: hmason1906@aol.com. As always feel free to forward to other brothers or send me their email address.

Because this is National Poetry Month, today's "moments" focuses on some rare poetic gems connected to the founders.Only a stanza of the poems featured is presented. The complete poems are included in the book The Talented Tenth. Several brothers wrote me and told they love the page but reminded me not give all of my book content away. I agree. This page is done to share with you brief excerpts of material included in my book and interesting and mostly unknown historical tidbits that I think you would be interested in.

JEWEL PROFESSOR CHARLES HENRY CHAPMAN, A POET?
I learned during my research that JEWEL Charles Henry Chapman, a renowned and award winning professor of Agriculture at Florida A&M University also wrote poetry before his death in Tallahassee, Florida in 1934. Though no collection of his work has been unearthed, one poem surfaced. I present to you one stanza of the poem.

Just to be a friend of yours, And to know you're one of mine
With a friendship that endures and grows sweeter like old wine.
Just to clasp you by the hand in a friendly sort of way
And to know you understand all the things I want to say.....

 DID YOU KNOW.....
.... That another Alpha Poet Countee Cullen was initiated into Eta Chapter in New York in 1927, the same year that Langston Hughes was initiated into Omega Psi Phi. and that he married the only daughter of W. E. B. DuBois, Yolande, a member of Delta Sigma Theta in one of the biggest weddings of the year.
(More on that in another issue)

In 1954, Brother Ernest Gilbert wrote a poem entitled "The Jewels of Alpha Phi Alpha"
(The first stanza is printed below:)

Poindexter was a leader at the beginning
And his efforts rate commending
But Kelley who strove for the idea of a fraternity
Stood firm when there was a great combat.
As the first president he was selected to be
A Jewel symbolizing immortality......

 ONE OF THE GREATEST TESTIMONIES OF A BROTHER'S LOVE FOR ALPHA IS FOUND IN THE POEM "HE AIN'T HEAVY, HE'S MY BROTHER" BY BROTHER FREEMAN MONTAGUE. (wherever you are Brother Montague, thank you for writing a poem that captures my love of this organization." A few lines are printed below:)

"Our family trees are not the same, we all have different mothers.
But yet I tell the world that you are my brother.
It's like we live our lives together as we meet at this time.
As this powerful sense of being an Alpha man makes everything seem fine....."

FROM THE JEWEL'S LIPS:
"We must never lose sight of the fact that we must take part in the development, not only of ourselves but of all humanity."
-Jewel Charles Henry Chapman, 1931

APRIL BIRTHDAYS OF THE JEWELS:
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO JEWEL ROBERT HAROLD OGLE (APRIL 3, 1886)
AND JEWEL NATHANIEL ALLISON MURRAY (APRIL 10, 1884).

i i 
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 Happy Birthday 
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A PASSING THOUGHT:
Wouldn't it be nice to make a "Jewel Pilgrimage" to places connected to the lives our "Jewels." Beginning in Ithaca (visiting Cornell, Ithaca, Lake Cuyuga, Troy and Binghamton New York where Callis, Chapman and Kelley grew up) , traveling on to Harlem on Broadway where Tandy's Architectural Firm was located and then going to "Sugar Hill" in Harlem where he and his family resided. While in Harlem visiting all the places he designed, stopping by the National Urban League's old office where Jewel Jones worked for so long. Going up to Flushing, New York where Jones lived and is buried. Taking that bus to Washington, DC and visiting the childhood homes of Ogle, Murray and the last place of residence of Callis(I've already seen them). Going on to Richmond, Virginia and seeing the birthhome of Eugene Kinckle Jones and then to Lexington, Kentucky where Tandy's father built homes including his birthhome. Driving on to Tallahassee and laying flowers on Chapman's grave. Wouldn't that be nice if we all had a week or more to do that pilgrimage? Well, it's just a passing thought.

A BROTHER WANTED TO KNOW: 
WHEN DID BROTHER MARTIN LUTHER KING ATTEND HIS FIRST ALPHA CONVENTION?


ANSWER: Brother King was present at the Cleveland Convention in December of 1952, just six months after he was initiated into the fraternity through Sigma Chapter.(A copy of his shingle is included in the book "The Talented Tenth) The guest speaker at the convention was Thurgood Marshall and all living "Jewels" were present.

(IF YOU HAVE BURNING QUESTIONS, PLEASE EMAIL ME. I MAY NOT KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT I WILL CERTAINLY RESEARCH IT AND TRY TO FIND IT.)

Congratulations to our brother, E. Lynn Harris, Best selling author and novelist for the release of his new book "Abide With Me" which is already on the New York Times Best Selling List.

SKIP'S QUOTE: I AM TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

TOMORROW'S ISSUE:
The Alpha Phi Alpha/Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Connection. Is their really one?

CORRECTIONS:
In the first issue, Callis taught at Howard High School in Wilmington, Delaware (not Wilmington High School as listed. (As fate would have it, I visited Wilmington and Chester, Pennsylvania this weekend and paid homage to the spirit of Callis during his brief stint as an English teacher.) I was hosted by several brothers of Rho Chapter as I spoke at a church Scholarship luncheon. "In cities of population of two, I even have a brother there." A line taken from "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother."

In the 2nd Issue, there were nineteen charter members of Beta instead of sixteen (which I inadvertently listed). George Lyle was initiated in December of 1907 not 1908. (Hard to proof email text, but still striving. :-)

DISCLAIMER: This page is not affiliated with the National Organization. I am not the Historian of the fraternity, just a brother who is and has always been thirsty for more knowledge on this organization. The information provided has been thoroughly researched and documented and is brought to you with all the fraternal love and spirit I possess. Sources are available upon request.