The History of Mu Omega

 

 

Mu Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, was founded in the year 1920 as a graduate chapter in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The chapter was originally designated as Mu chapter but in 1923 under Grand Basileus J. Alston Atkins, chapters were renamed in order to distinguish the graduate from the undergraduate chapters.

 

It was in 1923 that the undergraduate chapter was founded at the University of Pennsylvania. Mu was the designation given to the new undergraduate chapter and Mu Omega was given to the graduate chapter. Mu Omega at its founding was the second graduate chapter in the fraternity along with ten undergraduate chapters.

Mu Omega's rolls have always listed many famous and outstanding Omega Men, many who have held national fraternal offices at one time or another. Oscar J. Cooper, one of our beloved founders, led the fraternity as the second Grand Basileus in 1912, the first Grand Keeper of Records and Seal in 1911, and the second Keeper of Finance in 1913. Julius McLain, besides being Basileus of Mu Omega in 1925, went on to become the third First Vice Grand Basileus in the same year. Later he became the twelfth Grand Basileus in 1926. Mifflin T. Gibbs, served as the tenth First Vice Grand Basileus in 1939. Joseph T. Brooks, a relative of a current Mu Omega brother, was the second Vice Grand Basileus in 1946 and the sixteenth First Vice Grand Basileus in 1955. Father H. Albion Farrell also served as a Grand Chaplain. Daniel B. Taylor served as our ninth Grand Keeper of Finance in 1925.

Robert N. C. Nix, Sr. although not a grand office, distinguished himself in Pennsylvania politics and was subsequently elected to the House of Representatives of the United States by the Fourth Congressional District of Pennsylvania. William H. Hastie was the first recipient of the fraternity's outstanding citizen of the year award. He was also the first Black appointed to the federal judiciary. William Hastie resigned as Civilian Aide to the Secretary of War in protest against discrimination in the Armed Forces. He was later appointed Governor of the Virgin Islands by President Truman.

William C. Jason, Jr. founder of Mu (undergraduate) chapter was a pioneer in the labor rights fight in the Postal system.

Terrel D. Parris, past Basileus of Mu Omega chapter and a past 2nd District Representative, was elected to Grand Keeper of Records and Seal at the 72nd Grand Conclave in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2002 and was re-elected for another term at the 73rd Grand Conclave in St. Louis, Missouri in 2004. 

Housing in the early stages of Mu Omega (Graduate) Chapter was primarily for meeting purposes. These meetings were initially held in various brother's houses. As the chapter membership grew and the need for larger quarters became apparent, these meetings were then moved to a Methodist church in Germantown, Sunnycrest Farms in Cheyney, the Fairview Golf Club, St. Luke's Episcopal Church and the Christian Street YMCA. These arrangements satisfied the need for space but the stability of location and a facility for storing property became an overriding force. Additionally, these quarters were becoming too small. It was at this time that the talk of purchasing a house began.

The Chapter purchased its first house at 49 North 54th Street around 1953. The whole house was originally used for fraternal activities but later the first and second floors were converted into apartments and meetings and gatherings were restricted to the renovated basement. Around 1968, Mu Chapter (Intermediate) purchased a house at 218 East Price Street. Mu Omega (Graduate) Chapter began to share this facility but realized that it needed its own place to accommodate its growing needs. While the chapter was meeting at St. Luke's during 1971, the Housing Committee was formed for the sole purpose of purchasing a house. The brothers held a raffle, made pledges and instituted the Holiday (Christmas) Dance to generate monies for a down payment.

On February 13, 1973, Mu Omega purchased 431 East Locust Avenue (top) with a down payment of $7,500 and a mortgage of $15,000. The chapter used funds from the assessment of $100 per brother, rental income from the 54th Street property and revenue from the Holiday Dance to maintain the Locust Avenue property and to pay off the mortgage. Continual improvements to the house were made possible through donations of property, additional pledges of from $200 to $1,000 and designated gifts. Brother Dr. Roland Lucas, for whom the third-floor lounge was named, played a significant part in the early development of the house. On March 3, 1978, the 54th Street property was sold at the final settlement for $12,730. In 1980, $50,000 was spent on renovations for the Locust Avenue property and in 1988 the mortgage was retired.

The Philadelphia area chapters became incorporated in 1953 as a non-profit corporation known as the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity of Philadelphia. The purpose of the corporation was to promote fraternal and civic interest among its members and to encourage and propagate the principles of good citizenship. The corporation did not contemplate pecuniary gain or profit, incidental or otherwise, to its members. Some of the Mu Omega brothers who signed the charter were Daniel B. Taylor, Charles Tyree, Mifflin T. Gibbs, Oscar J. Cooper, William H. Hastie, Herbert Cain, William C. Jason, Jr., Paul Jackson, Leroy Jenkins and Robert Ximines. There were 28 other signers.

Social functions over the years have included a weekend Mardi Gras, Formal Dance, Holiday Dance, Boat Ride, After Work Parties, Cabarets, Bowling Parties, Gospelrama, Cruise to Nowhere and a Caribbean cruise. In 1966 the Mardi Gras was entertained by the jazz sounds of Duke Ellington and his band.

Civic activities have included Talent Hunts, scholarship awards, career conferences for Junior High School students, mentorships, Big Brother sponsorship, voter registration drives, mentors for Dr. Ruth Hayre's "Tell Them We Are Rising" program, Annual Alzheimer's Memory Walk, Sickle Cell Awareness Walk, active participation in our local neighborhood association (PANA) and community workshops. In February 1979 the brothers instituted the donations of food baskets to needy families in the Germantown area in honor of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. The program was renamed the James Minton Food Drive and gives out close to 100 baskets to the needy. In December 1982 under Basileus A. J. Wells, Mu Omega raised $45,000 and donated $25,000 to UNCF. Mu Omega joined the local Penn Area Neighborhood Association (PANA) in 1996 under Basileus David R. Benson through the advisement of past Basileus Arthur Bowman. PANA consists of residents and businesses in the area surrounding the Fraternity house. Brother James Mock became president in 2000 and moved the organization to its highest level of community involvement and uplift. PANA joined with the Chapter's James Minton Food Drive and contributed hundreds of toys to go along with the food baskets. In 1998, Mu Omega initiated the Charles R. Drew Memorial Blood Drive which today seeks 1000 pints of blood. Through the hard and diligent work of Brother Dr. Allan E. Thomas, this program was adopted by the International body and is now a National Mandate. Mu Omega Chapter was honored in 2004 as an Outstanding Community Group by the Pennsylvania/New Jersey region of the American Red Cross. The Award was in recognition of the Chapter’s ongoing commitment to the Cooperative Sickle Cell Donor Program through its implementation of the Charles R. Drew Memorial Blood Drive.

The membership of Mu Omega has grown throughout the years from 40 members in 1955 to a high of close to 200 fully financial brothers. This has been due in part to a number of factors: First, the Constitutional Convention in December 1969 in Atlanta limited the time a brother could remain in an intermediate chapter after graduation. This caused an influx of outstanding men from Mu chapter into Mu Omega. Second was the introduction of Lampados clubs in 1973 to the chapter. Mu Omega initiated several pledge lines starting in 1973 and brought in over 100 new brothers. Mu Omega has emerged as one of the most outstanding chapter in the nation.

Mark Edwards, Basileus 2020 - Present

Bobby L. James, Basileus 2018 - 2019
Howard M. James, Jr. , Basileus 2016 - 2018
Garfield L Jackson, Sr., Basileus 2014-2016
Anthony S. Jones, Basileus 2012-2014
Steven C. Oakman, Basileus 2010-2012 
Jesse R. Reason, Basileus 2008-2010 
Alan W. Junius, Basileus 2006-2008 
William Smith, Basileus 2004 - 2006 
William L. Dent III, Basileus 2002 - 2004 
Dr. Allan Thomas, Basileus 2000 - 2002 
C. Wade Mosely, Basileus 1998 - 2000 
David Benson, Basileus 1996 - 1998 
Terrel Parris, Basileus 1994 - 1996 
Kenneth Harper, Basileus 1992 - 1994 
Arthur Bowman , Basileus 1990 - 1992 
Frederick Foard, Basileus 1988 - 1990 
Sidney Estes, Basileus 1986 - 1988 
Dr. William Harris, Basileus 1985 - 1986

 CHARTER LINE: JUN 21, 1973

*John Carpenter – President
Darius Berry
*Robert Hutchins
Edwin Sneed
Robert Franklin
Scott Williams
DEAN OF PLEDGES - Edward Russell
ASST. DEAN OF PLEDGES - Raymond Pratt
NEOPHYTE COMMANDANT - Joe Moore

FEARSOME FOURSOME: FEB 1, 1974 

*Waldo Rich
Tom Snowden
Frank Constant- President 
Barry Gorden 
DEAN OF PLEDGES - Joe Moore
NEOPHYTE COMMANDANT - *John Carpenter

Mobious Track Line: 1975 

Oliver Brooks
George Cannon
John Love
Robert Webb

BICEN-TEN: JUN 19, 1976 

Richard Lawton- President
William Small
*Herbert Patrick
*Fred Nichols
George Smith
*James Moore
*James Ridley
Dave Benson
*George Jones
*Frank Montique 
DEAN OF PLEDGES - Robert Jones
ASST. DEAN OF PLEDGES - James P. Williams
NEOPHYTE COMMANDANT - T. Gayle Snowden 
ASST. NEOPHYTE COMMANDANT-James P. Williams

ACTION-EIGHT: JUL 2, 1977 

Phillip Carter
Frederick Pride
Marvin Smith- President
*Morris Branham
*Ronald James
James Golson
Wayne King
Kermit West
DEAN OF PLEDGES - Robert Jones 
ASST. DEAN OF PLEDGES - Sidney Allen 
NEOPHYTE COMMANDANT - James P. Williams 
ASST. NEOPHYTE COMMANDANT - David R. Benson

TOP-NOTCH-TEN: JUL 1, 1978 

Anthony Jones - President
Earl Morley
*Matthew Worrell 
Bill Blackwell
Elloit Ingram
*Joe Brown
Aaron Bass Jr.
Robert Manning
Greg Williams
*Robert Blanchard 
DEAN OF PLEDGES - James P. Williams 
ASST. DEAN OF PLEDGES - James Ridley 
NEOPHYTE COMMANDANT - Dave Benson 
ASST. NEOPHYTE COMMANDANTS - George T. Smith

Great Eight: Dec 20, 1980 

Donald X. Taylor - President 
*Raymond Tennyson - Vice-President 
*Leonard Christian
*Charles Lewis
*Roma Jones
*Thomas W. Evans
*Oscar Turner
*Aaron Bass, Sr.

Bayata 10: Jun 13, 1983

Dave Meddaugh 
Lawrence L. Smallwood 
*Kimberle Holsey 
Michael W. Andrews 
Greg Ford 
Leon King 
*Andrew C. Davis Jr. 
Richard DeBrest 
Leonard S. Ali Ford – President
Terry Arline

18 Carat Gold: Dec 12, 1987

*Timothy Kinning
Curtis P. Murray 
Saleem I. (Archie) Epperson
Carl A. Enlow Jr. 
Donald Jones Jr. 
Kenneth B. Jones, Sr. 
Rick A. Dean 
Derek Redcross 
Lawrence Brown 
*Terry F. Crockett 
*L. Sidney Doman 
*C. Fitzgerald 
Leonard A. Heard 
A. Michael Pratt 
Troy Walker 
C. Washington 
Luther Weaver 
Robert Yancy

Genesis 22: Dec 12, 1992

Patrick L. Robinson 
Chris Brown
Sean Harrison
Christopher T. Curry
Torrie Samuels
Chris Manigaul
Darryl Greene
Jesse R. Reason
Wesley Rouse
Woolworth V. Davis – President
Michael Sturgis
Chet Carter
Darryl Bridges
Kevin Durrant
Joffie Pittman, III
Darrel A. Germaine - Vice-President 
Danny Bennett
Steven Rocher
Gregory Smalls
Ronald P. Waters
Kublai Woody
Patrick Nunez
DEAN OF PLEDGES - Timothy Kinning

Relentless 6: Mar 24, 1995 

Ernest R. Frazier
James A. Childs 
*Robert Johnson-Smith II 
Wayne I. Pridgen 
Roy C. Chambers, III
Kelly S. Woodland

14 Souls of Gold: Mar 6, 1999 

Joseph Warrick, Jr
Ubong Udobot
David E. Knox, III
Anthony Shaw
Jeffrey Walker
Laren Gaskins
Terrence Jenkins
Kahlil Shepherd
Marc Lee
DeForio Barlow
Ashley A. Hines, IV
Stephen Cox
*Chimdi O. Mbonu
O'Neal Palmer

7 Sons of Thunder: Mar 26, 2000

Bruce L. Johnston 
Steven E. Sykes 
Johnny Young 
Christopher Young-Morales 
Bradford R. Berry, Jr. 
Mark A. Edwards, Sr. 
Joseph Wells, III

9 Soldiers of Chaos: Apr 28, 2001

Lavell T. Kirby 
Ian Gadson 
Troy V. Abernathy 
Erwin Washington
Frederick D. Fulmore 
Jason De Marco 
James P. Brown, Jr. 
Quincy Wadley 
Darryl B. Blackwell

Quessential 5: Mar 20, 2004

Derrick T. Thomas 
DeShawn V. Jones, Sr. 
Kyle D. Anderson 
Robert A. Johnson - President 
Khyel T. Dicks 
Membership Chairman - Jason DeMarco 
Membership Co-Chairman - Stephen C. Oakman

7 Sons of Perseverance: Apr 2, 2005

Melvin L. Charlton
Richard O. Spencer Jr.
Bobby L. James - President
Abbas Abdulhaqq
Mark Mansaray
Luke T. Smith
Richard F. Norris II 
Membership Chairman - Jason DeMarco 
Membership Co-Chairman - Stephen C. Oakman

Mission Impossible 4 (M:I:4) : Apr 22, 2006

Rodney Oglesby
James V. Nixon
Maurice Lynch
*Wayne W. Dunn 
Membership Chairman - Jason DeMarco 
Membership Co-Chairman - Stephen C. Oakman

6 Soldiers of Sudden Death: Dec 15, 2007

Ron Daniels
Howard James, III 
Richard Jones 
Lawrence Green
Ron Mason
Charles Hilton

6 Resurrected Souls of Purple and Gold: Apr 9, 2009

Leonard Bennett
Grady Knight 
Rochelle Chavis 
*John Muhlanga
John Stuart, Jr. - President
Anthony Hurst, II 
Membership Co-Chairman - Jason DeMarco 
Membership Co-Chairman - Stephen C. Oakman

Centennial 8: Nov 12, 2011

Marquise Stancil - President
Kwame Grove
Gary Thompson
Timothy Turner
Chester Hampton
James Younge
Ras Mayo
Jesse Smith
Membership Chairman - Anthony Jones
Membership Asst. Chairman - Oliver Thornton

Four Hearts One Beat: April 12, 2014

Darwin R. Beauvais
*William G. Pringle
James W. Sanders
Ronald A. Burks - President
Membership Chairman - Garfield L. Jackson, Sr.
Membership Asst. Chairman - Kwame Grove
Membership Asst. Chairman - Ras R. Mayo, Jr.

7 Elusive Sons of Glory!: Apr 9, 2016

Chris A. Thompson
Maurice M. Miller, Jr..
Rennie A. Parker
Kwawdo Agyapong
Raamiah Bethea
Michael A. Burton
Richard R. Snow - President
Membership Chairman - Kwame Grove
Membership Asst. Chairman - Gary Thompson 
Membership Asst. Chairman - Timothy Turner

6 Untouchable Souls Apr 15, 2017

Mark Cherry
Isiah Myles - President
Gerald Jones
Calvin Johnson
Tyrone Quarterman
Glen Casey
Membership Chairman - Kwame Grove
Membership Asst. Chairman - Gary Thompson

6 UnconQuerable Souls: March 31, 2018

Kyle Green
Ladarreun Taylor
John Graham - President
Nathan Hurt
Julian Graham
Darrell Giles
Membership Chairman - Mark Edwards
Vice Membership Chairman - James Sanders
Vice Membership Chairman - Mark Cherry

6 Centennial Hounds of Fury: May 23, 2020

Chris Jackson
Tierekka Walker - President
Chris Williams
Kevin Nesbitt
Lionel Dunbar
Evan Battallio
Membership Chairman - Mark Cherry
Vice Membership Chairman - Rodney Oglesby
Vice Membership Chairman - Darwin Beauvais

The Eminent 7: Mar 26, 2022

Shawn David
Craig Smith
Juwan Whitehead
Lawrence Price - President
Rhaim Dawkins
Reginald McNeil
Maso Dodd Jr.
Membership Chairman - Kwame Grove
Vice Membership Chairman - Darwin Beauvais 
Vice Membership Chairman - Isiah Myles


 

 

The Foundation is organized to develop, organize, operate or conduct educational programs and facilities directly or in concert with interested institutions, organizations and government agencies. The goal is to provide scientific and technical advice, education and training to persons of all ages, especially the disadvantaged. The Foundation shall receive grants, contributions, and legacies and shall dispense funds for scholarship awards, grants–in-aids and special projects.

To learn more about the foundation's programs and events, please visit the Mu Omega Foundation website.