Delta Alpha Lambda Chapter
The seven visionary founders of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. established the first chapter at Cornell University in 1906. Eight years later, Pi Chapter, an undergraduate chapter, that grew out of the Cleveland College Club,
composed of students attending Case Western Reserve University, was established in Cleveland Ohio, and became the fifteenth chartered chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Graduate (Alumni) brothers in the Cleveland area were affiliated with the Pi Chapter until the Delta Alpha Lambda Chapter was chartered on November 15, 1947, to provide continuing leadership opportunities for Brothers beyond their college years.
Brother Josephus Hicks was elected the first DAL President, Henry C. Crawford: Vice President, Harold Barnett: Secretary, Kweigger Aggrey: Treasurer, Jay B. Walker: Associate Sphinx Editor. Additionally, since its inception, 29 other distinguished brothers have served as Presidents. Some of the fifty Charter brothers involved in the very early years of our chapter include: Henry C. “Heinie” Crawford, Milus Graham, Joe Hall, Felix Haney, Frank “Doc” Kelker, Bob Madison, Joe Smith, Bert Styles, Carl Richards and Henry L. “Hank” Williams.
The seven visionary founders of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. established the first chapter at Cornell University in 1906. Eight years later, Pi Chapter, an undergraduate chapter, which grew out of the Cleveland College Club, composed of students attending Case Western Reserve University, was established in Cleveland Ohio, and became the fifteenth chartered chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Graduate (Alumni) brothers in the Cleveland area were affiliated with the Pi Chapter until Delta Alpha Lambda Chapter was chartered November 15, 1947 to provide continuing leadership opportunities for Brothers beyond their college years.
Brother Josephus Hicks was elected the first DAL President, Henry C. Crawford: Vice President, Harold Barnett: Secretary, Kweigger Aggrey: Treasurer, Jay B. Walker: Associate Sphinx Editor. Additionally, since its inception 29 other distinguished brothers served as Presidents to date. Some of the fifty Charter brothers involved in the very early years of our chapter include: Henry C. “Heinie” Crawford, Milus Graham, Joe Hall, Felix Haney, Frank “Doc” Kelker, Bob Madison, Joe Smith, Bert Styles, Carl Richards and Henry L. “Hank” Williams.
Delta Alpha Lambda is the home of Brother Garrett Morgan
The first Black man in Cleveland to own a car, Morgan worked on his mechanical skills and developed a friction drive clutch. Then, in 1923, he created a new kind of traffic signal, one with a warning light to alert drivers that they would need to stop, after witnessing a carriage accident at a particularly problematic intersection in the city. Morgan quickly acquired patents for his traffic signal a rudimentary version of modern three way traffic light in the United States, Britain and Canada, but eventually sold the rights to General Electric for 40,000
But it was the action of the convention in 1952, that would change the course of Alpha’s history and bestow upon Jewel Jones a unique distinction. On December 30, 1952, at the 38th General Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, during the presidency of Brother A. Maceo Smith, a special committee consisting of founders Nathaniel Allison Murray, George Biddle Kelley, Henry Arthur Callis and Historian Charles H. Wesley met to discuss the placement of the seventh founder of the fraternity. The committee submitted the following:
Cleveland, Ohio
December 29, 1952
To the Thirty-Eight General Convention of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity:
The Founders present at this Convention, Jewels Callis, Kelly, and Murray, and the Fraternity Historian, met with Brother Eugene Kinckle Jones on Monday, December 29, 1952, and with letters and exhibits before us, the following conclusions were reached:
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Several paragraphs of the history of our Fraternity for the years 1905-1906, are to be rewritten, with the view of placing Brother Jones in his proper historical setting.
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This setting grows out of the fact that while Brother Jones was not at Cornell University in the academic year 1905-1906 during the period of the Social Study Club, he was a leading spirit during the academic year, 1906-1907, when the decision was made to become a fraternity and thereafter.
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The Registrar of Cornell University informed the Fraternity Historian that Brother James H. Morton was not registered as a student at Cornell University in 1905-1906, although he had associations with the Social Study Club. It seems that he had planned to matriculate.
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Brother James H. Morton was one of the first initiates, as was Brother Jones, and the program of initiation carries his name as one of them. After this date Brother Morton fades entirely out of the Alpha historical picture, and was not heard from in the after years.
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The organizing abilities of Brother Eugene Kinkcle Jones were demonstrated not only in the development of the National Urban League, for which he is best known, but also in his leadership in correspondence and travel in establishing Beta Chapter at Howard University, Gamma Chapter at Virginia Union University, Delta Chapter at the University of Toronto, Canada, and the initiation of Brothers at Syracuse University. His leadership as President of Alpha Chapter was a conspicuous contribution to our early history.
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We know that Brother Jones was our first initiate, and we shall continue to list him among this number, as equally as Brother Morton, also listed as a Jewel Founder. We also know that Brother Hones was more than an initiate. All of us are in agreement concerning this fact. He was a molder and motivator of our ideals and their implementation. He was present when the vote was taken to become a fraternity and with Jewel Callis was co-author of our first constitution, the preamble of which is still used by us.
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The manuscript minutes of Alpha Chapter now in the possession of the Fraternity Historian and scheduled for full publication in the Appendix of the new edition of the history sustain these views.
As a result of this conference and the exchange of experiences and reminiscences, and even taking into consideration the defect of memories forty-seven years later, we are of the opinion that Brother Eugene Kinckle Jones should be listed as one of the seven Jewels, and that the name of Brother James H. Morton, about whom the Founders present are not at all definite in their knowledge, should continue to be carried among the first initiates and among our precursors as was C.C. Poindexter, President of the Social Study Club.
To attest these facts, we herewith subscribe our signatures:
Nathaniel A. Murray
Henry A. Callis
George B. Kelly
Charles H. Wesley