Chattanooga Alumni Chapter
On Sunday, January 22, 1939, a group of Kappa Brothers met at “Paul
Tatum’s Place” for the purpose of organizing in Chattanooga. Members present at
the meeting were Alex F. Carney who served as chairman, Alfred Scott, A. D. Robinson,
Willard Boone, R. Morrisey and C. B. Robinson who as elected as Keeper of Records. Also
present was Brother Grady Sherrill of New York. Little Brother Walter Parks was invited to
socialize with the group after the meeting. The dues were set at twenty five cents a week.
Total collection at that meeting was twenty four cents, of which ten cents was spent on a
deck of cards. At the February meeting the group was joined by Brothers Roy O. Vaughn,
Oliver Bryant, Thomas Prater, K. N. Williams, Robert J. Smith and Bruce Rumley.
Plans by the group to become a functioning alumni chapter were interrupted by World War II
in 1941. It was not until June 1, 1946 that the Chattanooga Alumni Chapter was officially
chartered. Chapter Founders were: Alex F. Carney*, Polemarch; Alfred A. Scott*, Vice
Polemarch; Clarence B. Robinson*, Keeper of Records & Exchequer; Roy O. Vaughn*;
Strategus; Wallace B. Jackson*, Lt. Strategus; Robert J. Smith*, Historian & Reporter;
Willard A. Boone*, Board of Director; William P. Malone*, Board of Director; Daniel F.
Provine*, Alphonso D. Robinson* and Armature Z. Traylor*. Others members affiliated with
the chapter during those formative years were Brothers Robert Hardwick, Elmer Henderson,
Richard Morrisey*, Curtis Norris, Curtis Walker, Fluker Walton and Percy Williams.
In the fall of 1951 Brother Alex Carney who had been the polemarch of the group since its
inception was replaced by Brother William Days. Among the other new names to appear on the
records were: Louie Robinson, Charles “Billy” Green, Samuel Hill, Carl White,
Freddy White, Donald Elligan, Kenneth Fearn and John P. Franklin. In 1952 the chapter
organized the “Kappa Kowboy Kontest” in which each brother was to sponsor a boy
between five and ten years of age. All of the money raised was used to buy shoes for needy
children. Some of the young men in the first contest who later became fraternity members
were: Lamont Vaughn, Warren Logan, Jr. and Cicero C. Henderson, III. The first
“Kontest” raised almost $2,600.00. In 1965 Chattanooga Alumni Chapter appointed
James E. Jones and Carl E. White as it’s first Dean and Assistant Dean of Pledgees.
Charles W. Fields was the chapter’s first initiate.
Kappamen in Chattanooga have long been active in the educational, civic and political
activities of the community. In 1971 John P. Franklin, Sr. was elected as the first
African-American City Commissioner, later becoming Vice Mayor. He served as Commissioner
and chairman of the school board for twenty years. During this period of time James E.
Jones, Dr. C. C. Bond and Sherman Matthews were other Kappamen elected to serve on the
School Board. In 1998 his son, John P. “Duke” Franklin, Jr. was elected to the
City Council. Moses Freeman, Jr. serves as Executive Assistant to the Mayor and was 1998
President of the multi-million dollars River Bend Music Festival.
From 1974 to 1992 Clarence Bernard Robinson served as Hamilton County’s first
African-American state legislator since the reconstruction period. On the national scene
Marvin L. Cousin, Jr., served on the Democratic National Platform Committee during the
administration of President Jimmy Carter. Former Hamilton County Commissioner Arthur C.
Campbell currently serves as Deputy Undersecretary for Rural Economic and Community
Development in Washington, D. C. Brother Campbell was appointed during President William
J. Clinton’s administration.
Several brothers are prominent in the fields of hospital and health administration, a
number of brothers are leaders in fire, police and security administration. Chattanooga
Kappas are also leaders in other fields of human endeavor such as Religion, Public Housing
Administration, Finance and the Urban League.
In higher education, Richard L. Brown, Jr. was named Vice Chancellor of Operations at the
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. In Sports, Nathaniel H. Anderson became the first
African-American to become a regular official in the Southeastern Conference. He also
served as president of the football association. In hospital and health administration,
Irvin O. Overton serves as Executive Vice President of Erlanger Medical Center. Lamar J.
Partridge is a leader in the field of finance and President of Valley Capital Corporation,
which provides equity and debt financing to small and minority businesses.
The Chattanooga Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi held its meetings at the homes of
kappamen until May 1965 when the Chapter purchased the Fraternity House at 1014 East
Martin Luther King Boulevard, formally East 9th Street. Historically, the house once
served as a female dormitory, cafeteria and chapel for Zion College, which was a black
business and religious oriented college.
*Deceased
