Pi was chartered on April 23, 1921, at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. It was the first chapter established south of the Mason-Dixon line.
History[]
Early History[]
A Kappa Alpha Psi presence was first established at Morehouse College in 19xx, when J. H. Alston (Epsilon, 1915) joined the faculty as a professor of philosophy. At the Fourth Grand Chapter Meeting in 1919 at Unity Hall in Chicago, Illinois, he proposed the formation of a chapter at Morehouse, making a passionate speech "praying and begging" that Grand Chapter grant a charter to an unauthorized, but active group at the school. This proposal was initially met with concerns.
Irven Armstrong, Second Grand Polemarch, and several founders expressed reservations regarding Morehouse's lack of a rigorous academic curriculum. Diggs and Armstrong, in particular, were concerned about replicating chapters that did not adhere to their established template for membership qualifications. They strongly felt that chapters established on white campuses provided uniquely different challenges of academic success, use of college facilities, funds/economics, study environments, nurturing, and social outlets. They further believed that members of the fraternity initiated on these campuses were a more focused, appreciative, and humble group. This argument weighed heavily against the predominant belief that schools in the deep south fell short of the academic rigor, thus leading to insufficient supplication that Kappa sought in its members.
The prospects for a chapter at Morehouse were further dimmed when it was learned that rogue activity had been the norm on that campus. Apparently, members of the fraternity residing in the Atlanta area were having meetings and activities in the name of Kappa Alpha Psi, beyond the knowledge of, and without the consent from, Grand Chapter. Future Grand Polemarch W. Ellis Stewart (Alpha 1911), together with Thomas B. Mayo (Beta, 1915), C. Leon Wilson (Beta, 1915), and others argued vehemently against unauthorized activities at southern universities, in general, and Morehouse, in particular. They stated "no matter how accomplished and respected the men were on campus and the community… the fraternity [would] not be dictated to, nor submit to, renegade membership outside the fraternity processes and procedures."
The proposal for chapterhood, however, gained support from Founder Byron K. Armstrong, whose arousing speech turned the tide. He had been in contact with a candidate for membership, Caesar Felton "Zip" Gayles, an All-American football and basketball player, who also lettered in track and field. He argued that Gayles' enrollment represented a new direction for southern blacks, and that denying Morehouse a charter would undermine the spirit of achievement that lays at the foundation of the fraternity. On this basis, a charter was granted on April 23, 1921.
Notable Achievers[]
- Caesar Felton Gayles (Pi, 1921) was initiated seven days after the Pi charter was awarded. He graduated from Morehouse in 1924, and coached football at Tennessee State University and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. In 1930, he was recruited by Founder Armstrong, the dean at Langston University in Oklahoma, to become the head coach for football, basketball, and baseball, and to serve as athletic director. Gayles accepted and his tenure lasted 35 years. As a coach, Gayles won 64 percent of his football games, 67 percent of his basketball games, and two of his baseball teams were crowned National Negro champions. In 1961 he received the Elder Watson Diggs Award for meritorious achievement.
- Franklin L. Forbes (Pi, 1923) graduated from Morehouse in 1928, and stayed employed at the college for 43 years. He chaired the health and physical education department for 39 years, while also coaching basketball (31 years), football (15 years), tennis (five years), track and field (five years), and baseball (four years). Among his standout athletes was Major League Baseball World Series MVP honoree and Georgia Sports Hall of Fame inductee Donn Clendenon. In 1971, then-Governor Jimmy Carter proclaimed October 9th to be Franklin Lafayette Forbes Day in the state of Georgia, marking the first time an African American had been so honored in a southern state. In 1999, the college renamed its 6,000-seat basketball arena in Forbes's honor.
Contact[]
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