Third District History and Archives Monday Pearl 6/10/19 – Grandfather of Black Basketball

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Greetings Brothers,

Last week I was working in Cambridge, Massachusetts and one evening after work I decided to jump on the red line and visit Harvard. Although school was out and graduation ceremonies were held the week before, when I emerged from the subway Harvard Square was still a buzz with activity. As I entered the gates to the campus and found my way to Harvard Yard I felt the awesome presence of history, and more profoundly, black history. I'm convinced there is no other predominately white institution of learning that could have that effect on me, except for maybe the University of Alabama or Ole Miss...but for very different reasons. The latter represents our overcoming the worst of white people under contrived circumstances and the former represents our "parity" with all humanity in real and meaningful terms, regardless of the measure. (The use of the word "parity" is arguably diplomatic (weak) considering our history of enslavement.

Anyway, that's not what this week's Monday Pearl is about. This week's Monday Pearl is about basketball. The night before my sojourn to Harvard, I spent the night in my hotel room working and watching game 3 of the NBA finals. Fast forward, while riding back on the subway from Harvard to my hotel I made an Omega connection between my seemingly unrelated visit to Harvard and game 3 of the NBA finals. I remembered a reclamation and fellowship event I organized with Brother Rohulamin Quander to celebrate the induction of Brother Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. Henderson studied at Harvard, was a charter member of Alpha Omega chapter, and will always be known as the "Grandfather of Black Basketball."

Please check out the attached documents and these great videos and other resources on the web (see links below).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2CaF1WcloQ – Hall of Fame Induction Speech and Ceremony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgc-ha87kfM – Strong Men and Women in Virginia History – 2018 Honoree

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtoHU-Nsaj8&t=95s – Dr. E.B. Henderson: The Grandfather of Black Basketball (Revised Edition)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcpeRBmeqB0 – Black Magic The Rise of Black Basketabll (Part 1 containing content on E.B. Henderson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khMUks-hjGU – Black Magic The Rise of Black Basketball (Full Version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHn8kAKHR9g – Chauncey Billups Honors E.B. Henderson

http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/edwin-henderson/ - New England Historical Society

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1622ribVnHhG6OU7qqslvb32sBz51Nw_X -The Life of Edwin Bancroft Henderson and his Professional Contributions to Physical Education by Leon N Coursey

Read More - 3_EB Henderson Article

Read More - 1_EBH_HOF_Flyer

Make it a great week Brothers. Go Toronto! Be noble!

F.I.E.T.T.S.
3rd District History and Archives Committee
___________________________________

The Monday Pearl is provided by the Third District History and Archives Committee and is a weekly sharing of fraternity content, commentary, and research of historical value we hope Brothers will enjoy and from which Brothers will draw inspiration. Previous "Pearls" can be found at http://3rddistrictques.org/about-us/overview/monday-pearl/. The Committee encourages your feedback. Should you have reactions, comments, information, anecdotes, documents, and the like, related to any of the content we share, we'd very much like to hear from you. Please send all communication to 3dhistoryandarchives@gmail.com.

Third District History and Archives Monday Pearl 6/3/19 – Fund of Anecdotes

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Greetings Brothers,

The H&A Committee would first like to recognize the birthday of our late Brother Charles R. Drew who was born on this day in 1904. Early in the Monday Pearl series we shared a great article on Brother Drew written by his wife, Lenore Robbins Drew.  Please check it out by clicking this link http://3rddistrictques.org/history-and-archives-monday-pearl-9-30-18/. We can't share it enough. Thanks to Mrs. Drew's reflections we know much more about our good brother. He amounted to much more than the sum of his accomplishments. As Mrs. Drew describes, his biggest accomplishments never made it to Wikipedia.

This week's Monday Pearl is somewhat of a personal indulgence. In this STEM dominated world, I submit that art and the liberal arts are not only still useful, but never more important. After all, intelligence should never be artificial and human connection should never be governed or otherwise filtered by algorithm. While hard drives store and retrieve data and fancy software can quickly analyze patterns and trends in the data, human conveyance of human experience, interpretation, and feeling will always be (or at least should be) important to understanding. As a medium, art and the liberal arts (literature, journalism, and communications to name a few) will always have more bandwidth (i.e., capacity to connect) than any fiber optics.

Indulge me. As I am want to do on a Sunday, I used my phone and its Bluetooth technology to connect to my Bluetooth sound box (my grandfather used to call it white man's magic) so I could visit with, talk to, and be transported by my friend Aretha Franklin. She's the best pastor I've ever had and though I've never met her in person, through her art - her gift - we not only connect, we relate. Listen to "Mary , Don't You Weep" recorded live at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in LA 1972 and you'll know what I mean. When she tells Mary not to weep, Martha not to worry, and calls on their brother Lazarus to stand up...yeah, you'll know what I mean. Like Mary, Each song is a story...a personal account...an anecdote rich with context and texture.

And so it is with the liberal artist - the recorder, writer, and teller of stories. Collectively, his anecdotes  more fully shape and give context and texture to our understanding, particularly of history and historical points of reference. The better artists make it so we don't just know the story, but relate to the story. Over the years, Omega has had many such storytellers. The Oracle is a fund of anecdotes.

While watching the basketball game, I stumbled on an interesting account of "Harlem During the Negro Renaissance" by Arthur P. Davis in the Summer 1971 Oracle. Brother Davis was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and first black student to be awarded a Ph.D in English from Columbia University (1942). He served Omega in many capacities, most notably longtime chairman of the National Scholarship Commission, appointed in 1954 by 22nd Grand Basileus John F. Potts, Sr. to help improve the state undergraduate scholarship. Davis became a full professor of English at Howard University in 1944, where he eventually led the English department until his retirement in 1980. In 1968, Davis directed the first Ph.D dissertation in English at Howard University.

Please find Davis' article "Harlem During the Negro Renaissance" attached, along with articles from the March 1954 Oracle describing the Fraternities new scholarship initiative and Brother Davis' appointment to lead the effort.

Make it a great week Brothers, and if you happen to have kids who are aspiring engineers, scientists, mathematicians, or technologists, encourage them to take a few English classes along the way.  Be noble!

Read More - DavisHarlem_Summer1971Oracle

Read More - DavisScholarship_March1954Oracle

F.I.E.T.T.S.

3rd District History and Archives Committee
___________________________________

The Monday Pearl is provided by the Third District History and Archives Committee and is a weekly sharing of fraternity content, commentary, and research of historical value we hope Brothers will enjoy and from which Brothers will draw inspiration. Previous "Pearls" can be found at http://3rddistrictques.org/about-us/overview/monday-pearl/. The Committee encourages your feedback. Should you have reactions, comments, information, anecdotes, documents, and the like, related to any of the content we share, we'd very much like to hear from you. Please send all communication to 3dhistoryandarchives@gmail.com.

DR’s Memorial Day 2019 Message

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Greetings my Brothers,
On this Memorial Day, we are reminded of what veterans have given to this country. When I think of Memorial Day, I think of the countless men and women who have paid the ultimate price in order to ensure our freedom, and to grant it to others. I think about the men and women who have yet to return home: our prisoner of wars, our missing in action, and those killed in action whose bodies have yet to be returned.
“We owe them all our deepest gratitude.”
Let’s take this moment to show our appreciation and “REMEMBER.” May God bless our Fraternity, the Third District, and our Veterans.
In Friendship,
Brother Kevin Brown
29th Third District Representative

History and Archives Monday Pearl 5/27/19 – “Zee”

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Greetings Brothers,

The History and Archives Committee recognizes, thanks, and honors all of the noble servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice and to all those who remain physically with us today who have served or continue to serve.

"Nineteen Thirty Three was cruel to the Fraternity; it took from us our beloved Mazyck, or "Zee", as he was known to his intimates." - S. Malcom Dodson

This week's Monday Pearl remembers Walter H. Mazyck. Whether this is the first or tenth time you've read the attached information, it is worthy of your attention on this Memorial Day.

Read More - Mazyck

F.I.E.T.T.S.

3rd District History and Archives Committee

__________________________________

The Monday Pearl is provided by the Third District History and Archives Committee and is a weekly sharing of fraternity content, commentary, and research of historical value we hope Brothers will enjoy and from which Brothers will draw inspiration. Previous "Pearls" can be found at http://3rddistrictques.org/about-us/overview/monday-pearl/. The Committee encourages your feedback. Should you have reactions, comments, information, anecdotes, documents, and the like, related to any of the content we share, we'd very much like to hear from you. Please send all communication to 3dhistoryandarchives@gmail.com.

Third District History and Archives Monday Pearl 5/20/19 – Walking the Walk

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Greetings Brothers,

The History and Archives Committee is happy to welcome two new members, Brother David Carl (1993 Gamma currently with Alpha Omega) and Brother Terence Spence (2018 Delta Omega). The Committee welcomes their spirit and interest and looks forward to their future contributions.

Brother Carl hales from a long line of men of sterling worth and ever since I met him has impressed me with his commitment to carry on and add to the legacy of Gamma Chapter and the Fraternity at large We are lucky to have him in our ranks in the Third District. Brother Carl is a distinguished fraternity historian who currently serves on the International History and Archives Committee and has made numerous contributions to the fraternity's historical record.

Brother Spence, although relatively new to the fraternity, is no less important to our mission as a Committee - that mission being to not simply record and regurgitate historical facts, but to apply and mobilize the examples and lessons from our history to help address and overcome contemporary challenges; bring to bear our enduring values such that we gain a clearer understanding of our path forward; and to more fully indoctrinate, acculturate, and deliver the organizational inheritance to our new members in such a way that provides context and motivation for their adding to what they receive. Brother Spence is similarly distinguished in that he raised his hand and said, "I'd like to be a part of what your are doing, how can I help?" His outreach and example are greatly appreciated.

This week's Monday Pearl is provided by Brother David Carl and highlights the life and contributions of another Gamma chapter brother who made a big difference in the Third District. I enjoyed reading and learning about Brother Gordon Blaine Hancock, Prolific Journalist, Clergyman, Sociologist, and Professor Emeritus at Virginia Union. I hope you too enjoy learning about Brother Hancock's contributions.

Make it a great week Brothers. Be noble!

F.I.E.T.T.S.
3rd District History and Archives Committee
__________________________________

The Monday Pearl is provided by the Third District History and Archives Committee and is a weekly sharing of fraternity content, commentary, and research of historical value we hope Brothers will enjoy and from which Brothers will draw inspiration. Previous "Pearls" can be found at http://3rddistrictques.org/about-us/overview/monday-pearl/. The Committee encourages your feedback. Should you have reactions, comments, information, anecdotes, documents, and the like, related to any of the content we share, we'd very much like to hear from you. Please send all communication to 3dhistoryandarchives@gmail.com.

Each One Bring One: Get Reclaimed Now!

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Our service to our community can best be accomplished by the aid of talented, competent Brothers, willing to roll up their sleeves and carry out the true mission of Omega.

I hope we can count on you to reactivate your standing with the Fraternity today.

Click now to view - 3rd District Reclamation Chairman List

Greetings Brothers

We are excited to provide tools and resources for you to use to make Omega better for all of us.  Be sure to select the Reclamation Chairman link to view the list of 3rd District Chairman.  This page will be update frequently so check back often.

Overall the Reclamation and Retention Committee is focused on three main areas.

• Providing resources to the Fraternity to engage active and inactive brothers
• Establishing goals and metrics for the Chapters and Districts to maintain and
grow membership.
• Increase awareness through marketing and social media.

Make no mistake retention and reclamation is the duty of every Brother and it is going to require some effort from all of you.

Did you know that only 1 out of every 5 Brothers pay dues beyond their Initiation fees?  Many Brothers claim to love our Fraternity, still participate in social Omega activities, and "represent" Omega through paraphernalia, friendships, etc. yet are not active and financial with their local chapter.  Essentially these Brothers are pulling out all of the things that they like about Omega and abandoning the rest.  Why not take advantage of your FULL Omega?

Is this what you promised Omega when you took the Oath?
When you sought out Omega your letter of intent had a list of all of the things you would BRING to the fraternity and the value you would ADD. . .

Doesn’t Omega deserve your best?
No Brother can go back and change what their Omega has been but all of us can start today and determine what our Omega experience will be.  An organization that has survived for more than 100 years doesn’t happen by accident . . .

Are you Done Already?
I implore you, my Brothers to use the same enthusiasm exhibited to join this great fraternity to maintain and grow it.  The way to "fix" all that is wrong with Omega is to get involved.  Remember "Running from it will not save you!!"

Omega has kept its promise, will you?
We are excited to provide additional tools and resources for you to use to engage the Brotherhood and make Omega better for all of us.  We don’t have all of the ideas, so please continue to share with our committee so we can get the word out.  You have the opportunity to lay the foundation for our next 100 Century of achievement. . .

In Friendship and Fraternity,

Reginald Parker
3rd District Reclamation Chair
3rddistrictreclamation@gmail.com

Third District History and Archives Monday Pearl 5/13/19 – Our Strength

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Greetings Brothers,

At different times in our lives and in different ways Omega has helped to articulate and channel the many noble qualities interwoven in the fabric of the true Omega man - qualities that were in him even before he became Omega. After all, sheep can't make goat any more than cat can make dog. Thus, the answer to the question, "does Omega make men or do men make Omega?" is that Omega requires, implies, and demands that we manifestly apply the nobility within us to all that we do. But from where do we get our sense of nobility?

This Monday Pearl honors all the mothers who instilled virtue, goodness, honor, honesty, decency, integrity, magnanimity, generosity, selflessness, and bravery in all loyal Sons of Omega and in doing so, instilled the same in Omega. Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the Mary Matthews Justs (educator, founder of Maryville, and mother of Founder Ernest E. Just), Susie H. (Carr) Loves (mother of Founder Edgar Amos Love and first female graduate of Morgan College), Abbie Mitchell Cooks (mother of William Mercer Cook co-writer of Omega Dear and actress who played Clara in the premier production of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess), and Maggie L. Walkers (bank president, newspaper publisher, civil rights activist, and mother of Melvin D. Walker an early member of Zeta Chapter) of the world.  Perhaps Brother Hughes says it best.

The Negro Mother by Langston Hughes

Children, I come back today 
To tell you a story of the long dark way 
That I had to climb, that I had to know 
In order that the race might live and grow. 
Look at my face - dark as the night - 
Yet shining like the sun with love's true light. 
I am the dark girl who crossed the red sea 
Carrying in my body the seed of the free. 
I am the woman who worked in the field 
Bringing the cotton and the corn to yield. 
I am the one who labored as a slave, 
Beaten and mistreated for the work that I gave - 
Children sold away from me, I'm husband sold, too. 
No safety, no love, no respect was I due.

Three hundred years in the deepest South: 
But God put a song and a prayer in my mouth. 
God put a dream like steel in my soul. 
Now, through my children, I'm reaching the goal. 

Now, through my children, young and free, 
I realized the blessing deed to me. 
I couldn't read then. I couldn't write. 
I had nothing, back there in the night. 
Sometimes, the valley was filled with tears, 
But I kept trudging on through the lonely years. 
Sometimes, the road was hot with the sun, 
But I had to keep on till my work was done: 
I had to keep on! No stopping for me - 
I was the seed of the coming Free. 
I nourished the dream that nothing could smother 
Deep in my breast - the Negro mother. 
I had only hope then, but now through you, 
Dark ones of today, my dreams must come true: 
All you dark children in the world out there, 
Remember my sweat, my pain, my despair. 
Remember my years, heavy with sorrow - 
And make of those years a torch for tomorrow. 
Make of my pass a road to the light 
Out of the darkness, the ignorance, the night. 
Lift high my banner out of the dust. 
Stand like free men supporting my trust. 
Believe in the right, let none push you back. 
Remember the whip and the slaver's track. 
Remember how the strong in struggle and strife 
Still bar you the way, and deny you life - 
But march ever forward, breaking down bars. 
Look ever upward at the sun and the stars. 
Oh, my dark children, may my dreams and my prayers 
Impel you forever up the great stairs - 
For I will be with you till no white brother 
Dares keep down the children of the Negro Mother.

Make it a great week Brothers. Be noble!

F.I.E.T.T.S.
3rd District History and Archives Committee
___________________________________

The Monday Pearl is provided by the Third District History and Archives Committee and is a weekly sharing of fraternity content, commentary, and research of historical value we hope Brothers will enjoy and from which Brothers will draw inspiration. Previous "Pearls" can be found at http://3rddistrictques.org/about-us/overview/monday-pearl/. The Committee encourages your feedback. Should you have reactions, comments, information, anecdotes, documents, and the like, related to any of the content we share, we'd very much like to hear from you. Please send all communication to 3dhistoryandarchives@gmail.com.

History and Archives Monday Pearl 5/6/19 – Man of Letters

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Greetings Brothers,

Maya Angelou once said that her "mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."

Whether you're a serious or casual student of The Oracle one can't help but appreciate that the early Oracle editors championed a similar mission. These men were visionary and capable, an uncommon mix. They weren't merely reporters of events, but artists who proved that while art imitates life so does life imitate art.
One such editor was S. Malcolm Dodson who between 1928-1934 with passion, compassion, humor, and style arguably produced some of the best Oracles in the history of the periodical. During his editorship, Dodson masterfully delivered all the basics while also cleverly revealing the art in life and the life in art.
Allow me to present to some and introduce to others my friend and Dodson creation, Theophrastus Q Whipple, man of letters. I've also attached an article written by Dodson titled "Seven Years of the Oracle," in which Dodson reflects on his time as editor.
Make it a great week Brothers. Be noble!
F.I.E.T.T.S.
3rd District History and Archives Committee
___________________________________

The Monday Pearl is provided by the Third District History and Archives Committee and is a weekly sharing of fraternity content, commentary, and research of historical value we hope Brothers will enjoy and from which Brothers will draw inspiration. Previous "Pearls" can be found at http://3rddistrictques.org/about-us/overview/monday-pearl/. The Committee encourages your feedback. Should you have reactions, comments, information, anecdotes, documents, and the like, related to any of the content we share, we'd very much like to hear from you. Please send all communication to 3dhistoryandarchives@gmail.com

Third District History and Archives Monday Pearl 4/29/19 – Fables of Faubus

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Greetings Brothers,
In 1987-1988 while a student at the University of Virginia, I remember taking two classes, one called "The History of the Civil Rights Movement" and the other called "The History of Jazz." I also recall these classes were considered by many in Thomas Jefferson's academic village (black and white) to be "schedule fillers" or "guts," as it were. Their purpose was to provide a break from the "intellectual rigor" of the traditionally rigorous. Think about that for a second. I mean, I get that these classes required a different challenge than organic chemistry and statistics, but I resented the characterization that they were something unimportant. In my mind and in this particular context/environment, there was something poignantly wrong with this narrative.I wanted/needed these classes to be important because they were relevant to my history and cultural experience and point of reference.. I needed somebody to recognize! Reducing these classes/topics to something lesser than was similar in my mind to the disrespect recently visited upon the Howard University community.. A rose by any other name...
My jaundiced reflections notwithstanding, these two classes were awesome. The first, taught by the late Julian Bond (Civil Rights leader), introduced me to the name Orval Faubus, a despicable character. The second, taught (believe it or not) by a cool white guy with a long goatee and black horn-rimmed glasses, introduced me to Charles Mingus, jazz musician. I remember that day in jazz class when the professor played Mingus' "Fables of Faubus," first recorded in 1959 and named after the racist Governor from Arkansas (1955-1967), who I had first learned about the previous semester in Professor Bond's class. The connection may not have landed me a good job upon graduation, but for me it was an important connection at that time and in that place. I remember feeling the need to connect to something culturally relevant and representative in a place that wasn't created with that end in mind. I regretfully didn't do much to change the narrative regarding these and similar classes. I'm sure I had a party to get to or some pretty lady to hold the door for. The revolution would have to wait. All was not lost, however. I began to read and listen and connect differently. Growth happened. I was pleasantly surprised to discover this clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT2-iobVcdw&list=RDQT2-iobVcdw&index=1 . It brought back memories. Check it out.
At this point (or perhaps earlier), you might be thinking, "the H&A Chairman needs to get some sleep...what does this have to do with Omega history?" I wouldn't blame you for asking the question, however, I have an answer. While doing research on Brother Oliver W. Hill, Civil Rights attorney and longtime member of Phi Phi Chapter, I found these two articles juxtaposed in these clippings from the September 14, 1958 New York Daily News https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31059646/hillfaubus_1/ and https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31062095/hillfaubus_2/. One is an article about Hill and his efforts to desegregate Virginia schools and the other is about Faubus and his efforts to maintain the status quo. On second thought, the articles weren't juxtaposed as much as they were connected; just as Omega has been connected throughout its history to the service and uplift of mankind.  (More on Brother Oliver W. Hill in the weeks to come.) We are important; we just need to understand why and let that understanding order our steps.
Make it a great week Brothers. Be noble!
F.I.E.T.T.S.
3rd District History and Archives Committee
___________________________________
The Monday Pearl is provided by the Third District History and Archives Committee and is a weekly sharing of fraternity content, commentary, and research of historical value we hope Brothers will enjoy and from which Brothers will draw inspiration. Previous "Pearls" can be found at http://3rddistrictques.org/about-us/overview/monday-pearl/. The Committee encourages your feedback. Should you have reactions, comments, information, anecdotes, documents, and the like, related to any of the content we share, we'd very much like to hear from you. Please send all communication to 3dhistoryandarchives@gmail.com.