Under the baobab: Omegas continue to make history at Penn State and across the nation

The passing of our friend and mentor, Vernon Jordan, gives us an opportunity to commemorate his beloved fraternity, Omega Psi Phi. March 15 will mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Nu Chapter of the Omegas at Penn State.

Started in 1921 by Daniel Taylor, it was the first Black organization on campus. Their motto was, “Friendship is essential to the soul.” There were only seven other Black men enrolled at the university at the time: George D. Brooks, Louis A. Potter, James A. Gardiner, Eldridge A. Miller , William N. Lewis, J. Lester Smith, James A. Moore. The national organization, founded 10 years earlier in 1911 at Howard University, was based on the principles of manhood, scholarship, perseverance and uplift.

At Penn State other “Divine Nine” fraternities and sororities soon followed. In 1932, Mildred Bunton, a member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority, became the first Black woman to graduate from Penn State. The Mildred Bunton/Calvin Waller Scholarship was co-named after her. Highlighting some other successful members, project manager Cara Aungst, in a soon to be released article on the organization, writes:

“At the 1939 and 1940 Penn Relays Henry Norwood Ewell, broke, and then bettered, the 50-yard dash world record with times of 5.1 and 5.0 seconds. In 1942, Ewell set a world record in the 200-yard dash with an 18.9 seconds performance. In the 1948 London Olympics, at the age of 30, he won the gold medal in the 400-meter relay, and silver medals in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash. His three medals are still the most won by a Penn State alumnus.

In 1951 Parmi Nous honor society tapped its first Black member, Omega Psi Phi Hardy Williams. Williams, a Liberal Arts major, who was co-captain of the basketball team and the first Black man to earn a varsity letter in the sport (1949) at Penn State. He went on to serve on the Penn State board of trustee and spent thirty years in the Pennsylvania State House and Senate.

In 1967 Emmett Smith, Jr. suited up as the first known Black member of the Penn State Marching Blue Band. Smith, a tuba player from Pittsburgh, went on to perform with the band for two years. (He was followed by Professor Andrew Jackson in 1970, who performed on the bass drum and silks.) Matthew Robinson, Jr. ‘58 (BA Lib) debuted as Gordon on the first episode of ‘Sesame Street.’ He went on to write and produce for other shows like ‘The Cosby Show.’ He was awarded the NAACP Image Award.

1971: Benson Dutton ‘33 was selected as Penn State’s Distinguished Alumni by the Board of Trustees. Dutton, a retired director of construction for the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, was a former dean of the School of Engineering at Tennessee.

In 1978: Nu brother Julian Abele Cook, Jr. was appointed as United States District Judge by President Jimmy Carter. He went on to serve as a Chief Judge from 1989-1996.

In 1992 Dr. Eddie Moore Jr. became the 12th president of Virginia State University. He was also Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Virginia, where he served on 15 state boards and had oversight authority for more than $20 billion of Virginia’s assets.

In 2001: Ronald R. Davenport ‘58 (BS Bus) and Judith L. Davenport ‘61, founders of the Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation, the largest Black-owned communications network in the United States, pledged $3 million to Penn State endowment fund.”

More recently, Omega Psi Phi brothers Dr. Andrew Jackson and Dr. Marcus Whitehead, Penn State’s vice provost for educational equity, have been active in chartering Iota Lamda Lamda a graduate chapter of the fraternity.

Congratulations to the Omegas for not only being a part of, but continuing to make American history.