“BROTHERMAN DICTATOR OF DISCIPLINE”

FEATURE
16 LION
By Eric Christopher Webb ’91
In 1915, Elder Watson Diggs affectionately known to his
fraternity as “The Dreamer” made the long journey on horse
and buggy from Bloomington, Indiana, to Lincoln University in
Pennsylvania. He had begun efforts to expand the fraternity he
had helped establish at Indiana University on Jan. 5, 1911 under a
new banner. Since then, the group had officially changed its name
from Kappa Alpha Nu to Kappa Alpha Psi as a result of white
racist track fans referring to a black athlete and fraternity member
as “Kappa Alpha N-word.”
The predominately African American Greek-lettered fraternity,
whose motto is “Achievement in every field of human endeavor,”
was established to provide an alternative to the racially-exclusive
student organizations on campus and to strengthen the bonds of
friendship among African American students.
On that trip, Diggs’ destination was Lincoln University, where
he offered his personal and official installation recognition and
blessing for Epsilon chapter, proclaiming it, The Star of the East,
for its significance as the fraternity’s first East Coast chapter and
its first chapter under its newly-minted name.
Epsilon charter members and their fraternity roles included E.L.
Davis, Polemarch; P.I. Nolte, Vice Polemarch; J.H. Alston, Keeper
of Records; S.E. Robertson, Keeper of Exchequer; J.M. Dabney;
W.I. Delph; L.S. Hart; A.E. Henry; J.W. Killingsworth; B.E.
Moore; H.G. Ridgley, Jr.; T.M. Selden; J.H. Scott; H.H. Smith; L.
Tillery; and E.H. Walker.
In October 2015, Selden, one of Epsilon’s charter members,
was posthumously recognized by the University of
Pennsylvania with the unveiling of a plaque in his
honor. Selden, a member of Penn Law School’s Class
of 1924 and among its first African Americans to
enroll, was tragically killed in a railway accident
during his first year. He was the valedictorian of
Lincoln’s Class of 1919, second in the Dartmouth
College Class of 1921, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Overall, the fraternity chapter has produced some 800
members, including the most notable among them: Adolpho
A. Birch, Jr., the first African American to serve as Chief Justice
of the Tennessee Supreme Court, Lincoln’s first African American
president, Dr. Horace Mann Bond, and actor Fred Thomas, Jr.
Epsilon’s centennial weekend celebration December 4-6, 2015,
organized by Epsilon chapter and its Star of the East Society,
included a re-enactment of Diggs’ visit to Lincoln complete
with horse and buggy as well as a campus fraternity luncheon;
its Centennial banquet in Philadelphia, followed by a Centennial
celebration at the Adventure
Aquarium in Camden, New
Jersey; and two simultaneous
community service projects in
Philadelphia, where its current
and alumni members served hot
meals, provided business attire,
toiletries and career counseling
to the homless with the “We
Feed The Homeless Philly”
organization as well as repainted
academic and cultural murals at
Stephen Girard Public School.
At its Centennial banquet program, the group recognized its Hall
of Fame Honorees: the late Bennie Lee Turner III, a 1972 initiate,
the late Lawrence Hamm, Sr., a 1977 initiate, the late Dr. Frankie
Carr, a 1973 initiate, William “Bill” Rivers, a 1954 initiate,
Joseph V. Williams, Jr., a 1968 initiate, and Thomas McGill, Jr.
Esq., a 1966 initiate at the DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia
Center City.
In addition, the group honored Lincoln alumnus Karen Nicholas
as the recipient of its Distinguished Lady of Epsilon Award, Corey
Robinson, Sr., a 1999 initiate, with its Frank R. Gordon Service
Award and Jabir McKnight, a Lincoln freshman, with its $1,000
S.T.A.R. Scholarship Award.
Kappa dignitaries in attendance included: Senior Grand Vice
Polemarch Reuben A. Shelton, III, Executive Director Ernest H.
Brown, Northeastern Province Polemarch Craig Chisolm and
Philadelphia Alumni Polemarch Bobby Hunter. L
Photos by Kevan Turman