LOS ANGELES – A staple in the community for a full century, members of the Los Angeles-based Lambda Chapter will come together this weekend (May 19-21) to celebrate the rich history of scholarship, brotherhood & service in a fun-filled evening commemorating the organization. A collection of undergraduate, graduate, and alumni members representing more than 60 years will travel from across the country to participate in this monumental weekend, hosted by the Lambda Scholar Foundation, Incorporated.
Held inside the famed Town & Gown on the campus of the University of Southern California (USC), nearly 300 guests will be in attendance for an evening comprised of an outdoor reception, dinner, a gala program, a chapter photo, and dancing.
Hosted by television and radio commentator Morris “Will” O’Kelly with a special appearance and keynote message from Ricky L. Lewis, the fraternity’s 42nd Grand Basileus (International President). Four (4) of the fraternity’s past 12th District Representatives are expected to attend, along with newly elected 12th District Representative William “Earl” Edwards, who was recently installed at the fraternity’s district meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated was founded in 1911 on the campus of Howard University and is the nation’s third-oldest historically Black fraternity. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity is geographically divided into 13 districts with over 750 chapters, collectively. The fraternity has initiated more than 200,000 members.
Since its founding, the international organization has brought in notable members across the arts Langston Hughes, Rickey Smiley, William (Count) Basie, Steve Harvey; sports Steve McNair, Michael Jordan, Jalen Hurts; business Earl Graves, Nathaniel Bronner, Byron E. Lewis; civil rights Jesse Jackson, Benjamin Hooks, Roy Wilkins, United States House of Representatives’ James Enos “Jim” Clyburn, and many others representing perseverance in every field of human endeavor.
Chartered on May 3, 1923, at USC, Lambda is the first and only west coast single-letter, undergraduate chapter in the fraternity’s 12th District and the first to celebrate 100 years along the Pacific.
The local chapter itself has included a prominent list of distinguished names and barrier-breaking members including legendary celebrity architect Paul Revere Williams, FAIA; judge Thomas L. Griffith, Jr.; star athletes William McKinley Peterz, Sebron “Ed” Tucker (Stanford Hall of Fame), Brice Union Taylor (USC Athletic Hall of Fame; also Southern University coach in the first game that later became the Bayou Classic), record holder Wilalyn Q, Stovall and Stevan Simmons (All-American); civil rights litigator Erskine Stevenson Ragland as well as Centennial co-chair Al Sargent (co-creator of the original USC Black Graduation), amongst other notable men in their respective professions.
Lambda’s Centennial weekend activities will encompass a host of scheduled festivities including a reception at Pips on La Brea Restaurant & Lounge on Friday along with the black-tie Centennial Celebration on Saturday, culminating with a fraternity cookout on Sunday. Guests of the gala will receive a curated photo book on the chapter’s history while Lambda members also received a limited, custom lapel pin.
As part of a fundraiser, a collectible Centennial brick was produced to commemorate this moment in the chapter’s history.
