History of Upsilon Alpha Chapter
The Upsilon Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. was chartered as a graduate Chapter in Atlantic City, NJ, in or about November 1939. The Charter Members were E. Lewis Farrell, Napoleon Gupton, Walter Johnson II, James E. King, Jr., Dr. Roland D. Lucas, William McPhail, James Overby, Milton R. Palmer, Raymond G. Robinson, Harry Scott, and Lloyd Wright.
The most historically significant member of Upsilon Alpha Chapter, as far as Omega is concerned, was Brother Raymond G. Robinson. Brother Robinson was a charter member of Beta Chapter (Lincoln University) and a charter member of Upsilon Alpha Chapter (Atlantic City). Brother Robinson served Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. in the following ways:
- Grand Keeper of Records • Unanimously elected Grand Basileus, serving from 1918-1920
- Expanded the fraternity from three chapters to ten.
- First Field Secretary
- Under his guiding influence Omega established Negro History and Literature Week, which was the beginning of the Negro Achievement Week Project
- Carried the Conclave for the first time into the South In 1920, Iota Chapter, a chapter for graduate brothers was chartered in Atlantic City; this led to the graduate chapter movement. It seems that many college men found excellent opportunities for summer employment in Atlantic City and Brother Robinson saw the importance of keeping the fellowship going over the summer. This chapter was notably a single letter chapter, and the eighth chapter chartered by the fraternity. The City of Atlantic City has strong and long ties to our beloved organization.
Other significant members of Upsilon Alpha Chapter include:
- James L. Usry, First African American Mayor of Atlantic City
- Herbert Jacobs, Attorney & Municipal Court Judge
- Horace J. Bryant, First African American State Banking Commissioner in NJ
- Lorenzo Langford, Former Councilman & former Atlantic City Mayor
- William Marsh, Former City Council President & former Atlantic City Mayor
- Shay Steele, Current President, Atlantic City Board of Education.
Fall 1936
Thomas A. Brown - Omega Chapter
Lewis P. Moore - Omega Chapter
Fall 1937
George A. Bethel - Omega Chapter
Spring 1940
Thomas Gill - Omega Chapter
Fall 1946
Ernest L. Artis - Omega Chapter
William Burleigh - Omega Chapter
Spring 1947
William Goodrum - Omega Chapter
Fall 1947
John Lampkin - Omega Chapter
Spring 1948
Samuel Beard - Omega Chapter
Fredrick Price - Omega Chapter
Summer 1949
Gordon Rowe - Omega Chapter
Earl L. Staton - Omega Chapter
Fall 1950
Howard C Williams
Spring 1950
James Winder - Omega Chapter
Nolad T Johnson - Omega Chapter
Spring 1951
John F. Collins
Stanley L Molock - Omega Chapter
Spring 1952
Horace Bryant
Fall 1954
Robert L Blanks - Omega Chapter
Spring 1955
Richard Hopkins
Spring 1956
Dublin McDonald
Edgar Harris
Spring 1957
Theopolis Harper - Omega Chapter
Norman P Ramsey - Omega Chapter
Spring 1966
Millard A. Blake
Fall 1970
Theodore Dobson Jr - Omega Chapter
Herbert S Jacobs
Herbert Milan
Spring 1973
Warren Ward - Omega Chapter
Norman Williams - Omega Chapter
Ernest Yancy
Robert L McDuffie
Summer 1973
Gregory Bryant
Herbert Shaw
Henry Charles
Spring 1975
John Andrews - Omega Chapter
Fall 1977
Walter Cottman Jr. - Omega Chapter
Fred J Knight
Spring 1979
Jeffery Johnson
Oscar J Ramsey - Omega Chapter
Summer 1984
Brandon Clark
Summer 1985
Wilbur Banks
Yorel Brown
Ronald Cash
Jessie Edmonds - Omega Chapter
Alfred Harden
Wesley Hawkins Jr.
Jeffery Jackson
Lorenzo Langford
William Marsh
Robin Simons
Michael Smallwood
Victor Wilson
Spring 1990
Eugene Allen Jr.
Willy Flynn - Omega Chapter
Joseph Jacobs
Michael Epps
Kellice Seymore
Richard Young Jr.
Spring 1993
Richard Lazenby
Christopher Reid
George Collins III - Omega Chapter
Johnathan Smith
Bruce Weekes - Omega Chapter
Spring 1996
Carlos Barnes
Barry Caldwell
Frank Ervin
Wil Laws Jr.
Michael Strickland
Reuben White
Summer 2002
Gregory Ingrum
Lewis Moore
Kevin Peterson
Damon Tyner
Jessie Edmonds III
Fall 2002
RaShun Stewart
Fall 2004
Kelvin Johnson
Spring 2006
Barry Masters
Summer 2009
Kelvin Cherry
Darrell Edmonds
James Habron Sr. - Omega Chapter
Jeffery Nelson
Spring 2017
Bruce Weekes