“Jazz Great” Bro. Ellis Marsalis

I believe an invitation was extended to (2) of the Marsalis brothers to join Phi Beta Sigma during the 2007 Charlotte Conclave. Well, their father who is also a well-known jazz musician is a Sigma. I was able to copy a page from his website (http://www.ellismarsalis.com) which shows him as a Sigma. Bro. Marsalis graduated from Dillard University, which is probably the chapter he pledged at given that the website picture is of him as an undergraduate brother.

International Office Honors Sylvester Davis

Eta Beta Sigma Alumni Chapter has issued the following press release about the Sylvester Davis Gala.

Nashville, Tennessee – August 25, 2008 – Members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated from around the nation traveled to Music City to honor one of their own with a black tie affair.  The Honorable Brother Sylvester Davis, past president of Eta Beta Sigma Alumni Chapter of Nashville, was presented with the Presidential Service Award, only the second to be bestowed upon a member, as part of a celebration that highlighted his dedicated contribution to the organization.

Davis joined the fraternity in 1961 and has served in various national, regional and local positions including president of the Distinguished Service Chapter (DSC), Southwestern Regional Director and Interim Executive Director.  Two of his greatest legacy within the fraternity includes assisting with locating the International Headquarters in Washington DC and implementing the Project Teddy Bear and Ethnic Books program through the DSC.  A proud Tennessee State University alumnus, Davis retired from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, as Director of Plant Industries in 1995. 
Read the full press release.

Clarence Muse

Most brothers do not know we had a famous fraternity brother who was an actor, writer and director in Hollywood during the early 1900s by the name of Bro. Clarence Muse. Bro. Muse appeared in over 200 films, including Huckleberry Finn (1931), Porgy and Bess (1959), and the 1976 cult comedy Car Wash with Richard Pryor.

Beyond the Uncle Tom roles that kept Bro. Muse and all blacks employed during this dark period of time for black actors, he was a highly educated and pioneering creative force that made great strides within the Hollywood system of the time. In 1911, Bro. Muse graduated from the prestigious Dickinson School of Law as the school’s first black graduate. He realized that he could earn more with his signing voice, than he could with a struggling law practice. So he appeared in New York with the all-black Lincoln Players, a troupe that performed Shakespeare and other classics.

In 1921, Bro. Muse appeared in a comedy, which he also co-produced, called The Custard Nine. In 1929, he was offered the lead role in Hearts in Dixie, the first Hollywood musical with an all-black cast. Bro. Muse also appeared with boxing great Joe Louis in Spirit of Youth (1938) and poet Langston Hughes’ Way Down South (1939). In 1955, he played Sam, the pianist in the TV series Casablanca. After Car Wash, he appeared in the 1979 movie The Black Stallion.

Bro. Muse died on the eve of his ninetieth birthday. Throughout his career, he had made a living from the roles that were available. When Bro. Muse was able, he wrote the parts he wanted to play, and he did everything he could to help other black actors. He was a leading light in early black Hollywood. In 1973, he was one of the first inductees into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.

I have included pictures with this posting of Bro. Muse with Joe Louis, James Carney, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and other Hollywood greats.

Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington, Bro. Blair Underwood and many other black actors would not be the stars they are today if it was not for the trailblazing efforts of our fellow fraternity brother Bro. Clarence Muse, JD.

Happy Birthday to the Oldest Known Living Sigma

Today, August 22, 2008, Bro. Welsey Carter turns 101 years old. Bro. Carter joined Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity at Lambda Chapter (Virginia Union University-Richmond, VA) in February of 1927. He is the OLDEST KNOWN living Sigma to date.

Last month, the Iota Sigma Chapter in Richmond, VA honored Brother Carter as the Iota Sigma Brother of the Year at the Iota Sigma Chapter 1st Annual Community Impact Awards & Brotherhood Luncheon.

Attached is a photo of Bro. Malcolm Holmes (Iota Sigma Chapter President) awarding Bro. Carter a plaque recognizing him as the Iota Sigma Brother of the Year.

Bro. Carter is also the oldest living alumnus of Virginia Union University (another little known Sigma History fact for today)….

Today in SIGMA HISTORY – August 22, 2008 – HAPPY 101 TO BRO. WESLEY CARTER – A SIGMA MAN FOR 81 YEARS.