Archive for June, 2009

Interview with Bro. Charles E. Wood

VCU has recently posted both audio and text of an interview conducted with Bro. Charles E. Wood (Lambda Chapter initiate ‘28 & Iota Sigma Chapter stalwart) and his wife in January of 2000. This interview is a part of the Carver-VCU Partnership Oral History Collection:

At almost 93 years of age, Bro. Wood was incredibly sharp with a quick wit and incredible memory. Enjoy!

Bro. Charles E. Wood passed away in July of 2007 and was financial with Phi Beta Sigma EACH YEAR from 1928 to 2007. To the best of my knowledge, he holds this record amongst the Brotherhood.

Interestingly, Bro. Wood was a childhood friend of and was pledged by the current oldest living Sigma Brother, Bro. Wesley T. Carter (Lambda Chapter initiate ‘27, he turns 102 years of age on August 22nd). Bro. Carter still has a copy of the receipt he issued Bro. Wood for his initiation dues ($14.50) back in 1928.

Flying High: Victor Glover is Driven Above the Limit

Last week, I wrote about Omicron Pi chapter celebrating its 25th anniversary. Today, I wanted to write about a Brother from O-Pi, Lieutenant Victor Glover. Bro. Glover is a fighter and test pilot for the U.S. Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron THREE ONE (VX-31).

I was long gone when Victor came to SLO, but had a few friends still on campus so I heard a lot about him from various friends about the tremendous influence he had campus-wide.

In the Winter 2008 issue of the Cal Poly Magazine, Bro. Glover graces the cover and is profiled in a featured article.

Courage Under Fire: Sigma WWI Hero

We just celebrated Memorial Day last month, which allowed us to recognize those men and women who have served our country in the military. There is one Sigma brother, Second Lieutenant Norwood C. Fairfax, that is a War World I hero, but very little is discussed about his heroic combat efforts on the Western Front. If you search his name you can find a few accounts of his defining moment in history, but our fraternity’s 1957 history book “Our Causes Speeds On” gives some details about his death:

Brother Fairfax was one of the few Negro officers who were killed in action during the war. He met death in the Argonne sector of the Western Front on September 28, 1918. Ralph W. Tyler, the only accredited Negro correspondent with the American forces, reported the fatal engagement in these words:

“Recently, in an engagement already reported, a colored unit was ordered to charge, and take if possible, a very difficult objective held by the Germans. Captains Bro. Fairfax and Green, two colored officers, were in command of the detachments. They made the charge, running into several miles of barb-wire entanglements, and hampered by a murderous fire from nests of German machine guns which were camouflaged. Just before charging, one of the colored sergeants, running up to Captain Bro. Fairfax, said: ‘Do you know there is a nest of German machine guns ahead?’ The Captain replied: ‘I only know we have been ordered to go forward, and we are going.’ Those were the last words he said, before giving the command to charge, ‘into the jaws of death.’ The colored troops followed their intrepid leader with all the enthusiasm and dash characteristic of patriots and courageous fighters. They went forward, they obeyed the order, and as a result 62 men and two officers were listed in the casualties reported, Captains Bro. Fairfax and Green being among those who fell to rise no more. Captain Bro. Fairfax’s last words: ‘I only know we have been ordered to go forward, and we are going,’ are words that will forever live in the memory of their race; they are words that match those of Sergeant Carney, the color sergeant of the 54th Massachusetts during the Civil War, who, although badly wounded, held the tattered, shot-pierced Stars and Stripes aloft and exclaimed: ‘The old flag never touched the ground.’ Men who have served under Captains Bro. Fairfax and Green say two braver officers never fought ‘and fell.”

Salute to Bro. Fairfax who gave his life in a cause that left many men bewildered and brought on an uneasy peace that satisfied neither victor or vanquished.

Passing of Long-term Detroit City Councilman

Bro. Clyde Cleveland, former long-term Detroit City Council member recently died at age 74. Bro. Cleveland was a member of the City Council from 1974 – 2001 and was an active member of Xi Beta Sigma Chapter.

Please find the story I wrote about Bro. Cleveland on here previously.

John E. Brent

John E. Brent was born in 1889 in Washington, D.C. Bro. Brent’s father, Charles Brent, is acknowledged as that city’s first black architect (The historic St. Luke’s Episcopal Church among others).

John graduated from the D.C. Public Schools and in 1904, enrolled at Tuskegee. He graduated in 1907 after taking a one-year architectural program. Returning to Washington, Bro. Brent taught school for two years before deciding to pursue architecture at Drexel in Philadelphia. He was awarded a full scholarship at Drexel and completed the course of studies in 1912.

Bro. Brent moved to Buffalo after his graduation from Drexel and in a relatively short time found employment in the Architectural firm of Max G. Beierl. He was the first African American architect in the city.

Bro. Brent was one of the founding members of the Buffalo Branch NAACP and its first president. He was a long time member of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, serving on the Vestry for many years. In 1962, he received the Bishop’s Medal for meritorious service. He was also a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, initiated through Theta Sigma Chapter.  His son, Bob, noted: “dad was not a pretentious person, he was very grassroots. There wasn’t an organization he wouldn’t join, if it was about something.”