Charter Member S.P. Massie

This is one of my favorite stories to tell for a number of reasons. I will try not to be long winded (okay no jokes from the P-Nut Gallery), but this one is special. In 2001, Bro. Mallet “Mark” Pacich called me one day and said how far do you live from Laurel, Maryland. I said its about 25 minutes. He said there is a man by the name of Samuel P. Massie that lives in Laurel and he might be related to our Charter Member. I contacted Mr. Massie and the rest is history. He invited me to his house and I sat down with him, not knowing fully who he was. He was indeed the son of our Charter Member Samuel Proctor Massie. Our Charter Member was born in 1889 in Xenia, Ohio and attended Wilberforce University. Dr. Massie told me that while at Howard his father was actually in graduate school majoring in English and that his father graduated in 1915. Once we began to talk about his father, Dr. Massie began to cry, tears of fondness, tears of love, tears of loss, tear of joy. He told me that his father was one of the nicest men that you would ever want to meet. What I did not know that the man that I was talking to Dr. Samuel Proctor Massie, was a Pioneer in American Chemistry. He was the first black man to receive a PhD in Organic Chemistry at Iowa State University and he was the first black man to teach at the United State Naval Academy. In addition, he was and still is one of the Greatest men in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. This is one reason why so many folks never put two and two together. In 1976, he received the Laurel Wreath Award from the fraternity (one of the highest awards bestowed among members of KAY).

I asked Dr. Massie, why did you pledge Kappa, when your father was one of the charter members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Here is what he said to me “Kevin, my dad, was a Sigma man to his heart, he loved Phi Beta Sigma, he was very good friends with Dr. Alain L. Locke, Dr. Locke had come to our home in Little Rock, but my dad was not a Rah-Rah in your face type guy, he was stern, he was kind, and as long as I was happy, he was happy. Now, don’t think for one minute that he did not tease me about becoming a Kappa. But when I attended Arkansas A.M & N in the late 1930’s, Sigmas were not on campus and when I saw Kappa Alpha Psi, I knew that they were the fraternity for me.” My father was not upset with me, and if he was he never showed it. He loved Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and he and my brother (A Sigma Man) would tease me all of the time for going the “other way”…..

Now, back to our charter member. Dr. Massie told me that his mom Earlee Jacko Massie, was a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, and that his mom and dad were very big on Education. Our charter member was also an AME Minister in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and a HUGE Civil Rights Activists. However, our charter member suffered from asthma very badly. His 2nd son, William Jacko Massie was our Frat, but he died in 2001 right before I met Dr. Massie. He lived in Hartford, CT. Bro. William Massie would try to tell folks who his father was, but sadly enough, people would not believe him. Charter Member Massie taught at Shorter College and then in the North Little Rock Public School District. In 1943 he died of a Asthma attack. He is buried in the Haven of Rest Cemetery on North 12th Street in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

I spoke to Dr. Massie a few times after our first interview. His wife Gloria was the Society Editor at Jet Magazine and Member of Delta Sigma Theta. In January of 2005, Mrs. Massie died, in April of 2005 at age 85, Dr. Massie died. Although he was a Kappa Man, he signed my Sigma History Book for me, honoring his father and brother.

Bro. Massie’s grandson, SPIII, a man of Kappa, took these pictures for me in 2001 of our charter members gravesite. SPIII, also told me that his Oral Family History has our charter member working with the Wright Brothers in helping them with putting together their planes.

The picture of our charter member is from the book Catalyst: The Autobiography of an American Chemist, Dr. Samuel P. Massie.

S.P. Massie Sr – Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc, Alpha Chapter 1914.