When I started college at Central Michigan University in 1984, I knew nothing about Black Greek organizations. I was assigned a minority mentor Jeffrey Malloy, who was a member of Phi Beta Sigma. He did an excellent job of mentoring me as a young African-American male at a school with only 300 Blacks out of 16,000 students. At no time did he ask me to pledge; he led by example. The Sigmas where the most active in the community and the biggest BGLO. I would hang around him and was always impressed with his friends, who happen to be Sigmas. The chapter had brothers in the business, engineering, education, and math departments. The president of the Black Student Organization, Panhell, and Campus Choir were Sigmas. The star athletes on the football, basketball, and track teams were Sigmas. The campus leaders were Sigmas men. The “best??? steppers were Sigmas. When I would go to campus events the entire chapter, with their little sisters and Zetas, would enter these events together as a group in suits, which was impressive. There were 17 brothers on the yard, 30+ sweethearts and loves, and 10 Zetas, and Lambda Gamma chapter was only 5-years old. (See Lambda Gamma Chapter – 29 years and Counting)
As a result, I started asking Jeff to invite me to all the Sigma events, including the smoker. At the smoker I learned about the rich history of Sigma in the community and the trailblazers of the organization. It did not take me long to decide to pledge Sigma; by the second semester of my freshman year (I had a 3.0 gpa), I was on line with four other guys. At the time freshman students could pledge at CMU and Sigma. I wanted to service my community by being a member of Phi Beta Sigma International Fraternity, Inc.
While on line we had winter break and I went home to Detroit. I told my mother I was pledging Sigma and she said that my father was a Sigma! When I told him I was pledging, he was excited. He had pledged at Lambda Chapter at Virginia Union in 1963. So I looked at his 1963 year book and there was a picture of his pledge line! Not once had he told me he was a Sigma and I should pledge. (See Sigma Legacy) Then word got around my family I was pledging Sigma and I found out my god brother and his two brothers pledged Sigma at the University of Michigan and that my (2) cousins pledged Sigma a year before and after I pledged and that one of my high school mentors was a Sigma from the University of Michigan.
No doubt, I was born to be a Sigma, whether I knew it or not! Blue Phi!
P.S. I also found out 20 years later that Jeff is my wife’s cousin!