By Dr. Felicia N. Shepherd
Contributor
Texas Metro News
If you felt a brief chill in last week’s sweltering local temperatures, it might have been due to the ice-cold brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.: Hundreds of members of the national scholarship and service fraternity landed in Dallas last week from across the United States and abroad for the fraternity’s bi-annual general convention.
Fraternity members gathered Wednesday through Sunday at Dallas’ Hilton Anatole for Alpha Phi Alpha’s 97th General Convention.
Members hosted a number of public social events, including its Friday night “APhiA ICE Lounge” and collegiate “ICE Breaker” parties, to kick off the fraternity’s multi-day conference.
Peer “Divine Nine” Greek-letter fraternities and sororities welcomed Alpha’s collegiate and graduate chapter members to Dallas. The Greek organizations along with the National Pan Hellenic Council presented Alpha’s national President Dr. Willis L.
Lonzer, III with personal gifts and monetary contributions to Alpha’s scholarship fund.
The fraternity held a public program on Wednesday, its formal opening evening. Fraternity member Roland S. Martin, who is host and commentator of the national daily digital show Roland Martin Unfiltered, moderated the program.
The public program concluded with the Alpha Honors awards. Honorees included:
- Dr. Shirley Jackson, a physicist and the first Black woman to earn a doctoral degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Jackson conducted groundbreaking scientific research that led to the invention of touch-tone telephones, fiber-optic cables and the technology behind caller ID and call waiting. Dr. Jackson is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
- Danette Anthony Reed, international president and chief executive officer of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Ms. Reed is a native of Dallas. As an executive at Frito-Lay, Ms. Reed rose through the ranks to become plant director, where she led the start-up of an 80 million bakery facility. She later moved to Frito-Lay’s corporate office where she led a team in the commercialization of $300 million in products. She retired in 2017. She became president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in 2022.
- Dr. Glenda Glover, president of Tennessee State University and immediate past president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Before she was named president of Tennessee State, Dr. Glover was dean of the College of Business at Jackson State University, where she led the college’s accreditation and spearheaded its doctoral program in business, the nation’s first at a historically Black college.
- Charles Haley, NFL Hall of Famer. Haley is among the most memorable players in Dallas Cowboys history. Haley racked up more than 100 sacks before he retired in 1999.
The public program preceded a “Fireside Chat” titled Politics 2023: Where Do We Go From Here?”
The Chat’s panel included a star-studded roster: former ambassador to the United Nations Andrew J. Young, Jr.; the Rev. Frederick D. Haynes, III, senior pastor of Friendship West Baptist Church and newly appointed president of Rainbow Push Coalition; and Rev. Shavon Arline Bradley, chief executive officer and president of the National Council of Negro Women.
Dallas City Manager T. C. Broadnax, also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., offered final greetings.
