SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
Ms. Janice Jones-Martin at IHQ who processes the death notices and updates the fraternity’s membership database states “Without chapters and brothers notifying us, IHQ has no idea that a member has passed.” IHQ utilizes these Chapter Invis- ible requests to update membership records which benefits the fraternity greatly. Approximately one month prior to Conclave, IHQ is required to compile a list of brothers that passed since the last Grand Chap- ter meeting. This list is used for the memorial service conducted at Conclave recognizing of brothers that passed since the previous Grand Chapter meeting. These notices also assist IHQ with updating mail- ing and email lists. The project introduced Brother Williams to hundreds of brothers through their respective obituar- ies: brothers that were politicians, professional athletes, college presi- dents, ministers, civil rights activists,
educators and Tuskegee Airmen. One interesting life of a deceased brothers was Dr. Vance Marshbanks, a 1929 Upsilon Chapter initiate, who was a Tuskegee Airman and was the first African American surgeon in the US Air Force. In later life, Dr. Marshbanks worked at National Aeronautics and Space Adminis- tration (NASA) and was the head physician who monitored astronaut John Glenn during Glenn’s historic flight in the Friendship 7 spacecraft around Earth in 1962. Another interesting deceased brother was Jesse D. Locker, a 1945 Cincinnati (OH) Alumni initiate, who was a six term Cincinnati city councilman and passed away while serving as the United States Ambassador to Liberia in the President Dwight D. Eisen- hower administration. Lastly, the fraternity’s ability to formally recognize its deceased brothers is impaired when IHQ does not receive notification of a brother’s passing. In addition to helping
the fraternity manage membership records, sending deceased brother information to IHQ assists in the compilation of a chapter history and chapter lineage. “The deceased brother is someone’s line brother, father, grandfather, sibling, son, husband or maybe a chapter’s char- ter line member. While important and essential to inform brothers of a brother’s passing whether via phone calls, text message, social media or email, chapters and brothers have a responsibility to notify IHQ to allow the fraternity to make neces- sary tasks regarding the deceased’s membership record.” To request Chapter Invisible des- ignation for a deceased brothers, chapters and brothers can email Ms. Janice Jones-Martin at jjones-mar- tin@kappaalphapsi1911.com with formal name (as it appears on his membership card or certificate) of a deceased brother, a scanned copy or weblink of the brother’s obituary or death notice.
Brother Aaron Williams received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English from Morehouse College in 1990 and Masters of Business Administra- tion (MBA) from Vanderbilt Uni- versity’s Owen Graduate School of Management located in Nashville, Tennessee in 1998. He is a 1986 initiate at the University of North Texas Chapter, the Zeta Upsilon of Kappa Alpha Psi ® . He is a member of both Chicago (IL) Alumni and Richardson-Plano (TX) Alumni Chapters.
166 | SUMMER 2017 THE JOURNAL
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