TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Alphonso B. Varner 1928-2022 Coach, Educator, U.S. Army
“TAYLOR WAS ALSO A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL SALES NETWORK-ST. LOUIS, A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION FOR SALES AND SALES MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS ...”
A lphonso B. Varner (Alpha Xi 1952) entered the Chapter Invisible on October 30, 2022. Affectionately called “Hubba Hubba,” Alphonso Benjamin Varner was born December 21, 1928, in West Palm Beach, FL to Voley Williams and Estella D. Varner. His early childhood church was Payne Chapel A.M.E. Church, West Palm Beach, FL. Upon graduating from West Palm Beach’s Indus- trial High School, Varner attended Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, FL. He played lineman for the FAMU Rattler football teams of the early 1950s under College Hall of Fame head football coach Jake Gaither. Varner achieved two-time All-American tackle honors in 1950 and 1951, and All-Alaska tackle in 1953. He earned B.S. and M.A. degrees from FAMU. He was the head football coach of Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, FL, before joining in the
of Excellence” award. In 2019, Taylor followed his passion for cooking healthy meals when he became the owner and operator of Executive Cuisine to You (EC2U), specializing in healthy meal preparation and delivery to clients in the St. Louis metro area. Taylor was also a found- ing member of the National Sales Network-St. Louis, a non-profit organization for sales and sales man- agement professionals and individuals who want to improve their pro- fessional sales skills. He served on the Executive Committee for the first six years of the Chapter. He was one of NSN St. Louis’ first success stories as he obtained employment with Novo Nordisk through networking with NSN in 2007. Taylor served in many capacities including
late 1950s the staff at Fort Valley State College (now University). He was the defensive coordinator of the FVSC “Blue Death” defense and led the team as head coach in 1960 and 1962. At FVSC, Varner was named the first Military Science & Tactics instruc- tor. He was also an assistant professor of Military Science and an assistant professor of Health and Physical Education. In 1988, Coach Varner retired from FVSU. He was also a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Army. In 1983, he was inducted into the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame and, in 1997, the FAMU Wall of Fame. That same year, FVSU bestowed its FVSU Dis- tinguish Service Award
Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President of Finance, and Board of Directors. Taylor was an active member of St. Louis (MO) AL, serving as Lt. Strategus at the time of his passing. His first exposure to the Kappa Alpha Psi for Taylor was in high school as a member of the Kappa League. Brother Nicholas Taylor was preceded in death by his grandparents. He is survived by his parents, two sons Cannon David and Greyson Raymond, and ex-wife, the former Deanna Jones. ♦
52 THE JOURNAL ♦ SPRING 2024
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