TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Brother Greene received his early edu- cation in Greenville, NC and attended York Memorial AME Zion Church with his mother and his two brothers, Kenneth and James Greene. In 1961, he graduated from C.M. Eppes High School in Greenville. He then attended Maryland State College in Princess Anne, Maryland, before joining the Army in 1963. He worked as an army radio mechanic, serving both in the United States and abroad in Germany before retiring from active duty with an Honorable Discharge in 1966. with the 261st Signal Brigade/Delaware Army National Guard in Dover, DE from 1979 until 2003, retiring as a Master Sergeant after a total of 29 years of service. In 1966, Greene married his high school sweetheart, Virginia D. Whitehurst, and moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he worked for Westinghouse. Their only child, Shonda, was born in 1967 in Philadelphia. In 1968, the family moved to Dover, DE, where Greene worked for Standard Brands (later Reichold Chemical). He returned to school and attended Delaware State College, graduating in 1975 and receiv- ing a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. After graduation, he became a member of the Dover (DE) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fra- ternity, Inc. in the spring of 1976. Com- mitted to his fraternity, he became a Life Member in 1979 and was the holder of several offices, including the office of Keeper of Records and Polemarch. Al- though Greene was prevented physically from active participation, he remained keenly interested in Kappa endeavors. With the assistance of his daughter, brother James (also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi), and visits from his fraternity brothers, he continued to keep abreast of fraternity activities. Greene worked for Getty Oil Refinery in Delaware City, DE, Shore Up! Inc. in Salisbury, MD, and as a substitute teacher for the Capital School District. He was employed by the Delaware Dept. of Corrections as a Delaware State Correctional Officer and worked
made sure everyone who was in his pres- ence enjoyed themselves just as much as he. His close friend and line brother, Jeremy Wright (#7), spoke of him this way: “O was my friend, my front, and my brother. He was special. O found a way to make everybody he knew feel like they were his best friend; like they were the most important person in the world to him. He knew how to love. He knew how to give. He knew how to serve. He was disciplined, and he appreciated structure which reflected in the success of his life and career. Whenever I think of my brother, I am reminded of how blessed I am to have shared 27 years with him as my friend, and 25 years in the bond with him as my brother.” Brother Grady leaves to cherish his memory, his loving wife Sheree Louise Grady; his father, Ira Otis Grady Sr.; his mother, Constance Laverne Grady; his sister, Melissa Grady; his brother-in- law, Phillip Lyde; his nephews, Phil- lip, Julius, Ira, and Wisdom Lyde; his in-laws, Samuel and Louise Shearry Jr.; brother-in-law, Samuel Shearry III, aunts, uncles, and a host of relatives and friends.
was a powerful figure in our state who influenced generations of Delawareans to live their lives with pride and to serve their city, state and nation with honor,” remarked Theo Gregory, president of Wilmington City Council. In 1968, he was one of a very few residents authorized to walk the Wilmington streets to help quell the unrest during Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Wilmington Mayor Dennis P. Williams said, “Mr. Gilliam tirelessly fought for social justice while serving as a voice for the voiceless.” He was characterized and remembered as “an American and he fought to keep our country free. He was a black man and he fought for racial and social justice. He was a citizen of our community and he waged honorable battles to improve our institutions, our courts, our housing and our connections with one another.” Community leader, mentor, war veteran, activist, father and grandfather, Brother James H. Gilliam Sr. entered the Chapter Invisible at the age of 95 on September 10, 2015. Born on August 6, 1920 in Baltimore, Maryland, Gilliam graduated from Baltimore’s Fredrick Douglass High School in 1938. He attended Morgan State College (now Morgan State University) where he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology in 1948. While at Morgan State, he became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi as a 1948 initiate of the Morgan State College Chapter, the Alpha Iota of Kappa Alpha Psi. Gilliam also earned a master’s degree in social work in 1950 from Howard University's School of Social Work. Gilliam served his country with honor and distinction in both World War II and the Korean War. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army in the African-American World War II division known as the Buffalo Soldiers. He was a combat veteran of the North Apennines and Po Valley campaigns on the Italian front. He returned to active military duty in 1950 as an Army captain in the the National Guard occupation following the assassination of the
Korean War where he was stationed in Germany. He was recognized for the following achievements during his military career including two Bronze Stars, the American Campaign Medal; the Combat Infantryman Badge, the National Defense Service Medal; the European-African-Middle East Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Army of Occupation Medal with the Germany Clasp and the Honorable Service Lapel Button WWII. psychiatric case worker supervisor for the Maryland State Department of Health, then a management aide for the Housing Authority of Baltimore in 1955 and Chief of Renewal Operations for the Baltimore Urban Renewal and Housing Agency in 1963. Gilliam began his post-military professional career in 1954 as a In 1965, he moved to Wilmington, Delaware where he resided for the reminder of life. He became Director of Neighborhood and Housing Services for the Greater Wilmington Development Council. From 1974 to 1990, he led Delaware's Community Housing Incorporated as president and chairman and was a consultant on a wide range of community development issues. He joined Leon Weiner & Associates as Executive Vice President in 1970 and a year later, took a leave of absence to carry out Governor Russell Peterson's request to overhaul Delaware Family Court. He was the founder and the first executive director of the Greater Wilmington Housing Corporation. He retired in 1990 as director of New Castle County's Department of Community Development and Housing. He also founded and served as Chairman of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League. Throughout his life, Gilliam assisted and supported numerous community based organizations including President of the National Urban League Development Fund, Board President of the Children's Bureau of Delaware, Board Member
of the Medical Center of Delaware, President and Chairman of the Board of Community Housing Development Inc., Commissioner of Speer Trust, and Elder of the First & Central Presbyterian Church. He also served on the State of Delaware Board of Parole. Brother Gilliam affiliated with the Wilmington (DE) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. His civic association duties included a two-term presidency of the National Association of Non- Profit Housing Organizations; served as a trustee of the National Urban League and Wesley College; and as a director of the National Tuberculosis Association. Gilliam was also a member of the board of governors of the United Way of Delaware and served on the board of the Medical Center of Delaware. His alma mater named its 2,000- seat concert hall, Gilliam Concert Hall at the Murphy Fine Art Center after him and his wife Louise. He also received the following honors: Delaware's "Social Worker of the Year," for 1969, the Distinguished Delawarean Award in 1982; and the Kiwanis Club of Wilmington's J. Caleb Boggs Community Service Award in 1990. The 1997 Liberty Bell Award was presented to Gilliam in recognition of his service as a non-lawyer in strengthening the American system of freedom under the law. highest award, the Order of the First State. Gilliam won the J. Caleb Boggs Community Service Award in 1990 and was awarded the Josiah Marvel Cup in 1994. The National Conference honored him for Community and Justice in 1999. He is also the recipient of honorary doctorate degrees from Goldey-Beacom College, the University of Delaware, and Delaware State University. Preceded in death by his parents, James E. and Pocahantas, his wife and Silhouette Louise, and his son Jim Jr Then Delaware Governor Pierre DuPont bestowed in 1982 to Gilliam the state’s
(Alpha Iota 1965). He is survived by daughter Dr. Patrice Gilliam-Johnson and three grandchildren.
Ira Otis Grady, Jr. 1972–2017
State Trooper, Be- loved Husband, Son and Friend Ira Otis Grady Jr., son of Retired Sergeant Major Ira Otis Grady Sr.
and Constance Laverne Grady,
was born September 21, 1972 at Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital in Jacksonville, North Carolina. A cherished husband, son, brother, uncle, and friend, Brother Grady transitioned this life into the Chapter Invisible on December 17, 2017. He was enormously admired and an inspiration to all who knew him. Fun-loving, thoughtful, considerate, and kind, Brother Grady was affectionately known as “O” or “Otis”. Otis grew up in Jacksonville, NC where he graduated from White Oak High School in 1990. Thereafter, he matriculated to Fayette- ville State University located in Fayette- ville, NC and earned in 1994 a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. After college, Otis became a patrolman with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. He served faithfully for 23 years eventually rising to the rank of “Lieuten- ant”. All who served with “Lieutenant Grady” greatly respected his tenacity, passion, and the dynamic ways he would challenge himself. In the Fall of 1992, Otis was initi- ated into the Epsilon Beta Chapter at Fayetteville State University. While a member of Epsilon Beta, he actively participated in the chapter’s various community and social service projects such as Guide Right and its Sickle Cell Anemia drives. Number “6” on the “11 Egomaniacs” line, his line name - “All That” - was truly reflective of his person- ality. Always the life of the party, Otis never met a person he did not like, and
Charles A. Greene
1943-2017 Retired Master Sargeant, Community Ser- vant Brother Charles A. Greene, son of the late Allie Greene and the late Rev.
Dr. Walter Hayward Greene, was born on January 22, 1943 in Greenville, North Carolina. He departed this life on Wednesday, April 12, 2017, at Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover, DE after a long illness. Greene led a life full of love for the Lord and his family, as well as his church, community, and the coun- try which he served proudly as a mem- ber of the United States Army, Army Reserves, and Army National Guard. His wife, Virginia D. Greene preceded him in death.
112 | WINTER ISSUE THE JOURNAL
Publishing achievement for more than 100 years
Publishing achievement for more than 100 years
THE JOURNAL WINTER ISSUE | 113
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