Dr. Leroy F. Collins (Iota 1947): Educator, One-time Film Actor
Frank W. Gardner, Jr. (Iota 1943): Educator, WWII Veteran
While a student at Roosevelt University, Collins was the unlikely headlining star of the 1948 motion picture The Betrayal which was filmed in Chicago. According to Collins, he went to the film set “to audition with his fraternity brothers, expecting at best to land a job as a stagehand. Then this (assistant director) pulled me aside, and they took me to meet Mr. Micheaux, who said ‘Here, read these lines.’ I didn’t know it was the lead until I started reading the script….” This lost film was pioneer African American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux’s final film and Collins’ only film appearance. After the release of the film, Collins never appeared in another movie and subsequently earned master’s degree and doctorate in Education. He worked for many years as an administrator in the Chicago Public School system until his retirement. Dr. Collins entered the Chapter Invisible in 2013.
Older brother of Edward Gardner (Iota 1947), Gardner interrupted in undergraduate studies to join the US Army where as an infantryman he earned two Bronze Stars. Post war, he started his long career in education ultimately rising to become district superintendent for the Hyde Park area. In 1968, Gardner became the first African American appointed to the Chicago Board of Examiners which certified Chicago teachers. In 1984, then-Mayor Harold Washington appointed him to Chicago Board of Education and he became board president from 1987 to 1989.
Gardner earned master’s and doctorate degrees in Education from DePaul University and Northwestern University. Brother Gardner entered Chapter Invisible in December 2011.
Ned J. Dunbar (Iota 1956): Past Grand Lt. Strategus, Technology Consultant
Edward G. Gardner (Iota 1947): Educator, Entrepreneur
Graduate of Chicago Teachers College, Gardner earned a master’s degree from the University of Chicago. After starting his professional career in the Chicago Public School system, Gardner founded Soft Sheen Products ® which he grew to a multi-million-dollar enterprise. In 1998, Gardner sold Soft Sheen Products ® to L’Oréal ® .
Graduate of DePaul University, Dunbar was elected in 1957 as the Grand Lieutenant Strategus serving in the 16 th Grand Polemarch C. Rodger Wilson’s administration. He also served as the 31 st and the 45 th Polemarch of the Chicago (IL) Alumni Chapter and was president of the Edward G. Irvin Foundation, a 501(c)(3), the philanthropic entity of the Chicago Alumni (IL) Chapter. Dunbar worked for many years as an IT consultant in the public and private sector. This 1958 Conclave photo shows Brother Dunbar in front of from L-R (Founder Dr. Ezra D. Alexander, Founder Dr. Guy L. Grant, Founder Edward G. Irvin, 22 nd Grand Polemarch H. H. Holloway and 16 th Grand Polemarch C. Rodger Wilson).
Rev. Buford Gordon (Iota 1919): Minister, Autho r Born in 1893 in Pulaski, TN, Gordon was a graduate of Fisk University and earned a master’s degree in divinity from University of Chicago in 1920. Gordon became pastor of A.M.E. churches in South Bend, IN, Akron, OH and Charlotte, NC where he spent the remainder of his adult life. Author of the extremely rare 1922 book The Negro in South Bend: A Social Study which examined the living and economic conditions of African Americans in early 1920s South Bend, IN. Rev. Gordon later become bishop of the ninth district of the A.M.E. Church. Gordon entered the Chapter Invisible in 1952.
Dr. Alonzo A. Crim (Iota 1948): Educator
Graduate of Roosevelt University, Crim was the first African American school superintendent in a major southern city serving as the Atlanta, GA school superintendent from 1972 to 1988. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Chicago in 1958 and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1969. Alonzo A. Crim Open Campus High School located in Atlanta is named in his honor. Dr. Crim entered the Chapter Invisible in 2000.
Lt. Col. (Ret) Clarence Jamison (Iota 1939): Tuskegee Airman, Lt. Colonel U.S. Air Force While undergraduate student at the University of Chicago, Jamison joined the Army Air Corp after obtaining his private pilot’s license. He was accepted into the second class of Tuskegee cadets and commissioned as a second Lieutenant. He flew numerous combat missions in the North Africa during WWII. He spent his career in the United States Air Force rising to the rank of Lt. Colonel. Lt. Col. Jamison (Ret.) entered the Chapter Invisible in 2014.
Dr. Jean F. Emmons (Iota 1946): Educator, Marketing Executive
Graduate of Chicago City College, Emmons earned an M.B.A. degree from the University of Chicago in 1948 and joined Pepsi-Cola ® Company after graduation. In the 1950s, he was part of Pepsi’s historic sales and marketing campaign targeting the African American consumer segment to increase market share and sales against industry leader Coca-Cola ® . This campaign was one of the first “multicultural marketing” strategies implemented by a major corporation. After his Pepsi career ended, Emmons earned a Ph.D. from Ohio State and spent the reminder of his career in Education. Dr. Emmons entered the Chapter Invisible in 2017.
Calvin B. Jones (Iota 1954): Nationally acclaimed artist, Muralist, and Painter
A 1954 graduate of Chicago Institute of Arts, Jones initially started his career at Hallmark Cards ® where he became company’s first African American art director. As a freelance artist, Jones’ works on African American art and culture appeared in exhibits across the United States, Senegal, and Nigeria. The Seagram ® Company and the Hiram Walker Foundation commissioned Jones to create paintings promotingAfricanAmerican culture that later became limited-edition lithographs. Due to a corneal disorder, Jones was legally blind. “He could see shape, color, and form, but not line. A lot of his work, when he was really having trouble with his eyes, had bold strokes and colors.” In the 1970s, Jones created numerous murals on buildings in Chicago, Detroit, and Atlanta. Brother Jones entered the Chapter Invisible in 2010.
Hon. Henry C. Ferguson (Iota 1922): Attorney, Judge
Graduate of Fisk University in Nashville, TN, Ferguson received his L.L.B. degree from the University of Chicago in 1924. He worked as brick layer to pay for his college and law school. He was elected in 1950 to the Municipal Court in Chicago, IL and retiring in 1962. Ferguson was a past president of the Cook County Bar Association. Judge Ferguson entered the Chapter Invisible in 1973 at the age of 83.
66 | WINTER ISSUE THE JOURNAL
Publishing achievement for more than 100 years
Publishing achievement for more than 100 years
THE JOURNAL WINTER ISSUE | 67
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