100 YEARS
THE OMICRON CHAPTER CENTENNIAL
R
Against Poverty.
tan School of Music in New York, and an Ed.D. from Columbia University’s Teachers College. Byrd mastered the trumpet while still a student at Detroit’s Cass Techni- cal High School, during which time he played with Lionel Hampton. He learned his craft of music by formal study and by informal learning from other prominent jazz artists. He came into prominence as a member of the famous group Art Blakey’s Jazz Messen- gers. Byrd’s early style was a variation of Bebop called Hard Bop, a blend of gos- pel and blues. He later created a style that was a mix of jazz, rhythm & blues and funk that became very popular. Brother Byrd spent many years teach- ing music, then became a pop star with the release of his groundbreaking, cross- over album, Black Byrd in 1973, on which he played fluegelhorn in addition to his well-known trumpet, combining funk with an R&B guitar to create what became known as “Jazz Fusion.” Black Byrd was, for many years, the best- selling album of all-time for Blue Note Records. Byrd taught music at Howard Univer- sity, Cornell University, North Carolina Central University, Rutgers University, the University of North Texas, and else- where. He formed a group called, The Blackbyrds, whose members had been his students at Howard. The records that he produced with them included
the hits, Walking In Rhythm and Rock Creek Park.
Emile Treville Holley (Omicron 1922) was a 17-year-old freshman at C.C.N.Y. when, on March 24, 1922, United States Congressman Martin Ansorge sponsored Holley’s admittance application to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD. According to The New York Times , Holley would have been “First of His Race Sent to An- napolis Since the Civil War.” However, Brother Holley’s “Appointment … as Midshipman (was) Deplored by Of- ficers in Navy – The color Line at Both Academies.” The Times reported, “So far as the midshipmen are concerned, the fate that awaits the candidate is social ostracism,” known as “Coventry.” Instead of attending Annapolis, Holley transferred to Middlebury College in Vermont and graduated cum laude in 1925 (the school’s first Black graduate) with honors in philosophy and English. He earned his master’s degree the fol- lowing year. Professionally, Holley was a Professor of English and Journalism at Miner Teachers College inWashington, D.C. Born in 1932 in Detroit, MI, famed jazz musician and educator Dr. Donald Toussaint L’Overture Byrd, II (Omi- cron 1955), was one of the greatest jazz trumpeters. He earned a B.A. degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, a master’s degree from the Manhat-
Archbishop Dr. David Joseph Mathew Samuel Billings, III (Xi 1960) is an important figure in the story of Omi- cron Chapter. After a year, he returned to New York City and worked with the New York (NY) Alumni Chapter to revive Omicron, which had become dormant during the late 1950s. His efforts were successful, and Omicron bloomed once more. In large part, it was because of Billings' efforts a succession of young men were initiated into the fraternity through the Omicron Chapter from 1961 to 1972. During his college days and after that, Billings led brothers in song as one of the great Song Masters of Kappa Alpha Psi. He became Junior Grand Vice Polemarch in 1961 under the administra- tion of the 17 th Grand Polemarch Richard B. Millspaugh. He earned his master’s degree at C.C.N.Y., and Ph.D. from Cornell, Wayne Theological Seminary, and Trinity Hall College and Seminary. He served on the President’s Task Force of Neighbor- hood Government and the Council of Churches of New York. He is Archbishop of ICHCOC.
Tyrone Sidney Pannell (Omicron 1962) passed into Chapter Invisible
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