100 YEARS
THE ST. LOUIS (MO) ALUMNI CHAPTER CELEBRATES ITS CENTENNIAL
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as his days at the Mu Chapter came to a close. That young man is now our 34th and cur- rent Grand Polemarch, Brother Reuben A. Shelton III, Esq. A native St. Louisan who
DeRochelle Cole- man, who’s 51st administration inherited the piv- oted planning of the event when he took office in October of 2020. “We had to quickly rethink our
You know how much I love this chapter. I was born and raised in St. Louis and have been a member of this outstanding chapter since 1978. —Reuben A. Shelton III, Esq., Grand Polemarch
has called its alumni chapter his home for the past 43 years, Brother Shelton gladly shared stories –and learning expe- riences— from his earliest days with the chapter during the virtual celebration. “You must know how much I love this chapter”, said the Grand Polemarch, whose remarks led off the event. “I was born and raised in St. Louis and have been a member of this outstand- ing chapter since 1978. The St. Louis Alumni Chapter and the Beta Nu Chap- ter introduced me to Kappa when I was in high school.” During his remarks, Brother Shel- ton also credited his early involvement in St. Louis Alumni, of which he was the Polemarch from 2006 to 2008, for sparking his ongoing life of service within the fraternity. “When I joined St. Louis alumni, I met so many legendary brothers: Brother Earl Hill, Sir Timothy Hightower, Dr. John Ingram, Dr. Ivory Johnson, N. Webster Moore, Brother Harold Piper, Richard Webster and so
many others that wanted to teach and support younger brothers. These broth- ers encouraged me to get active and work for the fraternity.” In addition to the remarks from the Grand Polemarch, other several alumni chapters of the area sent in their well- wishes, joining those from other Devine Nine organizations in the St. Louis area. Many of the living past Polemarchs of the added remarks, as a part of an ad- ditional forthcoming documentary on the past 50 years of Kappa Alpha Psi in St. Louis, which is currently being produced by the chapter. Navigating such an event within the confines of a pandemic was a chal- lenging endeavor, to say the least. It required a pivot from the planned slate of in-person events and banquets, into an event that was featured completely virtually. “Planning the centennial celebra- tion during a pandemic was difficult, to say the least,” says chapter Polemarch
original plans and ultimately decided to go with a Virtual Centennial Celebration full of entertainment, history, and fun elements”. Early in the process, the decision was made to not let the date go by without some form of formal recognition, as the presence of the chapter holds a signifi- cant place in the westward expansion of the fraternity at large. Featured within the celebration also were the musical styles of the Diamond K Band, comprised largely of Kappa Al- pha Psi brothers, which had previously been featured on the successful J5 Kap- pathon event in January. Also, the Kappa Khorus was organized to sing selections from the Kappa Klassiks. All of these events were also produced in-house, through Nupe-owned ventures in Fuse Advertising and Shock City Studios. The process of converting the event from a strictly in-person celebration to one that greatly expanded the scope of the event. However, it also greatly expanded the reach of the event to
Left photo: St. Louis (MO) Alumni Charter Members. Above: iGrand Board Member Clifford D. Franklin.
THE JOURNAL ♦ SPRING 2021 | 21
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