TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Louis N. Willis 1927–2020 54 th Elder Watson Diggs Awardee, 16 th South Central Province Polemarch, U.S. Air Force E lder Watson Diggs Awardee Louis N. Willis was born July 2, 1927, in Louisville, KY and transitioned to the Chapter Invisible July 3, 2020, in Louisville, KY at the age of 92.
mander recommended him as a candi- date for a commissioned officer rank. The recommendation was due to his high scores on the Army General Clas- sification Test (AGCT) before entering the service; however, Willis declined the officer candidacy. He returned to Louisville and began to apply to colleges and pursue a degree in architecture. It was at Hampton where Willis gained confidence in public speaking. He also competed in the 50- and 100-meter events as a varsity swimmer. Willis graduated Hampton in 1952 with a degree in architecture and immediate- ly began to look for work. He applied and received phone calls and letters informing him of pending job offers. However, when Willis arrived to finalize the job offer he was turned down im- mediately by potential employers that promptly told Willis they “did not hire coloreds.” After repeatedly rejected for employ- ment, Willis’ sister suggested that he try another field related to his degree and apply to work for the U.S. Army Map Service, now called the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Willis applied and was promptly hired as a cartographer. While working in Cincinnati and later in Louisville KY, during the Nixon administration, Wil- lis found himself and other African Americans purposefully held back from job promotions. Additionally, Willis and other African Americans were tasked to train entry-level, less qualified White men to become their supervisors and senior leaders. Upon learning the Map- ping Headquarters in Washington, DC, would respond to justifiable complaints of unfair employment treatment; Willis,
In his early years, he grew up on 32 nd and Grand Avenue on the western limits of Louisville’s Parkland neighborhood. His family later moved to 1540 Garland Avenue, where he spent his pre-teen years in Louisville’s California neighbor- hood. As a teenager, his family moved to the Beecher Terrace housing complex in Louisville’s Russell neighborhood. At the time, he was unaware that the namesake of the Russell neighborhood, Harvey C. Russell Sr., had previously served as the South Central Province’s first Province Polemarch. It is even more ironic the neighborhood was named after Russell the same year that Willis was born. Willis attended Louisville’s only high school for African Americans at the time, Louisville Central High School, formerly known as Central Colored High School. In the second semester of his senior year of high school, the U.S. Army drafted Willis for military service in support of WWII. He had to request a deferment from the military to finish school. Upon completion of his coursework, Willis reported for duty in August of 1945. The military assigned Willis to the U.S. Army Air Corps, which is now the U.S. Air Force. While in the military, Willis performed administrative duties at Lowry Field in Colorado, which is now Lowry U.S. Air Force Base.
along with two other African American employees, submitted grievances. The headquarters department eventually resolved the issue with Willis rightfully promoted to the well-earned position of Division Chief. Since his fraternal initiation, Willis re- mained an active, hard-working mem- ber. He would seek to “inspire service in the public interest” and leverage his influence as a member of Kappa Alpha Psi to give back to his community. Willis was a participant in the South Central Province’s “BEST” program for young men in his community. BEST was one of many initiatives that would predate the formation of the National Kappa League Program. He also par- ticipated in a Louisville National Pan- Hellenic Council (NPHC) initiative, where he represented Kappa alongside members of the other NPHC fraterni- ties/sororities to help mentor Louisville students during their senior year of high school. Prior to 1978, Willis served on the South Central Province (SCP) Boards of Directors and served as Sr. Vice Polemarch. During the 1978 SCP Council Meeting in Lexington, KY, SCP forwarded Willis’ name to the 22 nd Grand Polemarch, Hiliary H. Holloway, for consideration for ap- pointment to the office of Province Polemarch. Past Grand Polemarch
After completing four years of adminis- trative duties, Corporal Willis’ com-
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