NATIONAL NEWS
Grand Polemarch Welcomes Guide Right's Return to St. Louis for Centennial By Damon Peebles
Grand Polemarch Reuben A. Shelton III, Esq. and National Guide Right Chairman Kevin Burnett meet with Kappa Leaguers during the Centennial.
F ollowing 100 years of mentor- ing young men in college and high school, Guide Right, the fraternity’s long serving mentor- ing and leadership program, celebrated its centennial in St. Louis Missouri, the place where it all began. From July 6-10th, more than 600 young men and their mentors from all over the country, descended upon the campuses of St. Louis University and neighboring HBCU, Harris Stowe State University for a half week of fun, cel- ebration, and enrichment. The historical significance of being in St. Louis was not lost on Grand Polemarch Reuben Shelton III, Esq. who was a born and raised in the city. “This is home,” he said, beaming with pride, when asked how it felt to see the program he champions, back in St. Louis for its centennial. “It gives me an opportunity to really share what Kappa Alpha Psi is all about, with the people that I've known pretty much all my life. Most of the local politicians, most of the local businessmen…this a great opportunity for them to see the value of Kappa Alpha Psi and the value of the
Guide Right program, and what we do for young men.”
great, he credits the vision of the frater- nity’s early structuring as another reason for Guide Right’s longevity. “One thing that the fraternity did that I thought was just genius, was they put the Guide Right program in the constitution. No other organization has done that for their youth development programs, so it's something that is mandated in our constitution and is something that we take very, very seriously. And that's why it's lasted as long as it has.” Reflecting on the contrast of 1922, when there was a climate of racism, in- justice and baseless persecution for Af- rican Americans, and the very need for
Following his matriculation from the University of Kansas in 1978, Polemarch Shelton says he returned home and immediately joined the St. Louis Alumni Chapter, and within 10 years, he was asked to be the director of its Guide Right program. He reminisced, “When I took over the position, I had no idea, just abso- lutely no idea, the value and the joy that I would get from seeing these young men grow from shy little kids to these boisterous young men, who, who are confident and able to speak for them- selves. And we did all sorts of things… (taking) them on trips, on college tours, to see them grow through the mentor- ship program, and to see them learn through all of the presentations that they had throughout the year. And to see them from day one, to the time that they graduated, some of them three or four years later, it was just exhilarating to see that.”
In addition to the program being
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