The Kappa Alpha Psi Journal

Bertram Alfred Bruton 1931–2018 Colorado's First African American Licensed Architect

Chapter Invisible January 20, 2019 at the age of 87.

including the Wellington Webb Munici- pal Office building, Mile High Stadium, the Colorado Convention Center, and Denver International Airport. He was also very committed to giving back to the community and provided architectural services to the Five Points Community Center, East Side Health Center, and the creation of more than 50 housing developments with nearly 4,000 units of low-income housing. Brother Bruton provided the archi- tecture services to Kappa Tower, the first senior citizen housing building owned by an alumni chapter of a Black Greek organization in the US and dedicated in December of 1984. The multipurpose room in Kappa Tower was renamed the Bertram A. Bruton Multipurpose room and dedicated in his memory on June 16, 2018. Brother Bruton was also very active in a variety of organizations including the American Institute of Architects, Urban League of Metropolitan Denver, and the National Organization of Minor- ity Architects. For more than a decade, Brother Bruton was a member of the Colorado State Board of Examiners of Architects, an organization he led as President for two years. Brother Bruton is survived by Silhou- ette Dorothy “Dottie” Bruton, his wife of 48 years, daughters Michelle Bruton Brown and Sabra Scoggins, grandchil- dren Dustin Caldwell and Aldia Brown, and a host of nieces and nephews.

Steve attended elementary school in Chicago, IL and graduated from Du Sa- ble High School. While in high school, he worked in his mother’s grocery store. He received a football scholarship to attend Southern University in Baton Rouge and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. After college he entered into the U.S. Army and was stationed in Seattle, WA. When his obligation was fulfilled, he re- turned to Chicago and married the love of his life, Millie Burris Tutt. They were married for more than 60 years at the time of his death. Three children were born to the union. His career began as a Chief Accountant with the Cook County Housing Author- ity in Chicago and ended as a HUD an Asset Manager in Denver. When he retired from HUD, he worked for New Hope Baptist Church where was responsible for all financial aspects of the church. His “final retirement” came in early 2017. He had many accomplishments includ- ing being instrumental in establish- ing the Denver Alumni Scholarship Foundation that has donated over $1.3 million in scholarships since 1973 to high achieving young men matriculating to college. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi for over 65 years. Steve Tutt was preceded in death by his father and mother, Steve and Corinthia Tutt, and his brother, Carl Tutt, Sr. He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife, Millie Burris Tutt; daughters Cynthia Tutt White (Daryll) of Bowie, MD, Regina Tutt Walton of Edgewater, MD, and Jennifer Tutt-Singleton (Rasheed) of Highlands Ranch, CO, two grandchil- dren, Imani Walton and Stephen White, and a host of nieces and nephews, extended family and dear friends. By John Coleman, Jr.

Bertram A. “Bert” Bruton (Xi 1951) was born in Jackson- ville, FL May 18, 1931 and graduated from

Jacksonville’s Stanton High

School, a structure he would renovate years later when he became a profes- sional architect. Brother Bruton passed into the Chapter Invisible on January 19, 2018. He was a devoted Life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and a long-tenured member of the Denver (CO) Alumni Chapter. Brother Bruton was very instrumental and served on the planning committee to build Kappa Tower, a 45-unit senior citizen housing structure in Denver. He served on the Board of Directors for the Kappa Man- agement Corporation; the organization responsible for managing Kappa Tower. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the Howard Univer- sity School of Architecture and returned briefly to Jacksonville to seek employ- ment. Although impressed with his outstanding work, none of the area’s architectural firms were willing to hire an African American. He left Jackson- ville to go serve his country and joined the Air Force. He served in the U.S. Air Force was stationed at Ladd Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska and was honorably discharged. Upon moving to Denver, he became Colorado’s first licensed African Ameri- can Architect. Brother Bruton opened his own firm, BAB Associates, in 1961, and through the decades the firm handled numerous huge architecture projects in Denver,

Steve Bolding Tutt 1931–2019 Accountant, Veteran

Steve Bolding Tutt (Alpha Sigma 1953) was born in Augusta, GA on October 19, 1931 to the union of Steve Tutt and Corinthia Hardin Tutt. Brother Tutt entered the

THE JOURNAL ♦ SPRING 2020 | 157

Publishing achievement for more than 105 years

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