Chapter History
Alpha Lambda Lambda Chapter was chartered on October 19, 2000. This highly successful effort that brought a Graduate Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. to Frederick Maryland began in earnest in the winter of 1999. In collaboration, Brothers Marcus Williams and Tyrone Greene initiated an effort to locate as many Men of Omega as they could by word of mouth. It was brought to Bro. Williams's attention that an effort was launched some years earlier, but was unsuccessful due to lack of participation. This effort, however, brought about the first unofficial meeting held at Brother Cornelius Turner's residence in Frederick on March 4, 2000. The meeting was attended by Brothers Cornelius Turner, Tyrone Greene, Carlton Boujai, Ted Luck, and Marcus Williams. The five men that had gathered in the name of Omega Psi Phi soon discovered that they had many things in common, in addition to a love for the Fraternity. A decision was made to push ahead with this effort while gathering all pertinent information needed to move forward. We set our next meeting date for April 8, 2000.
The next meeting was hosted by Bro. Marcus Williams and was attended by all previous Brothers. Although, the numbers increased through the attendance of Bro. David Owens, who was invited by Bro. Luck. All aspects were covered of what was needed in order to secure a Charter and unanimously agreed to “See It Through”. The next meeting was set for May 20, 2000. The Brothers continued to meet on a monthly basis as the numbers continued to increase leading to a decision to submit an application for Charter on August 26, 2000 listing nine Brothers thoroughly immersed in the true Omega spirit - Brothers Tyrone Greene, Ted Luck, David Owens, Claudie Shelton, Jeffery Shelton, Tony Story, Cornelius Turner, Marcus Williams, and Robert Williams. Upon hearing of the good news of the application approval by the governing body of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., the first official chapter meeting was held on November 18, 2000 at the residence of Bro. Claudie Shelton in which the following officers were selected to lead this new chapter into the new millennium and beyond:
Basileus - Bro. Marcus C. Williams
Vice Basileus - Bro. Jeffery Shelton
Keeper of Records and Seal - Bro. Ted Luck
Keeper of Finance - Bro. Claudie Shelton
Chaplain - Bro. Cornelius Turner
Chapter Reporter - Bro. Tony Story
Keeper of Peace - Bro. Tyrone Greene
Parliamentarian - Bro. Robert Williams
This may have been enough to satisfy most ambitious Brothers of this esteemed organization, but not the newly chartered members of Alpha Lambda Lambda Chapter. Numerous challenges awaited and we began our first year by accepting them all despite our sparse number and very limited funds. During a crucial election year in Frederick, we mounted a successful voter registration campaign through partnership with the Frederick County Chapter of the NAACP and the Frederick Housing Authority. Our next venture was to prepare our Chapter for the Assault on Illiteracy by certifying our members through the Laubach Literacy Training Workshop sponsored by the Literacy Council of Frederick County. Other community efforts included providing school supplies at a community “Back To School” event, donating a Thanksgiving Food Basket to a deserving resident of a local Housing Development, and supplying numerous gifts to children at a community sponsored Christmas Party. The Chapter also sponsored a National Honor Society student at a local awards ceremony and partnered with other local organizations to sponsor a reception for the Frederick County New Minority Teachers Program. We culminated the year's activities with a cabaret style celebration and this sold-out gala put on in grand Omega fashion did not disappoint. It was at this event that Brother Marcus Williams was presented with the Chapter's first Omega Man of the Year Award for his diligent efforts in bringing this Chapter to fruition, further strengthening the bonds of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
