In the spring of 1938, during the month of May, the city of Durham was brimming with Black excellence and cultural renaissance showcasing powerful expressions of Black identity and intellectual thought. Count Basie’s swinging rhythms echoed through the city. Langston Hughes stirred minds at a lecture hosted by the State Teachers Organization at North Carolina College for Negroes. During this time, the following fraternal and sorority organizations were present in Durham: Kappa Alpha Psi (1921), the first graduate Fraternity in the city; Omega Psi Phi (1924); Alpha Kappa Alpha (1928), and Delta Sigma Theta (1931). Amid these cultural and intellectual currents, a small group of Alpha brothers dared to dream of something enduring, a chapter rooted in community, committed to building legacy, and unwavering in its devotion to the Fraternity’s aims of Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love for all Mankind. The call to action was present during a time of great transition and the promise for Blacks in the South. The call was answered on Saturday, May 7th at 8:00 pm, the Beta Theta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. was chartered, establishing the 152nd House of Alpha.
This desire to create an alumni chapter in Durham was two-fold. These visionary Brothers saw two distinct but interconnected goals: to address the immediate needs of their local community, and their desire to pave the way for an undergraduate chapter at North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University). At the forefront of this effort was Brother John E. Payne, overcoming the limitations of travel and resources to formally organize the Beta Theta Lambda Chapter.
Also, during this time, Brother Dr. Charles Harris Wesley, one of Alpha’s most esteemed historians and leaders, served as the 14th General President. The Southern Region was under the leadership of Brother Charles W. Greene, 1st Southern Regional Vice President; and among the living Jewels of the Fraternity were Jewels Vertner W. Tandy, Nathaniel A. Murray, Dr. Henry A. Callis, and George B. Kelly, the torch of brotherhood still burned brightly.
Beta Theta Lambda’s founders known as our “Pioneers”, were extraordinary men whose contributions helped shape not only this chapter, but the very arc of Black progress in North Carolina and beyond. The ‘Pioneers” were the following:
- Bro. Dr. Alfonso “Toby” Elder – civil rights advisor and the 2nd President of North Carolina College (NCCU) and courageously led the institution during pivotal times of racial integration from 1924-1943. He was a charter member of the Eta Lambda Chapter in 1920, Atlanta, GA. He was one of the leading proponents in helping establish the Gamma Beta Chapter seated at North Carolina Central University. Active in numerous professional and civic organizations, he was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the first Mayor’s Committee on Human Relations in Durham just to name a few.
- Bro. Dr. Alphonse Heningburg – a 1924 initiate of Alpha Nu Lambda Chapter in Tuskegee, Alabama. He was a Field Secretary in the Dept. of Industrial Relations for the National Urban League and brought a deep sense of commitment to uplift the community through his Alpha service. Brother Heningburg was a nationally known educator and lecturer. He received his Ph.D. from NYU. He later moved to Durham to accept a position as assistant to the 1st President of North Carolina College, Dr. James Shepherd. He was also head of the Department of Education and active in Durham’s civic affairs and race relations.
- Bro. Dr. Lawrence H. Knox – a trailblazing chemist known for his path-breaking scientific brilliance and one of only 30 African Americans to receive a Ph.D. in any branch of chemistry by 1916. He received almost forty patents in the field of steroid chemistry.
- Bro. Dr. Robert P. Randolph – a 1928 initiate of the Gamma Chapter at Virginia Union University (1928), he stood as a stalwart of leadership and scholarship. He served as Student Health Services Director and University Physician at North Carolina College from 1957 to 1966 and Lincoln Hospital, which played a vital role in providing healthcare to African Americans during a time of segregation. Also was Durham’s first hospital dedicated to Black patients and served as a crucial training ground for Black physicians and nurses.
- Bro. James M. Schooler, Sr. – a noted and respected educator and administrator in Durham. He was principal at Hillside High School and later Lyon Park from 1940-1949. He served as Dean of the Association of North Carolina Alphamen (ANCA). He was initiated in the Xi Chapter at Wilberforce University in 1927.
- Bro. James T. Taylor – initiated into the Phi Lambda Chapter in 1927, Raleigh, NC. He was a noted educator and community leader and holds the distinction of serving as the first President of the Beta Theta Lambda Chapter. He was a Professor of Psychology at North Carolina College and was the first chair of the Psychology Department. Later, he became Dean of Men, Athletic Director, and then Director of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Taylor was also a past president of N.C. Teachers Association (where he led a fight for equal pay for African American teachers) and an organizer/co-founders of the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs, which is known as the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People.
- Bro. William J. Walker, Jr. – a 1930 initiate of the Alpha Rho Chapter at Morehouse College, whose spirit of brotherhood resonated throughout the chapter. He was a noted businessman during the Black Wall Street era of Durham.
- Bro. Dr. Carol T. Willis – a 1928 initiate of the Eta Chapter at NYU. He infused the chapter with urban intellect and strategic vision. He was a noted educator and chair of the Department of Commerce, where he developed, planned, and structured NCCU’s business education and commerce department.
- Bro. John E. Payne – the precursor of the Beta Theta Lambda Chapter, was an activist in civil rights, education, employment, and other work related to minority rights. He was a clerk for Asa Spaulding, an insurance executive in Durham. He was a 1929 initiate of the Phi Lambda Chapter, Raleigh, NC.
- Bro. Dr. Charles L. Holmes – a 1929 initiate of the Phi Lambda Chapter, Raleigh, NC. He was a Professor of Political Science at North Carolina College.
Together, these “Pioneers” laid the foundation for what would become one of the most respected chapters in District of North Carolina. Beta Theta Lambda Chapter serves the Durham and Orange County communities, advocating for civil rights, advancing education, and mentoring generations of young men, especially through its direct support of undergraduate brothers at North Carolina Central University, Duke University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
For more than eight decades, the legacy of Beta Theta Lambda has remained firmly rooted in community advocacy, cultural leadership, and fraternal excellence. From its very first meeting to its current programs of action, Beta Theta Lambda Chapter continues to stand as a beacon for Alpha, when vision meets service in the communities of Durham and Orange Counties. We are the 152nd House of Alpha, established in a time of purpose and committed to a future of progress.
