Pi Alpha Omega: A Legacy of Leadership, Sisterhood and Service

By Pi Alpha Omega

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc (AKA) is an organization of service, scholarship, and sisterhood built around the premise of making life better for all mankind. The Sorority was the brainchild of a courageous African American college educated woman, Ethel Hedgeman Lyle. Forging ahead with the strength of her belief and desire that the college experience should provide a meaningful and purposeful road map that positively impacts the community, Soror Lyde sought out like-minded women that shared in the manifestation of her vision. In 1908, their efforts led to the establishment of AKA on the campus of Howard University.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781499053944

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A TIMELESS HISTORY:

Legacy of Leadership, Sisterhood, and Service

PAO%20Chapter%20Picture.tif

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated

Pi Alpha Omega Chapter

Atlanta, Georgia

Copyright © 2015 by Pi Alpha Omega Chapter

ISBN:

   Softcover   978-1-4990-5393-7

   Hardcover   978-1-4990-5392-0

   EBook      978-1-4990-5394-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This a work of nonfiction. Everything listed in this book is factual.

Rev. date: 06/17/2015

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

GREETINGS

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

DEDICATION

OUR HISTORY – OUR LEGACYi

PI ALPHA OMEGA CHAPTER: INTRODUCTION

THE CHARTERING

So Together Anew – As We Began (1985- 1994)

Administration of Ora Bohannon

Administration of Patricia L. Budd

Administration of Billie Hicks

We Help Each Other – As We Expanded (1995- 2006)

Administration of Carol L. Osborne

Administration of Patricianne Hurd

Administration of Jacqueline Baker

Greater Laurels to Win – As We Mature (2007 – Present)

Administration of Melanie Key Bales

Administration of Marilyn Arrington

Appendices

Appendix I :

Ivy and Roses Community Fund Incorporated

Appendix II :

Chartering of Undergraduate Chapter: Sigma Sigma

Appendix III :

Chapter Honors and Awards

Appendix IV :

Chapter Presidents

Appendix V :

Golden and Silver Members

Appendix VI :

Family Legacies

Appendix VII :

Members Initiated in Pi Alpha Omega

Appendix VIII :

Ivy Beyond the Wall

Appendix IX :

The Membership

Pi Alpha Omega 2014 Roster

Appendix – X :

References

FOREWORD

For over 100 years, students have sought membership in Black fraternities and sororities. Initially, these groups were avenues for personal development and building close relationships, especially during times when the idea of Black students was a novelty for higher education. This need for connection provided a safe haven for Black students on white campuses, a need that would continue as Black students began integrating southern colleges and universities in the South. And even after the election of the first Black president, these groups continue to provide sanctuary on campuses that yearly provide examples that we have not yet arrived at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s beloved community; that we are not post racial.

The desire for connection would be amplified for Black women. Even at historically Black colleges and universities in the late 1800s, very few women were enrolled. So the advent of the sorority movement with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority at Howard University in 1908 provided comfort for women as well as an avenue for their own development.

Since that time, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., has been a leader in the overall fraternal movement. The organization has been able to address social and economic issues, create programs targeted toward community development, and to continue to provide a place for women to build the bonds of sisterhood, now through over 900 chapters worldwide.

As Black fraternities and sororities continue in what is now the Centennial Era, when the eight largest groups will all have reached 100 years of existence by 2022, this is an excellent time to not only document the progress of each chapter of each group, but to seriously examine the future of these groups. Significant issues exist in every community, issues that will not be solved by governmental entities alone. There is a place for each and every chapter of each group to play a significant role in bettering our communities.

The Pi Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. has a critical role to play in metro Atlanta. As the city continues to gain worldwide acclaim, there are significant areas which need the presence of service-oriented groups to fill the gaps. This written history of Pi Alpha Omega Chapter not only tells the story of what has been done, but should serve as a reminder that the task is far from complete.

Walter M. Kimbrough, Ph.D., President Dillard University, New Orleans, Louisiana & Author, Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities

GREETINGS

"Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

To all the people you can

As long as you ever can."

―John Wesley

What an honor!!! To serve as President of Pi Alpha Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Atlanta, Georgia), is truly an honor that I treasure and value as a charter member. The timing of my tenure as president is surreal in many ways for it is during my tenure that I became a golden sorority member having been a member of the sorority for 50 years and recalling the date that I received my letter to become a member of the then Ivy Leaf Pledge Club at Alpha Pi Chapter, Clark College, on November 28, 1963. This was a day of remembrance for me for it was the same chapter that my mother pledged in 1935. It was the same day that President Kennedy was assassinated. It was also a pivotal year in the history of civil rights. Indeed, it was the best of times – it was the worst of times. And, now, I have the honor of capturing the chapter’s timeless history. Again, what an honor!

Know that I do not by any means attempt to take credit for the almost 30 years of sisterhood and service that Pi Alpha Omega Chapter has celebrated through the years, for it is on the shoulders of our 30 charter members, our seven former chapter presidents, and our chapter members who daily give of their talents and time that we stand today 200+ strong as servant leaders with a mission to create a healthy, safe, and educated community.

We celebrate…

• Adopted families in the Carver Homes Community

• Donations to address hunger locally and worldwide through Heiffer International

• Asthma Prevention workshops to students and parents

• Playground projects built for local elementary schools

• Mentoring programs for young men and young single mothers

• Chartering & oversight of undergraduate chapter at Clayton State College & University

• Establishment of the Ivy & Roses Foundation

• Biennial Fundraising Event , Through The Years

• Donations to children of incarcerated parents

• Going Green workshops to local high school students

• Multiple voter education/registration drives

• Signing of the Human Trafficking Bill in Georgia

• Financial assistance to both traditional and non-traditional students

• Leadership development program for middle school girls

• Promotion of the arts in the community via literary, theater, and music

• Reading program initiatives

• Certified Emergency Response Trainers

• Partnerships with varied local agencies to magnify impact

Bunches of thanks to our Chapter Historian, Vivian Mixon; the former Basilei; the Archives Editing Committee members; Tawanna Conley, Technology Committee Chairman; and all who put in a yeoman’s effort to research, gather, write and publish this document. For this we are grateful. Alas, we