Boston (MA) Alumni

Boston (MA) Alumni was chartered on June 3, 1950. It was the eighth alumni chapter chartered in the Northeastern Province, and the first in the state of Massachusetts.

## Leadership

 Vice Polemarch
 Keeper of Records
 Keeper of the Exchequer
 Strategus

## Meeting Schedule

The chapter meets on the third Friday of every month on the campus of Lena Community Center in Roxbury. The chapter meets officially from September through June of the following year, although it also holds social functions over the summer. Only members of the fraternity are allowed to attend. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm sharp. The dress code, business attire, is strictly enforced. For exact meeting details, contact Clarence Flemming (Boston [MA] Alumni, 2016) via email.

## History

The six charter members of Boston (MA) Alumni were Henry Aaron Hill (Alpha Epsilon, 1934), James P. Goss Jr. (Chi, 1947); Charles Anderson, Herbert Barron Dowse (Chi, 19xx), Charles A. Knowles (Chi, 1941), and Abraham B. Fisher, Jr. (Chi, 1924).

## Chapter Invisible

It is with sincere regret that we announce the passing of the following members:

* William C. Bryant Jr. (Boston [MA] Alumni, 1989) of Brockton, Massachusetts, passed away on August 18, 2016, after a lengthy battle with cancer; he was 63 years old.

## Fraternal Contributions

Boston (MA) Alumni has made significant contributions toward the advancement of the fraternity. Among its members are James M. Kidd Award recipient Jackson W. Campbell (Chi, 1947) and Jermaine G. Myrie (Boston [MA] Alumni, 1998), who currently serves as the Northeastern Province Keeper of Records. In 2015, the chapter hosted the 85th Province Council Meeting.

## Notable Achievers

* **Sam Jones** (Boston [MA] Alumni, 1960) is retired from professional basketball and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. His ten NBA championships ranks second-most of any player, behind his teammate Bill Russell (Gamma Alpha, 1955), who won 11 titles. Jones was also only one of three Boston Celtics (along with teammates Russell and KC Jones) to be part of the Celtics's eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966.
* **Robert C. Hayden, Jr.** (Chi, 1957) is a historian, author, educator, and contributor to African American historiography. He spent a thirty-two year career as an educator in ethnic and urban studies, having developed curriculum for public schools and administrating urban school projects. A resident of Martha's Vineyard, he served on the Oak Bluffs Historical Commission and founded the Martha's Vineyard branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. He is the author of nineteen books and continues to provide African American history services and resources to educators and community groups.
* **Bill Russell** (Gamma Alpha, 1955) was a professional basketball player and coach. He joined the Boston Celtics in 1956 and retired from the sport as a five-time recipient of the NBA's most valuable player award and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Russell was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty, winning eleven NBA championships during his 13-year career. He also served three seasons as a player-coach for the Celtics, becoming the first African American to coach an NBA team. For his accomplishments in the civil rights movement, both on and off the court, Russell was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 by President Barack Obama.
* **Henry Aaron Hill** (Alpha Epsilon, 1934) earned a PhD in chemistry at MIT and was a pioneer in the field of polymers, specializing in the flammability of fabrics. A recognized authority in the field of chemical regulation and safety, he served on the National Commission on Product Safety under President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1977, he became the first African American to be elected president of the American Chemical Society.

## Organization

### Foundation

In 2014, Boston (MA) Alumni established the Greater Boston Kappa Charities, a 501(c)3 organization, for the purpose of funding its Boston Kappa League program. The foundation also provides scholarships and need-based financial aid for minority high school students in the Greater Boston area.

### Governance

Boston (MA) Alumni provides oversight over **Chi****, Theta Iota**and **Mu Chi**, on behalf of the **Northeastern Province Polemarch,**and is the primary point of contact for fraternity activity at all universities in the Greater Boston area, as well as in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.

## Contact

Boston (MA) Alumni maintains a public presence on the web, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you have an update to this page, please send an email to the Nupepedia Project Team.