Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity collection, 1917–2017 | Morse Department of Special Collections

By Cynthia Harris and Natalie Smith

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Collection Overview

Title: Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity collection, 1917–2017

Extent: 11.0 Linear Feet

Arrangement: Materials are arranged by donor or main subject.

Date Acquired: 00/00/2007. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Kansas State University history, Kansas State University history - Documentation of student life and culture, Kansas State University history - Student organizations

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The collection is composed of materials relating to the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, and the Delta chapter located at Kansas State University. A portion of the collection is devoted to chapter member Frank Marshall Davis, which includes three of his publications and correspondence between Davis and Kansas State University faculty member, Carol E. Oukrop. The chapter materials also include exhibit contents of physical items and web archives of a later online exhibit. The collection also has some of Phi Beta Sigma's Conclave programs, their national publication (The Crescent), and multiple yearbooks featuring Phi Beta Sigma members. Additional items include group photographs of the Alpha Sigma chapter, artifacts from previous conclaves, and a large Phi Beta Sigma banner. Another item of note is the George A. Parker scrapbook; Parker was a delegate to the 1964 Republican National Convention.

Subject/Index Terms

Kansas State University history
Kansas State University history - Documentation of student life and culture
Kansas State University history - Student organizations

Administrative Information

Repository: Morse Department of Special Collections

Accruals: 2007; 06/23/2015; 02/08/2018.

Access Restrictions: No restrictions.

Use Restrictions: The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Physical Access Note: Original materials available during open hours of repository and any digitized materials that are online are available with Internet access. Some materials are fragile and use of copy is required.

Technical Access Note: Any audiovisual materials require appropriate components to hear and/or view.

Acquisition Source: Kevin Christian, Todd LeBon, Delta Chapter

Acquisition Method: Donation.

Preferred Citation: [Item title], [item date], Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity collection, [Series name], Box [number], Folder [number], Morse Department of Special Collections, Kansas State University Libraries.

Processing Information: Processor Cindy Harris rehoused collection and updated description in 2015, and student assistant Natalie Smith updated container list in 2017. University archivist Cliff Hight reviewed it in 2017.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Frank Marshall Davis],
[Series 2: Kevin A. Christian],
[Series 3: Todd LeBon],
[Series 4: Linden Houston],
[Series 5: Theses, 1930, 1933, 1934],
[Series 6: Delta Chapter],
[All]

Series 2: Kevin A. Christian

Box 4: Yearbooks

Item 2: Maroon and White, 1931

Maroon and White Yearbook. (St. Louis, MO: Sumner High School).

Photographs of Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Chapter member Wirt Dudley Walton on pages 10, 97 and 98. Walton was a music teacher at Sumner High School.

Item 4: Red and Black, 1920

Red and Black Yearbook. Lawrence High School, Lawrence, Kansas.

Item 3: Maroon and White, 1935

Maroon and White Yearbook. (St. Louis, MO: Sumner High School)

Photographs of Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Chapter member, Wirt Dudley Walton on pages 11 and 67. Walton is listed on page 13 under "Music" Faculty.

Item 5: Red and Black, 1921

Red and Black Yearbook. Lawrence High School, Lawrence, Kansas.

Item 6: The Blue M, Manhattan High, 1922

Box 5: Subjects

Folder 1: 25th Conclave Anniversary Program, 1939

Official Silver Anniversary Souvenir Program

Folder 2: 35th Conclave Anniversary Program, 1949

Souvenir program.

Folder 3: 38th Anniversary Conclave Program, 1952

Conclave program of December 27-30, 1952. Includes photograph of the Phi Beta Sigma General Board. Everyone in the photograph has been identified.

Folder 4: 58th Anniversary Conclave Program, 1972

August 15-19, 1972, Miami Beach, Florida.

Folder 5: 65th Anniverary Conclave Journal, 1979

December 26-30, 1979 at Washington, D.C.

Folder 6: 67th Anniversary Conclave Journal, 1981

July 25-31, 1981, Charleston, South Carolina.

Folder 7: 75th Conclave Souvenir Journal, 1989

August 8-13, 1989, Washington, D.C.

Folder 8: 81st Anniversary Conclave Program, 1995

July 11-6, 1995, Washington, D. C.

Folder 9: Conclave '99, 1999

July 6-11, 1999, Dallas, Texas

Folder 10: Conclave 2001, 2001

July 9-15, 2001, Detroit, Michigan

Folder 11: Conclave Memphis, 2003

July 8-13, 2008, Memphis, Tennessee

Folder 12: Theta Sigma Chapter, 1962

Photograph of the 1962 Theta Sigma Chapter, Buffalo, New York

Folder 13: Forcean Yearbook, 1927

Includes Chapter photograph of Alpha Alpha Chapter, Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, Ohio

Folder 14: The Sentinel Magazine, 2007

Official publication of Iota Nu Sigma Chapter, Chicago, Illinois

Folder 15: Edgerson, Eugene, The Harlem Globetrotters, 2006

Four authographed photographs - two of Eugene Edgerson by himself, and two with his teammates.

Folder 16: 60th Annual Eastern Regional Conference, 1974

Gamma Rho Sigma, host. May 3-5, 1974, Queens, New York. Includes autographs of Nipsey Russell and Gilbert Daley, Eastern Regional Director.

Folder 17: Phi Beta Sigma History Book, 1970

Only 100 copies made it to publication.

Folder 18: Theta Sigma Chapter; Beta Iota Chapter, 1928; 1948

1928 Theta Sigma Program; 1948 Theta Sigma Chapter photos; 1948 photo of Charter Members of Beta Iota Chapter, University of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York

Folder 19: Nashville Area Sigma Chapters, 1940

Photograph, members of Eta Beta Sigma, Kappa-Meharry, Zeta Alpha, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee

Folder 20: Sigma Flash, Monthly News Bulletin, September 1946

This news bulletin was issued from The Office of the National Executive Secretary, Richmond, Virginia

Folder 21: Theta Sigma Chapter, 1948

Photograph, Theta Sigma Chapter at the home of Brother C. E. Ford, Buffalo, New York

Left to Right - Back Row: Brother Wardner Jones, Funeral Home Director; Brother Ernest Cannon, U. S. Post Office; Brother Dr. I. L. Scruggs, Medical Doctor; Brother Bennie Lipman; Brother Clarence Cooper, Chef, U. S. Central Railroad; Brother Thaddeus "Thad" Johnson; Brother Godfrey Tooten, Owner Liquor Store, Pharmarist; Brother Ernest Gadson

Letf to Right - Middle Row: Brother C. E. Ford, Wholesaler Livestock, Midwest to Canada; Brother Fred Barkley, Social Worker; Brother Leonard Chapman; Brother Alexander Hall

Left to Right - Front Row: Brother James Howell, Director of Maintenance, City of Buffalo; Brother George Nelson, Owner Olde Virginia Sausage Package Plant; Unknown; Brother Jacob Gale, Co-Owner, Olde Virginia Sausage Package Plant

Folder 22: Eastern Regional Conference, Souvenir Program, 1955

April 29-May 1, 1955, Washington, D. C.

Folder 23: 50th Anniversary Conclave Souvenir Program, 1964

December 26-30, 1964, Washington, D. C. Two programs, one cover red the other white. In the white cover program, President Lyndon B. Johnson "LBJ" wrote "To Phi Beta Sigma Fratenity with best wishes, Lyndon B. Johnson". Also in the white cover program there is an original photograph of the 50th Anniversary Conclave Committe.

Folder 24: The Crescent Magazine, 50th Anniversary, December 1, 1964

Vol. 50, No1

Folder 25: Correspondence to Kevin A. Christian from Clarence Pair, January 4, 2001

Clarence Pair, Alpha Chapter, 1918, wrote to Kevin Christian documenting the early years of Sigma and the founding of Zeta Phi Beta, the sister sorority.

Folder 26: Our Cause Speeds On, 1957

Savage, W. Sherman and L. D. Riddick. Our Cause Speeds On. (Atlanta, GA: The Fuller Press)

Folder 27: 75th Anniversary Edition, Phi Beta Sigma Membership Directory, 1989

A directory listing of Phi Beta Sigma members.

Folder 28: Phi Beta Sigma, National Membership Directory, 2003

A directory listing of Phi Beta Sigma members.

Folder 29: 45th Anniversary Conclave Souvenir Program, 1959

45th Anniversary Conclave Souvenir Program, Washington, D. C., December 26-30, 1959.

Folder 30: The Crescent, November 1938

Vol. XIII, No.3

Folder 31: The Crescent, Spring 1949

Special Edition.

Folder 32: The Crescent, Fall 1951

Vol. XXXV, No. 2.

Folder 33: The Crescent, December 1954

Vol. 38, No. 2

Folder 34: The Crescent, May 1960

Vol. 46, No. 1

Folder 35: The Crescent, December 1960

Vol. 46, No. 2

Folder 36: The Crescent, May 1961

Vol. 47, No. 1

Folder 37: The Crescent, December 1961

Vol. 47, No. 2

Folder 38: The Crescent, December 1962

Vol. 48, No. 2

Folder 39: The Crescent, December 1963

Vol. 49, No. 2

Folder 40: The Crescent, December 1965

Vol. 51, No. 2

Folder 41: The Crescent, May 1969

Vol. 55, No. 1

Folder 42: The Crescent, December 1969

Vol. 55, No. 2

Folder 43: The Crescent, May 1970

Vol. 56, No. 1

Folder 44: The Crescent, December 1972

Vol. 58, No. 2

Folder 45: The Crescent, May 1973

Vol. 59, No. 1

Folder 46: The Crescent, November 1973

Vol. 59, No. 2

Folder 47: The Crescent, Fall 1974

Vol. 60, No. 2

Folder 48: The Crescent, Fall 1975

Vol. 61, No. 2

Folder 49: The Crescent, Spring 1976

Vol. 62, No. 1

Folder 50: The Crescent, Fall 1976

Vol. 62, No. 2

Folder 51: The Crescent, Fall 1979

Vol. 65, No. 1

Folder 52: The Crescent, Spring 1981

Vol. 66, No. 1

Folder 53: The Crescent, Spring 1982

Vol. 67, No. 1

Folder 54: The Crescent, Spring 1985

Vol. 69, No. 1

Folder 55: The Crescent, 1986

Vol. 70, No. 3

Folder 56: The Crescent, Summer 1988

Vol. 71, No. 1

Folder 57: The Crescent, Winter 1992-1993

Vol. 74, No. 1

Folder 58: The Crescent, Spring 1996

Vol. 76, No. 2

Folder 59: The Crescent, Winter 2002

Vol. 77, No. 1

Folder 60: The Crescent, Summer/Fall 2002

Vol. 77, No. 2

Folder 61: The Crescent, Winter 2004

Vol. 77, No. 3

Folder 62: The Crescent, Spring 2005

Vol. 77, No. 3

Folder 63: The Crescent, Winter 2005

Folder 64: The Crescent, Fall 2006

Folder 65: Special Conclave Edition, 2007

93rd Anniversary Conclave of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity at Charlotte, North Carolina, July 31, 2007.

Folder 66: The Crescent, Fall 2009

Post Conclave Edition, The Crescent Magazine, Fall 2009.

Folder 67: The Crescent, Spring 2010

The Crescent, Phi Beta Sigma Magazine, Spring 2010.

Folder 68: The Crescent, Winter 2011

The Crescent, Phi Beta Sigma Magazine, Winter 2011.

Box 6: Yearbooks, 1920-1927; 1931-1932; 1949; 1952; 1965

The yearbooks include photographs of members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Delta Chapter.

Item 1: Royal Purple, 1921

Royal Purple Yearbook. (Manhattan, KS: Kansas State Agricultural College)

Photograph of Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Chapter on page 226.

Item 2: Royal Purple, 1922

Royal Purple Yearbook. (Manhattan, KS: Kansas State Agricultural College).

Photograph of Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Chapter Members on page 255.

Item 3: Royal Purple, 1923

Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS: Kansas State Agricultural College)

Photographs of members of the Phi Beta Sigma Delta Chapter and their House Mother on page 328.

Photograph of the Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Chapter House on page 329.

Item 4: Royal Purple, 1924

Royal Purple Yearbook. (Manhattan, KS: Kansas State Agricultural College)

Photographs of the members of Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Chapter and their House Mother on page 282.

Item 5: Royal Purple, 1925

Royal Purple Yearbook. (Manhattan, KS: Kansas State Agricultural College)

Photographs of the members of the Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Chapter and their House Mother on page 276.

Item 6: Royal Purple, 1926

Royal Purple Yearbook. (Manhattan, KS: Kansas State Agricultural College)

Photographs of the members of the Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Chapter and their House Mother on page 298.

Item 7: Royal Purple, 1927

Royal Purple Yearbook. (Manhattan, KS: Kansas State Agricultural College)

Photographs of the members of Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Chapter and their House Mother on page 332.

Item 8: The Archives, 1965

The Archives Yearbook. (Jefferson City, MO: Lincoln University)

Photograph of Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Chapter member, Earl E. Dawson, who was President of Lincoln University on page 5.

Item 9: The Panther, 1949

The Panther Yearbook. (Prairie View, TX: Prairie View A & M College)

Photograph of Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Chapter member Francis F. Fry, who was the Chief Engineer on page titled "Mechanical Arts."

Item 10: The Panther, 1952

The Panther Yearbook. (Prairie View, TX: Prairie View A & M College)

Photographs of Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Chapter members Francis F. Fry (Chief Engineer) and Claude L. Wilson (Dean of Engineering) under pages titled "Engineering."

Item 16: The Archives, 1942

Item 17: The Lion, 1953

Box 7: Oversize

Oversize Photographs and Artifacts.

Item 1: Photograph, Alpha Sigma Chapter-Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, 1959: A group photograph of Phi Beta Sigma, Alpha Sigma Chapter.
Item 2: Photograph, 45th Anniversary Conclave, 1959: A group photograph of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity at the 45th Anniversary Conclave.
Item 3: Photograph. 50th Anniversary Conclave, 1964: A group photograph of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, 50th Anniversary Conclave, 1964.
Item 4: Photograph, Phi Beta Sigma, Alpha Sigma Chapter, 1922: A framed photograph, of individual photographs, of the Phi Beta Sigma, Alpha Sigma Chapter, 1922.
Item 5: Bag, Blue with Zipper, Conclave, Charleston, 1981: A blue vinyl bag with zipper. Phi Beta Sigma 1981 Conclave, Charleston. Masking tape has the name "Albert Giles."
Item 6: White Canvas tote bag with blue handles and trim., 1989: Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. 1914-1989, Diamond Jubilee Conclave, Washington, D. C.

Box 9: Oversize scrapbook, 1964

Scrapbook of George A. Parker from his time as a delegate to the 1964 Republican Convention, San Francisco, California.

Drawer H3.5: Oversize banner

Phi Beta Sigma banner