History of the Seventh District
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi
The Seventh District, through the years, has been one of the great standard bearers in the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and proudly claims a longstanding legacy of leadership. Throughout the Fraternity’s history, five out of 41 Omega men have served as Grand Basileus and countless other Seventh District Omega men have made visionary, organizational, and administrative contributions that have resulted in the advancement of Omega’s precepts and increased the Fraternity’s overall capacity to fulfill its purpose. Currently, the Seventh District is comprised of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi.
In 1922, Grand Basileus J. Alston Atkins divided our Fraternity into five regions (districts). In 1923 Brother Daniel B. Taylor was appointed as representative as the southern district representative. The December 1923 Oracle shows, “Brother Daniel Taylor as the Southern Representative of the Grand Basileus has done great work in the Southern district. He has been instrumental in the establishment of many new chapters and has been the means of keeping the Fraternity spirit at a high pitch by his untiring efforts.” Brother Taylor was selected to the position of Grand Keeper of Seal after the eleventh conclave in 1924. Five years after Grand Basileus Atkins made the first appointment, later, in 1927, 12th Grand Basileus McClain appointed more numbered districts. A listing of officers attending the sixteenth conclave shows as District representatives were Brother Leonard Emmet Drewry (Talladega, Alabama) and Brother Clinton Elsworth Warner (Atlanta, Georgia) as representatives from the southern district. After the sixteenth conclave, the quarterly report of June 1928, Grand Basileus McClain recounted his accomplishments. In his report, he states, “District representatives have been appointed to the number 7…” The June 1928 Oracle containing this report shows past 8th Grand Basileus Harold H. Thomas (1921) having been appointed as the Seventh District Representative. The October 1928 Oracle contains a quarterly report by Brother Harold H. Thomas revealing his enthusiasm as District Representative. Seventeen chapters throughout the states of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama made up the Seventh District at the time. Grand Basileus Thomas served in his position from 1928 until the 23rd Grand Conclave was held in December 1935.
In 1935, 15th Grand Basileus, William E. Baugh appointed Brother Marcellus R. Austell as the Seventh District Representative. He assumed office after the 23rd conclave. On April 24, 1936, the Seventh District conducted its first regional meeting. It was at this meeting that Brother M. R. Austell was elected as the district representative. The meeting occurred on the campus of Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, GA. The 17 chapters that made up the Seventh District were Psi (1922), Beta Psi (1923), Gamma Psi (1921), Upsilon Psi (1921), Eta Omega (1919), Iota Omega (1923), Chi Omega (1924), Psi Omega (1925), Alpha Psi 1922), Theta Phi (1925), Lambda Phi (1925), Mu Phi (1926), Sigma Phi (1927), Alpha Sigma (1935), Gamma Sigma (1936), Omicron (1921) and Tau (1922). The Tau chapter was inactive at the time of this meeting; however, plans were made to reactivate the chapter by the end of the year. Because there were five chapters located in in the Atlanta area (Eta Omega, Beta Psi, Alpha Sigma, Omicron, and Tau), the “Atlanta Omega Chapter Council” was established. The Council’s purpose was to coordinate all the functions of the chapters. The actions of this Council later led to the creation of state organizations. The first State Organization of Omega Psi Phi chapters was eventually established in 1974, followed by Alabama in 1977, Georgia in 1980, and Mississippi in 1992.
In 1940, Brother J.T. Brooks served as District Representative and served for 27 years, longer than any other District Representative in the entire Fraternity. The state of Mississippi became part of the Seventh District in 1941. Brother Brooks appointed Brother W.A. McMillan to the position of State Supervisor of Chapters in 1958 for the state of Florida. However, Brother McMillan’s position expanded to serve as the Supervisor of Chapters for the Seventh District. In 1963, Brother Brooks renamed Brother McMillan’s position to State Representative and appointed him the first to serve in this position. Following the appointment of Brother McMillan, Brother Brooks appointed Brothers Samuel Sheffy, Robert Church, and Charles Johnson as State Representatives for the states of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, respectively.
In 1976, 30th Grand Basileus Edward Braynon (1976 – 1979) was elected, becoming the first Grand Basileus elected from the Seventh District since Harold Thomas in 1920. Since the election of Brother Braynon, four brothers from the Seventh District have served our Fraternity as Grand Basileus. The 33rd Grand Basileus Moses C. Norman (1984 -1990), 35th Grand Basileus Dorsey C. Miller (1994 to 1998), 37th Grand Basileus George Grace (2002 to 2006) and 41st Grand Basileus David Marion (2018 to 2022).
The Seventh District is proud of its heritage and the impact of the several brothers who have made and continue to make impacts within their communities and individual states. J. B. Carter (former district representative 1992-1994) among his many accomplishments was selected the first African American to join the Mississippi Jaycees; Fred D. Gray (attorney) was instrumental in cases involving the Montgomery Bus Boycott protecting Montgomery marchers, and the class action lawsuit in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study; Elijah Hill, Jr (law) was appointed the first U.S. Deputy in the state of Alabama; Oscar W. Adam. Jr. (law) was the first African American to serve on any appellate court in Alabama and was the first African American to be elected to a state-wide constitutional office in Alabama; Dr Benjamin E. Mays was the longstanding (27-years) president of Morehouse College, in which time he improved not only the academic standards of the institution, but also helped formed its legacy as one of the best colleges in the nation; Badrae L. Hannah, in 1977 became the first African American to be initiated into Delta Chapter of Phi Beta Mu and served as its president in 1989. Hannah's 1979 election as president of the Mississippi Bandmasters Association set a precedent for other African American directors. He was the first African American to hold that office before the two organizations were merged; Dorsey C. Miller was the 35th Grand Basileus who excelled in working with students and working with numerous civic organizations. He continues to provide helpful leadership advice and advice to the Seventh District leadership.
Following the approval by the Supreme Council in 1924 to establish the Lampados Club as the official pledge club of the Fraternity, in 1925, the Lampados Club at Psi Chapter, Morehouse College, became one of the first Lampados pledge clubs. As it appeared in the March 1925 Oracle under the Psi Chapter highlights, “The Lampados Club is composed of twenty enthusiasts. All phases of college activities are represented in these fellows…Now that the first have finished they are anxious to begin their long, perilous journey through the portals of Omega.” The Seventh District was also instrumental in starting the Leadership Conference, an inspector general, data-based mechanization for membership, a modernized registration process with photos on identification badges, state organizations, and utilization of cd/digital software in lieu of paper reports originated in the Seventh District. The historical firsts for the brothers of the Seventh District are too numerous to site within this brief historical recap. However, throughout the district the accomplishments in law, education, music, the literary arts, social justice and many of societal areas, an Omega Man can be found. Our brothers’ names have been immortalized and honored on college campuses, community buildings, and city streets.
The history of the Seventh District has shown its positive impact to the Fraternity through its many contributions and leadership. Dubbed the “The Mighty Seventh District,” the Seventh District has steadily grown since 1928 from three states and seventeen chapters. At the close of fiscal year 2024, the Seventh District is composed of four states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi), 142 chapters,7208 financial members. The men of the Seventh District continue to positively impact the Fraternity through leadership, innovation, and service.