The Epsilon Eta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. was chartered on Friday, June 5, 1959, four days after Eastern Michigan College received full university status.
The road to chartering
Attempts to charter a chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. can be traced to at least 1955. The effort took time. Roadblocks from the university and the challenge of reaching the required number of Alpha men delayed the chapter's formation, but the work continued.
With assistance from a Jewish fraternity on campus and the persistence of determined brothers, Epsilon Eta was finally chartered by the national organization. The chapter entered campus life at a moment when Eastern Michigan was changing, and its early members helped establish a lasting presence for Alpha Phi Alpha at the university.
The Elite Eight
The chartering members are remembered as the Elite Eight: Orvall Cotton, Thaddeus Jones, William D. Ovid, Charles R. Johnson, James Stephens, COL William J. Stephens, Ellis Stewart, and Robert E. Williams.
Brother Robert E. Williams recalled that Brother William Stephens provided major leadership in the chartering effort. Their work created more than a campus organization; it created a chapter record that later brothers could inherit, protect, and extend.
First initiates
The first initiates into Epsilon Eta were Brothers Perry Jones and Vernest Spivey in 1959, followed by Brother George Goodman in 1960. From there, the chapter's involvement in student leadership, scholarship, and fraternity leadership accelerated.
The complete line record continues on the Chapter Lines page. Archive images and event materials live in the Archive Gallery.