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CHAPTER HISTORY


THE HISTORY OF ALPHA SIGMA LAMBDA

Alpha Sigma Lambda was chartered on Saturday November 5, 1932 in Dallas, Texas and is the second oldest Graduate Alpha Chapter in Texas. It was chartered by Brothers; Dr. Herman I. Holland Sr., Robert L. Prince, Sr., James White, Sr., Dr. Hugh Key, C.P. Johnson, James R. Edmonds, Roy A. Lay, and Roy Dixon.

All but one were educators at some point in their lives. Among their accolades, Dr. Herman I. Holland, Sr. has a DISD school named for him and James R. Edmonds coached Lincoln High School to a State Championship. C.P. Johnson subsequently moved to Austin where he was a founding member of the Gamma Eta Lambda Chapter and eventually moved to Seattle and became Western Region Vice-President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Alpha Sigma Lambda Chapter was in the forefront of the formation and/or leadership of several Civil Rights and Social/Fraternal organizations in Dallas and the State, including the NAACP, Dallas Urban League, the Progressive Voters League, Dallas Negro Chamber of Commerce, and the Moorland Branch YMCA. Several Brothers were also early members of the Knights of Pythias.



Alpha Sigma Lambda is home of the 17th General President of the Fraternity in the personage of Brother Antonio Maceo Smith who, was the first General President from the State of Texas. Brother Smith was also the first African American Federal Employee in Dallas, having worked for the Federal Housing Administration. Known locally during that time as “ Mr. Civil Rights, he risked all, including his livelihood and possible Federal prosecution, for his passion for Civil Rights. There is a Federal Building in Downtown Dallas named for him as well as a Dallas High School.

Alpha Sigma Lambda Chapter was influential in the founding of both the Texas Council of Alpha Chapters and the Southwest Region of the Fraternity. Three of the six Founders of TCAC were Alpha Sigma Lambda Brothers: Earnest Wallace, charter member James White, Sr., and Victor “Amarillo” Smith. Another charter member, Roy A. Lay, was instrumental in the early organization of TCAC. Brother Smith became the Second TCAC Director, and Brother Roosevelt Johnson was the Fifth.




In 1964, Brothers Earnest Wallace and CC Russeau founded a mentoring program called Alpha Merit. The original group comprised 85 young men from the five African American High Schools in Dallas at the time. It was the first mentoring program by any Black Greek Letter Organization and was eventually adopted by our National Organization and is the basis for our “Go to High School, Go to College” Program It was copied by other BGOL’s locally and Nationally. Since its inception, Alpha Merit has awarded more than $75,000 in scholarships to college bound black males.

Alpha Sigma Lambda is home to many legendary Dallas educators. There are currently eight Dallas area schools named for Alpha Sigma Lambda Brothers: A Maceo Smith New Tech High School, H I Holland Elementary School at Lisbon, Thomas Tolbert Elementary School, John Leslie Patton, Jr. Education Center, Zan Wesley Holmes Elementary School, David Daniels Elementary Academy of Math and Science in Grand Prairie, Dr. Wright W. Lassiter, Jr. Early College High School at El Centro College (Dr. Lassiter was also President of El Centro), and Billy Earl Dade Middle School (the shining fortress of education right down the street from our Fraternity House). In addition, there is a Dallas ISD Administration Building named for Past Chapter President Dr. H.B. Bell, who was an Assistant DISD Superintendent.




Currently Alpha Sigma Lambda enjoys local partnerships with The Martin Luther King Center, where we are co-sponsors of the MLK Candlelight Vigil yearly, the African American Museum, where we co-sponsor the Monday Night Politics series, Shared Housing of Dallas, whom we support for Thanksgiving and Christmas Giveaways, Blair Elementary School, and A Maceo Smith High School.  We also participate in the Fraternity’s Nationally mandated partnerships and programs including Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, March for the Babies, Boy Scouts of America, Brothers Keeper, Project Alpha, and Go to High School, Go to College.




In 2006, the Fraternity’s Centennial Year, and 2007, The Chapter’s 75th year, ASL was named National Alumni Chapter of the Year.  In addition to Programs and Alpha Merit, Inc., the third entity of the ASL is Alpha 7, Incorporated, composed of Brothers of the Chapter who own this property. ASL is the only Alpha Chapter that owns its meeting location.  Prior to purchasing this property, ASL owned a Fraternity House for many years on Good-Latimer Expressway.  Today, ASL continues to lead the charge in Community Service in the Dallas area.