Pi Gamma Omicron

Pi Gamma Omicron
ΠΓΟ
FoundedJanuary 1, 1905; 119 years ago (1905-01-01)
Ohio State University
TypeSocial
AffiliationIndependent (pre-NPHC)
StatusDefunct
Defunct datec. 1908
EmphasisBlack students
Scopelocal
Chapters1 (now dormant)
Members12 lifetime
Headquarters
United States

Pi Gamma Omicron (ΠΓΟ) was one of the first documented black collegiate fraternities which was founded in 1905.[1]

History

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The group was founded at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.[2][3] The group had 12 members.[4] The group was not known by the Ohio State's registrars office but was known to the Chicago Defender newspaper which wrote an article about Pi Gamma Omicron.[1][5] This article about Pi Gamma Omicron took the interest of Alpha Phi Alpha founder Robert H. Ogle who was inspired to transform Alpha Phi Alpha from a literary society into a fraternity.[5]

It was reported that Pi Gamma Omicron initially desired to become a national fraternity by establishing chapters in Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, and Indiana according to the Beta Theta Pi correspondent at Ohio State University, but this expansion did not occur.[6]

One member, Elmer Shackelford, went on to earn his law certificate in 1906, then the equivalent of today's law degree.[2][7]

Founders

The Founders of Pi Gamma Omicron were:[4][8]

  • Leroy Barnett
  • William Berry
  • W. E. Davis
  • Richard Pettiford
  • Elmer A. Shackelford
  • John Shavers
  • Norman Thorne
  • H. A. Turner
  • C. C. Underwood
  • Walter Williams
  • William Woodward

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Kofi Lomotey (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Education. SAGE Publications. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-4129-4050-4.
  2. ^ a b "Tracking the early history of African-American fraternities at OSU". "From Woody's Couch" - Official Ohio State University Archives’ blog. March 28, 2012.
  3. ^ Ricky L. Jones (10 March 2010). Black Haze: Violence, Sacrifice, and Manhood in Black Greek-Letter Fraternities. SUNY Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-7914-8565-1.
  4. ^ a b OSU Archives Student Assistant Michelle Brundige (March 2012). "Pi Gamma Omicron Members" (PDF).
  5. ^ a b Gregory S. Parks (13 June 2008). Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun. University Press of Kentucky. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-8131-3872-5.
  6. ^ "The Rainbow of the Delta Tau Delta". Rainbow. Vol. XXIX, no. 3. March 1906. p. 406. ISSN 1532-5334.
  7. ^ Shackelford senior picture The Makio yearbook (PDF). Columbus, Ohio: OSU student body. 1906. p. 85. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Ohio State Lantern". January 10, 1906. p. 3. OCLC 18384916.
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