The 1940s
Bro. Roscoe Lee Browne
Beta Chapter Spring 1941
Bro. Roscoe Lee Browne
Albert Einstein at Lincoln University
May 1946
Beta Chapter December 1949
Beta Chapter initiated seven Lampados in 1940 to usher in the new decade of fraternal history.
The brothers still took pride in their Achievement Week programming. This year’s guest speaker was Bro. William Hastie, Dean of Howard University Law School. Bro. Langston
Hughes had just published his autobiography “The Big Sea” in which he recounts his life and reflects on his time at Lincoln University and Beta Chapter. In 1941 Beta held its annual banquet welcoming home all brothers. Bro. Rominus Stokes was Basileus and Bro. Roscoe L. Browne was Keeper of Records and Seals. The brothers had become synonymous with athletic by the early 1940s and had won several intramural titles in football and baseball.
Nationally, America was in the midst of a war and everyone had to do their part. Many of
the brothers of Omega Psi Phi were service men and were being called to service for their country. Omega supported the war effort and even went as far as creating a National Action Committee to map out a plan of action for general problems in the fraternity that would arise during this time. Additionally, in 1947 Omega called for a push for civil rights form the United States of America and even sent declarations to the President denouncing segregation in the military.
1946 saw BetaChapter attend the 33rd Grand Conclave in Fort Worth, Texas. Bro. Matthews, delegate for BetaChapter, worked with the undergraduate committee to plan future intercollegiate procedures. The brothers also extended a helping hand to Bill Ellis an African American student from Harvard University that was stricken with tuberculosis in Prague, Czechoslovakia. The Beta brothers lead a donation drive and garnered the campus’ support in the effort. The brothers of Beta
were also working hard to restore the Pan-Hellenic council to further inter-fraternal collaboration on Lincoln’s campus. These programs all helped to support the annual Beta Ball that was held in Philadelphia. It was looked as one of the prominent social events for African American college youth. As one can see, the brothers continued to produce meaningful programs during this delicate
time all the while fulfilling the goals and objectives of our beloved fraternity.