Montgomery Alumni Chapter

Home

The Fraternity

Our Chapter

Chapter History

In the late 1940’s, members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity in the Central Alabama area, most of whom had been initiated into Beta Zeta Chapter (Alabama State University), wanted to unite and perpetuate the spirit of the fraternity on the alumni level. Edgar Montgomery was the leader and organizer. He drew up the petition for a charter and sent it to Grand Chapter. The charter was granted in 1949, Caesar Culver was the first elected Polemarch, and Montgomery the first Keeper of Records and Exchequer.

Meetings were held on Saturday evenings in the homes of members. After the business session was over, a social hour and dinner always followed. In September 1953, Ralph D. Abernathy was elected Polemarch. The office of Keeper of Records and Exchequer was divided. Ralph J. Bryson, who came to Montgomery in June, was elected Keeper of Records, and E. A. Montgomery as Keeper of Exchequer.

In April 1961, Montgomery hosted the eleventh annual meeting of the Southern Province, four months prior to the Golden Anniversary Conclave in Bloomington, Indiana. The middle and late ‘60s saw the Alumni Chapter continue to grow under the administrations of George Alexander, Willie J. Glaze, William B. Gary, Moses Clark, and Clifford C. Baker. The 1980’s marked a period of growth, strong leadership, and Grand Chapter recognition. In August 1988, the Chapter received the Paul W. Caine Alumni Chapter of the Year Award at the 68th Grand Chapter meeting in Dallas, Texas.

The year 1990 began with the chapter hosting its fourth Province meeting, April 12-14. Final registration figures showed that 307 delegates officially attended the meeting, making it the largest in the history of the Province. The Grand Polemarch, Ullysses McBride; Senior Grand Vice Polemarch, Robert L. Harris, and Past Grand Polemarch Oliver S. Gumbs were in attendance. Past Polemarch C. C. Baker, the first Black Assistant Superintendent of Education for Alabama, was appointed the Ninth President of Alabama State University.

The Elder Watson Diggs Award was conferred on Ralph Bryson at the 72nd Grand Chapter meeting in Philadelphia August 1995. At the 73rd Grand Chapter meeting in Detroit, August 1997, Bryson was elected Grand Historian, succeeding Dr. William L. Crump, who had held the position for thirty years. In August 2001, Dr. Joe A. Lee was appointed as the 11th president of Alabama State University. In July 2011, the Laurel Wreath Award was conferred on Ralph Bryson at the 80th Grand Chapter meeting and Centennial Celebration in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Montgomery Alumni Chapter dedicated the Dr. Ralph J. Bryson Fraternity House in January 2024. The decision to name the new facility after the late (2022) Dr. Ralph J. Bryson was made in recognition of his significant impact on the Montgomery Alumni Chapter, Kappa Alpha Psi, and the countless lives of brothers he influenced across the United States and World.

2024-2025 Chapter Officers