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Chapter History
Theta Tau Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc was established in 1959 but the fraternity's graduate presence in Northeast Alabama actually began several years earlier.
The first graduate chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. chartered in Anniston and Northeast Alabama was Pi Upsilon Chapter in the early 1950's. The chapter consisted of some seven Brothers, with Brother Charles Byrd elected as its first Basileus. Pi Upsilon Chapter would not achieve longevity, however. The chapter suffered from the migration of Brothers from Northeast Alabama to jobs in larger metropolitan areas such as Atlanta and Birmingham. The depletion in membership led to the chapter's disbanding and inactive status but the middle 1950's.
By the late 50's, interest in forming a new graduate chapter in the area resulted in the chartering of Theta Tau Chapter in 1959.
Former Pi Upsilon Chapter members Charles Byrd, Dr. Gordon Rogers and William Trammell joined S. J. Baker, Hiram Cleveland, Clarence Jarriels, Frank Lawson, Robert Mosby and Albert White as charter members on the new Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc Chapter. Hiram Cleveland became its first Basileus.
The charter Brothers would form the basis of a rich and rewarding legacy for the fraternity in Northeast Alabama as leaders in their community, leaders in their professions and leaders in service to humanity.
During the turbulent 1960s, Omega Men stood in the forefront as the black community of Anniston asserted its rights as a citizen during the civil rights movement. Brother Rogers, a dentist, became the first black city councilman in 1968 when he was elected to office on the newly-created council in Anniston.
Several Brothers distinguished themselves in the field of education. Brother Jairrels, a one-time principal at Cobb Avenue High School, the city's predominantly black high school before integration, became an administrator on the Anniston City Board of Education. Brother Mosby became one of the winningest coaches in Alabama high school football history as the head coach of the feared Cobb Avenue High Panthers.
In education and in other fields as well, the Brothers of Theta Tau Chapter have continued a legacy of achievement mapped by the fraternity's founders and followed by Omega Men everywhere.