Internal Growth

In 1922, Grand Basileus J. Alston Atkins appointed the first District Representatives. Today, there are eleven such officers who are elected annually at district meetings.

Also in 1922, the office of Vice Grand Basileus was created. The Grand Keeper of Records became the Grand Keeper of the Records and Seal. The first Omega Bulletin was published in 1928 and Campbell C. Johnson was the editor.

Omega Dear,” was adopted as the official hymn in 1931. Charles R. Drew, professor of surgery, and Mercer Cook, professor of languages, both members of the Howard faculty, were the composers. Cook wrote the music and first stanza; Drew wrote the last two stanzas.

Each of the founders graduated and went on to have distinguished careers in their chosen fields: Edgar Love became a Methodist bishop; Oscar Cooper practiced medicine in Philadelphia for over 50 years; Frank Coleman became the chairman of the Department of Physics at Howard University and Dr. Ernest E. Just became a world-renowned biologist and a recipient of the prestige NAACP Spingarn Medal.