The Alumni Brothers of the Kappa Kappa Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. congregated on campus with current members, the wider NWA Community, and the university to commemorate fifty years of cultivating leaders, promoting brotherhood, academic excellence and providing service and advocacy for communities. Half a century later, members of the Kappa Kappa Chapter continue to uphold the aims of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.: “Manly Deeds, Scholarship and Love for All Mankind.”
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., recognized as the first intercollegiate fraternity, was established by African American men on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Chapter members have significantly impacted the University of Arkansas and the surrounding communities throughout these fifty years. Notable alumni charter members include E. Lynn Harris B.S.’77, the late esteemed author; John L Colbert B.S.E.’76, M.Ed.’81, Ed.D.’17, the first African American superintendent for the Fayetteville Public Schools; Harvey Hampton Jr. B.A.’80, a member of the 1975 U of A football team; Victor Wilson B.S.B.A.’85, first African American president of the 103-year-old Rotary Club in Fayetteville and an entrepreneur; Jeff Flanigan B.S.E.’99, M.A.T.’00, principal of George Junior High School in Springdale; and Hughey Newsome B.S.E.E.’98, CFO of the Piston Group.
To sustain the emphasis on scholarship, the members and alumni collaboratively established the Kappa Kappa Endowment, designed to foster academic excellence. The alumni members expressed profound satisfaction in returning to campus to celebrate and reflect upon five decades of dedicated service to the University of Arkansas and the NWA communities.
*This post is condensed from a longer article by John L Colbert B.S.E.’76, M.ED,’81, ED.D.’17 published in the fall 2025 issue of Arkansas Magazine.
