By Sonya Bernard-Hollins, publisher
Community Voices
For more information regarding these events, or to register, visit: http://www.mywmu.com/apa50.
*In headline photo:Author Doug Smith, far right, poses with Alpha Phi Alpha Epsilon Xi fraternity brothers Malcomb Oliver (right) and Dennis Archer, former Detroit mayor. Photo by John Lacko courtesy of WMU School of Business.
KALAMAZOO(MICH.)– When Williams Pickard was a student at Western Michigan University, there was only one dining hall on campus. Once that dining hall closed on Saturday Pickard, and other men of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Epsilon Xi, made frequent trips to the one local McDonald’s restaurant located on South Westnedge Ave. They purchased so many meals from that location, that he and friend, Ray Snowden, vowed to open their own McDonald’s restaurant one day.
Today, Pickard owns six of the franchises in Michigan, and his a multimillionaire in the auto parts industry. Pickard, along with Ron Hall, CEO of Bridgewater Interiors, will be two of the men featured on the Billionaire Roundtable from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, in the Haworth College of Business at WMU. The roundtable discussion is just one of the many activities scheduled during Homecoming week to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Alpha Phi Alpha Epsilon Xi chapter and it’s founding members.
A free luncheon featuring Dennis Archer, former Detroit mayor and first African American of the American Bar Association. Playwright Von Washington Sr., will direct a play featuring the WMU Alpha fraternity, and a speaker’s series featuring various Alphas of diverse professions, also will be offered free to the college and community. A 50th Anniversary Ball will be held on Saturday, Oct. 6, followed by the annual Onyx Society Dance.
The celebration was sparked after the creation of a book,”A Mutual Destiny: Achieving the Dream, Together,” by chapter founder, Douglas Smith. In the book, (to be released on Oct. 4 at the campus events) Smith chronicles the story of the chapter’s efforts from 1959-1963, to become an official fraternity on WMU’s campus. With never-before published photos, and historic images of WMU, he shares how the men met, formed their bond, and maintained that bond more than 50 years later. The focus of the book is to also highlight the extremely successful men who came from that first fraternity “line” during those four years on campus.
Men of that chapter’s era include Gilbert Bradley, the first African American mayor of Kalamazoo; Dr. Charles Warfield, local NAACP president, Earl McNeal, the first African American basketball coach for Nazareth College, Charles Wells, former owner of a 7-Up bottling company, Bill Boards, who became the vice mayor of Battle Creek; and Calvin Williams, a former vice president of Student Services at Washtenaw Community College.
Smith himself, also became a big success. While in college in 1959, he was told by a white counselor, that a major auto company would not hire an African American accountant. Smith proved him wrong and became a cost accountant for Ford Motor Company, and later the first African American management consultant for Price Waterhouse Co. He later served as CEO of Kirwood General Hospital in Detroit, and later divisional director of Finance for the Detroit Public Schools.
Alumni of WMU, and the community are encouraged to attend the events and book signings.
For more information regarding these events, or to register, visit: http://www.mywmu.com/apa50.
The event is being co-sponsored by various WMU departments under the leadership of Dr. Martha Warfield in the Division of Multicultural Affairs.
