Brother Maynard Jackson "Encore ". A gifted tenor, he then sang a beautiful spiritual, "I trust in God", which brought tears to the eyes of some in the audience. Prior to beginning his address Brother Jackson devoted several moments to praising this gifted young brother. Introducing Mayor Jackson as one of the finest examples of Alpha leadership, President Washington presented him with the "Alpha Award of Honor" for outstanding achievement. Accepting the award, one of the fraternity's highest, Brother Jackson addressed the gathering: He expressed his pleasure at being with his brothers in the "greatest fraternity in the world" and remarked that, while he was tempted to enjoy the warm fellowship and speak of pleasant things, the circumstances compelled him to speak of other matters. Mayor Jackson called attention to the depressing statistics of rising unemployment in this country and denounced the present administration's lack of concern regar-
Life Members Fellowship Try scheduling a convention event at 7:30 (in the A.M., even) and see what happens! Well, if that event is the Life Members Fellowship Breakfast the result is a packed house and loads of fun and fellowship. The Miami breakfast, the tenth annual event, featured, to borrow from Pope John D. Buckner, Everglades fruit, Southern biscuits, Dogpatch Ham and a personal message from Life Member No. 1, O. Wilson Winters which was distributed to each participant. The buffet meal also contained so much bacon, sausage and sweet rolls that no one noticed the absence of the GRITS! Well, almost no one - count on Brother 24
ding this matter. He noted that National Urban League statistics show that Black unemployment, including socalled "discouraged workers" no longer actively seeking employment and omitted in government surveys, reached a rate of 25.8% for the first three months of 1975 - a total of nearly 3 million Black Americans. Asking "Where are the concerned Black and white voices . . .", he declared that only rampant indifference has allowed the Ford administration to ignore these facts. Brother Jackson urged increased political activity to combat these ills, telling the assembled Alphas that "Our most immediate problem is racism; our ultimate problem is economics. (And) in our implementation of Alpha's Outreach to business, we must not abandon politics." He urged that the power of Alpha Phi Alpha be massed behind a series of major pieces of helpful legislation designed to insure full employment for all.
Stenson Broaddus to notice and verbalize. Anyway, the Life Members had a Ball on the Beach! Besides hearing the astonishing statistics of the Life Membership Story, which surely ranks as the most amazing success since Cornell, the room was cleared (even the waitresses were dismissed) for the legendary bull session with the boys. Brother Joe Gunnell, with the protection of his everpresent dark glasses, cracked up the audience with a few "slightly off-color" tales of romance and adventure. The Tenth Annual Life Members Breakfast also saw the institution of a number of awards (named for outstanding workers in the LM program) for achievement in increasing the ranks of Life Members. The Oliver Wilson
Winters Awards were presented to Epsilon Lambda (St. Louis), which for ten years led all chapters in LM participation, and to Delta Alpha Lambda (Cleveland, OH), which in 1975 became the first chapter to surpass Epsilon Lambda - boasting 141 fullypaid and a total of 21 7 LM participants. The John D. Buckner Award for the most outstanding regional program was presented to the Southern Region, Andrew J. Lewis, II, Life Membership Chairman; Dr. Henry Collier, Jr., Vice Chairman; and Bennie J. Harris, Regional Vice President. Frederick L. Johnson Awards (to outstanding chapters) were presented to Eta Lambda (Atlanta); Zeta Omicron Lambda (Philadelphia); Beta Gamma Lambda (Richmond, VA); Beta Lambda (Kansas City, MO); Gamma Lambda (Detroit); and Gamma Phi Lambda (Ashville, NC). Recipients of the Elmer C. Collins Award for outstanding individual contribution were Robert Willis (Eta Lambda), Charles L. Keels (Zeta Omicron Lambda) and Clarence W. Robinson (Beta Lambda). Following his presentation of the FABULOUS FACTS, detailing the phenomenal growth of the program from 2,000 participants in '74 to 4,000 in '75; a Life Member Reserve Fund in excess of a HALF MILLION DOLLARS (including over $100,00 received in the month of June alone); and participants in half of the Alpha chapters Brother John Buckner, National Life Membership Chairman, challenged the Life Members to demonstrate the potency of the program by providing services to the fraternity which would be impossible through the normal funding process - identifying subscribing Life Members, start-up utilization of electronic data processing in the General Office, and underwriting the Alpha Directory and a special newsletter. Following enthusiastic approval by the brothers present, these proposed were authorized as expenditures from the Life Member Reserve Fund at the final session of the convention. Brother Buckner also announced his decision to retire from his position of Life Member Chairman. He was given thunderous applause in recognition of his outstanding work in that capacity and General President Washington made the presentation of a special "Service Award" on behalf of the entire organization. Finally the brothers unanimously a p p r o v e d a special resolution, in honor of the foresight of Dr. O. Wilson Winters. The Sphinx / October 1 975