RELOCATION OF THE GENERAL HEADQUARTERS or many years the General Headquarters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity was located on Martin Luther King Drive in Chicago, Illinois. By January 1, 1989, as a result of deferred maintenance, the Headquarters had been demolished. The Fraternity then began operating from an old warehouse building in Chicago and this was not the image the Brotherhood desired for its General Headquarters. The building of a new General Headquarters had been discussed for many years and the General Convention assessed a General Headquarters Building fee for that purpose. The assessment was $100.00 for each Alumni Brother and $50.00 for each College Brother. During the General Presidential Election of 1988, one of my campaign promises was that "I would build a new General Headquarters representative of Alpha Phi Alpha." In 1989, in an effort to keep the "campaign promise," in a grand affair, attended by many Brothers, I presided over "ground breaking" for a new building at the old site. Shortly after the "ground breaking," the Board of Directors met with the architect. It was clear from the meeting that the architect fee plus projected construction costs were in excess of the collected $1 million allocated Fraternity revenue. An unsuccessful renegotiation attempt by the Board of Directors was reported to the General Convention, and the General Convention instructed the Board of Directors to get a General Headquarters building even if it meant relocation away from Chicago, Illinois. At the request of the Board of Directors, the Brotherhood submitted proposals.The Board of Directors received 10 good pro- Twenty-Eighth General President Brother Henry Ponder helped spearhead the relocation oj the Fraternity's Corporate posals for sites which were either for a new building or an existing building. A General Headquarters Relocation Committee was appointed to visit and Headquarters from Chicago, Illinois to Baltimore, Maryland, assess these sites and reduce the list to three. The Chair of this Committee was Brother Jim Johnson. This Committee served the Fraternity with distinction and is deserving of high praise from the Brotherhood. Tht Committee made its report to, and fielded questions from the Board of Directors. The Committee Chair answered all questions, professionally, honestly and sensitively to the great satisfaction of the Board of Directors. The report was accepted with accolades for a job well done. The Committee reduced the list to three locations - Atlanta, Georgia, Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Baltimore, Maryland Board of Directors visited each site and reviewed the strong points of each before making its final selection. The members of the Boan Directors deserve much praise for the professional and unbiased manner in which they made this selection. I can truthfully say that Director approached the task with the thinking "what is best for the Fraternity, not what is best for my region." The final selection was the Goucher House in Baltimore, Maryland. It then became the responsibility of the Fraternity's Genera Counsel, Brother Julian Blackshear and the General President to negotiate the purchase. Thanks to Brother Blackshear for his knowledge and professionalism in insuring a good deal for the Fraternity. The Fraternity was able to negotiate: a $850,000 purchase price; a $100,000 local foundation gift; no closing costs; help in recruiting staff and staff training specific to Alpha Phi Alpha from the Baltimore Chamber of Commerce; and a Maryland State flag. The reloc; of the General Headquarters to Baltimore also brought about operational changes including: relocation of staff members; severance pay fc former staff members; computerization of the General Headquarters; building a corporate image; and establishing a permanent building maintenance fee. ^k When the Fraternity closed the purchase there was $300,000 left in the General Headquarters Building Fund. This was transferred to the Building Replacement and Maintenance Fund which was the initiation of the permanent General Headquarters Maintenance Fund. Most assuredly, credit goes to the late Brother Augustus "Gus" Witherspoon who was responsible for design/layout of the Headquarters; keeping the Board of Directors focused. Without his influence much of what was accomplished would not have been. Brother Witherspoon was truly, a great "Servant of All."
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CELEBRATING THE MILLENNIUM
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