TRAGEDY IN ARKANSAS ALPHA P H I ALPHA COLLEGE BROTHERS I N TRAGIC HIGHWAY ACCIDENT Little Rock, AR
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hree College Brothers from the Theta Psi Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (University of Central Arkansas) were killed and 11 others injured on Saturday morning, May 12,2001, when the van they were driving in overturned and flipped five times on Interstate 40, Arkansas State Pohce said. Brother Brandon D. Davis, 20, of Little Rock, AR and Brother Gavin Morgan, 20, of Malvern, AR died in the accident about 4:20 a.m. near Palestine, Arkansas.Brother Dorsey Watson of Conway, AR, 19, died one week later from massive internal injuries sustained during the fatal crash. All 14 people in the vehicle ~ including three students from Hendrix College, were members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and were returning to Conway, AR from Memphis, TN. Brother Adrian Torrance Smith, 21, of Rison, AR was driving the van when it crashed, throwing several of the Brothers onto the highway, pohce said. The injured were taken to hospitals in Forrest City and Memphis, pohce said. They included: Brother Brian Brewer, 22, of North Little Rock; Brother Christopher Gordon, 19, of Conway; Brother Jason Mathis, 21, of Little Rock; Brother Nkem Housworth, 21, of Conway; Brother Marcus Hughes, 19, of Conway; Brother Mitchell Moore, 20, of Little Rock; Brother Jeremy Owoh, 22, of Conway; Brother Demetrius Richmond, 23, of Conway; Brother Deon Rhodes, 21, of Conway; and Brother Charles Robinson, 21, of Conway. In a letter to the Brothers of the Theta Psi Chapter and their families and friends, General President Harry E. Johnson, extended official condolences on behalf of the Fraternity's international membership. "As General President of our beloved organization, my most sacred and solemn duty is the transference to Omega Chapter of our Brothers in Alpha, who have laid down for good their 'sword and shield' and have gone on to be with the Lord", he said. "Furthermore", he continued, "this task is made all the more difficult when the miracle of life is shortened, too soon, with the passing of our dear College Brothers". According to the pohce and other eyewitnesses, the van the Brothers were travehng in was headed westbound on 1-40 when it drifted into the median, travehng along the median for 440 feet and then veered back onto the highway in the westbound lane for another 194 feet. The van then left the highway again on the north side, overturning five times. A moment of silence will be observed during the Fraternity's 95th Anniversary Convention. Additionally, General President Johnson is asking all Alpha Chapters to contribute to a Fraternity sponsored Memorial fund to help benefit the survivors of this tragic accident and the families of the deceased, by bringing a suggested $500 donation to the General Convention this summer in New Orleans, LA in honor of our fallen and injured Brothers. Please make all checks payable to Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and reference the Theta Psi Chapter Memorial Fund in the memo section. For more information, contact the Fraternity's corporate headquarters at (410) 554-0040.
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