This is a summary of those events that led to the interest, vision and ultimate attainment of the Cary Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. It is dedicated to our late brother and visionary leader, Brother Charles Anderson. Without his encouragement, leadership, and patience, this dream may never have come to fruition. Known affectionately as “Pole”, he will forever remain in our hearts.

In 1987, the Research Triangle area consisted of two Alumni chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, Durham Alumni and Raleigh Alumni. Two years later, a third chapter would be added, Cary Alumni.

During the 1987/88 fiscal year, the Polemarch of the Raleigh chapter was Brother Charles Anderson. Brother Anderson, a fifty-year member, had recently moved to the area to take on the leadership post for the department of Meteorology at North Carolina State University. In this same period of time, there had also been a high number of young and talented Kappa men relocating to the Research Triangle area. Consequently, many of them chose to continue their work in Kappa by affiliating with the Raleigh chapter.

As the year progressed, these young brothers began to develop a very close relationship with Brother Anderson. A significant number of these brothers worked in the Information Technology industry or were self-employed entrepreneurs. This gave way to many discussions about the affect of technology on our daily lives and how real freedom could only be achieved when we as a people took control of our livelihood and exercised that entrepreneurial spirit. These discussions often centered on the discrepancies between the services provided in the major urban areas like Raleigh and Durham and those available in the rural areas of western Wake County like Apex, Holly Springs and rural Cary.

It was also clear that most of the participants in the chapter’s programs were from Raleigh or South East Wake County. This meant that very few, if any of Raleigh’s community service programs were making an impact in Western Wake County. In other words, there was a large population in the Triangle area that needed the support of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. After having many discussions on this topic, plans were made to schedule an interest meeting for a Western Wake Alumni chapter. Shortly after that, it was decided that the new chapter would be located in the Town of Cary.

In the late summer of 1988, approximately 20 brothers convened at Jordan Hall in the town of Cary to meet with Provincial Polemarch William H. Hooker. The purpose of the meeting was to gain the Provincial Polemarch’s support for the Cary chapter. What we got was quite the opposite. While this presented a temporary impediment, it did not dampen the spirit of the group. In fact, a small sub-group continued to meet for the purpose of identifying ideas that would gain support for the chapter.

The 1988/89-year brought a new Provincial Polemarch, Brother Al White. The petition for the Cary chapter and biographies of the interested brothers made their way into the hands of Brother White. After reviewing this information, Brother White contacted Brother Anderson in the late summer of 1988 and arranged to meet with the interest group. After talking with the brothers individually and hearing the goals of the group, Brother White conveyed his support and reviewed the items and activities required for a new chapter.

In the next 12 months, the group established a treasury, convinced all brothers to become Life Members or subscribing Life Members, they completed their individual requirements for contributing to the new Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity National Housing Fund and set up official records. The final culmination of these activities was the installation ceremony for the new Chapter on October 28, 1989, which was attended by Grand Polemarch, Dr. Ulysses S. McBride.

For more information, visit our Grand Chapter/IHQ website at https://kappaalphapsi.org/ or visit the Middle Eastern Province’s website at http://www.mekapsi.org/web/