The Grand Polemarch is the chief executive officer of the Fraternity. As chief executive officer, he is vested with a broad range of powers that enable him to shape the official agenda of the Fraternity.
During the 20th century the delegates at Grand Chapter meetings elected 29 members to this office; four of these members were affiliated with chapters assigned to the Eastern Province of Kappa Alpha Psi.
The Laurel Wreath of Kappa Alpha Psi is the highest award available to a member. The specific requirements for the award are set forth in the governing laws of the Fratemity. The award consists of a Certificate of Achievement and a specially designed and engraved jeweled badge that replaces the traditional Fraternity badge. Below are the names of recipients affiliated with chapters in the Eastern Province.
Click on the recipient's name to learn more about each.
Carl Anderson
Thomas Moorhead
The Elder Watson Diggs Award of Kappa Alpha Psi is the second highest award of the Fraternity available to a member. The specific requirements for the award are set forth in the governing laws of the Fraternity. The award consists of a Certificate of Achievement, and a specially designed and engraved medallion. Below are the names of recipients affiliated with chapters in the Eastern Province.
The 5th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1961]: Dr. William Henry Greene | Dr. William Henry Greene [Washington (DC) Alumni Chapter], the 15th Grand Polemarch, was the first Grand Polemarch to serve on the Grand Board of Directors, following his tenure. He was a supporter of all Fraternity programs, and conceived the Fraternity life membership program as a way to provide financial support for the several programs of the Fraternity. |
The 6th Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1961]: Dr. I. W. E. Taylor | Dr. L W. E. Taylor [Baltimore (MD) Alumni Chapter], a 1932 Epsilon initiate, was a college professor. Small in stature, he was a giant of a man devoted to the ideals of Kappa Alpha Psi. While working at Delaware State College, he helped establish the Beta Sigma of Kappa Alpha Psi. When he came to Morgan State College, he became the advisor to the Alpha Iota. He was the epitome of a chapter advisor and a positive influence on the lives of hundreds of brothers throughout the Fraternity. Taylor was one of the first editors of the Scroller of Kappa Alpha Psi, an official Fraternity publication that was the basis for learning about the Fraternity. To many he was a surrogate father and was a brother to all. The first edit on of The Guide to Protocol and Etiquette in Kappa Alpha Psi is dedicated to him. |
The 7th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1973]: Dr. William Crump | Dr. William L. Crump [Washington (DC) Alumni Chapter], a 1941 Alpha Mu initiate, was the third editor of the Kappa Alpha Psi Journal. Under his direction, the Journal continued to undergo changes that solidified its position as the premier publication of a college fraternity. In addition, to his responsibilities for editing the Journal, Crump was co-author of the second edition of the Story of Kappa Alpha Psi - published in 1972. The delegates at the 54th Grand Chapter meeting elected him Grand Historian. Known throughout the Fraternity for his penchant for details, Crump was the General Chairman of the Golden Anniversary Celebration Committee. |
The 10th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1973]: LaMont H. Lawson | LaMont H. Lawson [Washington (DC) Alumni Chapter], a 1928 Epsilon initiate, was Keeper of Records of the Washington (DC) Alumni Chapter for over 25 years. He was the cornerstone of a chapter that was one of the largest in the Fraternity. His ability to collaborate with young men was one of the reasons the chapter membership swelled during the 1960s . During his tenure, he developed a reporting system that emphasized the check and balance principles of finance. |
The 18th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1977]: William H. Smith | William H. Smith, a 1933 Alpha Epsilon initiate, was a charter member of the Princess Ann (MD) Alumni Chapter and among the members when the Grand Board approved a name change to the Cape Charles - Accomac (VA) Alumni Chapter. He served as Province Keeper of Records and Exchequer [1955-1975]. |
The 25th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1980]: rva BO]: Dr. Peninsula. Herma J. Tyrance | Herman J. "Bud" Tyrance [Washington (DC) Alumni Chapter,] a professor at Howard University, was a native of Attleboro [MA] and was its 1932 football team. Tyrance earned degree a BS degree (1938] from Virginia State College, M.Ed from Boston University [1947], and a Phd degree from Penn State University [1954]. In 1949, he came to Howard University as an instructor in Physical and Education retired as Department chairman. Like many college professionals, Tyrance was involved in other outside activities. He was a visiting professor at Florida A&M University and Jackson State University , and was director of several summer programs sponsored by the DC Departmernt of Recreation. Tyrance, a 1934 Chi initiate , became the Journal Sports editor in 1954. He affiliated with the Washinton (DC) Alumni Chapter in 1949, and was its 17th Polemarch [1961-64]. Tyrance was also an advisor to the Xi for over 30 years. |
The 31st Elder Wats Diggs Award Recipient [1982]: Woodrow Wilson Walston | Woodrow Wilson Walston [Richmond (VA) Alumni Chapter], was a native North Carolinian, who was a trailblazer. After earning a BS degree from North Carolina College, he embarked upon a career in hospital administration when there were limited opportunities in the field. He began his career in Winston Salem [NC] at Kate Biting Hospital, one of the few hospitals in the state available to Negro physicians to complete their residency requirements in their chosen specialties. In 1952, he moved to Martinsville [VA] to become administrator of the Community Hospital. He later accepted senior administrative positions at hospitals located in Baltimore [MD] and Richmond [VA]. |
The 34th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1983]: Sylvester R. "Sal" Hall | Sylvester R. "Sal" Hall [Washington (DC) Alumni Chapter], a native of Detroit [MI], was an outstanding student athlete at Howard University. While matriculating at Howard, Hall won three letters in football, four letters in basketball, and three letters in swimming. When Howard added soccer as a varsity sport, Sal won two letters in that sport. Hall was a successful football coach in Washington [DC] and at Virginia State College. During the 1940s, Virginia State fielded some of the most powerful football teams in the nation. Many of its players were World War II veterans. The architect who blended the maturity of the veterans with the enthusiasm of recent high school graduates was "Sal" Hall. When Virginia State University established a Hall of Fame [1980], the first class of inductees included Hall, and Thomas Verdell, a charter member of the Alpha Phi and Petersburg (VA) Alumni chapters. |
The 36th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1985]: James Carter Jr | James Carter Jr [Washington (DC) Alumni Chapter], a native Washingtonian, grew up in a depressed neighborhood in the Anacostia section of the city. Most of the boys in his community failed to complete their high school education but such was not the case for Carter. |
The 43rd Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1988]: Charles Garfield Tildon Jr | Charles Garfield Tildon Jr was born in Baltimore [MD] on September 10, 1926. A product of the segregated city school system, he graduated from Frederick Douglass High School and enrolled at Morehouse College. However, he retuned home and earned a BS degree from Morgan State College. He took graduate courses at Johns Hopkins University and the National Science Foundation Institute, and earned an Advanced Certificate in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard University School of Public Health. Tildon began his professional career in 1955 as a science teacher in the Baltimore City Public School System. Besides his responsibilities as a science teacher, he was a Counselor for the National Institute for High Ability High School Students at the Morgan State College [1959-61]. In 1964, after rising to the level of Science Department Chairman, he moved to the Provident Hospital as Director of Development. Tildon left the Hospital in 1968 to become a consultant for the Office of Economic Opportunity. In 1973, he became Executive Director of the Maryland Service Corps of the Department of Human Resources. Between 1975 and 1982, Tildon was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Community College of Baltimore. In 1980, he accepted an appointment as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Human Resources for the State of Maryland. He left state government in 1982 to become President of the Community College of Baltimore. After his retirement in 1985, Tildon was a consultant to the Board of Trustees of the College until 1986. Rather than simply retire, Tildon formed a management consultant firm - Charles G. Tildon Associates, LLC - in 1986. Throughout his life, Tildon was active in the community. He was a charter member and Chairman of the Board of the Baltimore Community Investment Company; Treasurer of the Baltimore Mutual Investment Company; President of The Club Inc.; member of the Advisory Board of Advance Federal Savings and Loan Association; and member of the Board of Directors of the Council for Equal Business Opportunity. He received numerous awards for his contributions to the community. Tildon published articles on education and health issues, and was listed in the Who's Who in the East and Who's Who in Black America publications. Tildon was a devout Roman Catholic, who served his church in a number of leadership roles - Chairman [1971-72] of the United States Catholic Bishops Advisory Council [the highest lay policy body within the Church]; member of Archdiocese of Baltimore Pastoral Council [highest policy making body within the Archdiocese] and Archdiocese of Baltimore Council of Catholic Men. His outstanding service and commitment to the principles of the Church earned him the Knight of St Gregory Award [the highest award available to a lay person in the Catholic Church. Tildon, a 1948 Pi initiate, was affiliated with the Baltimore (MD) Alumni Chapter for 40 years. Within the chapter, he was the its 18th Polemarch. The Baltimore (MD) Alumni Chapter acknowledged his achievements and contributions with awards on five separate occasions. In 1964, Grand Polemarch Bradley appointed Tildon the 12th Eastern Province Polemarch. The Eastern Province recognized his noteworthy contributions in 1967. At the 55th Grand Chapter meeting, the delegates elected him to the Grand Board of Directors. |
The 48th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1989]: James A. Overton | James A. Overton [Norfolk (VA) Alumni Chapter], appointed the 13th Eastern Province Polemarch by Grand Polemarch Davenport in 1969, was another Eastern Province stalwart. A native of Portsmouth [VA], known to his close friends as "Slim" his tenure in the Eastern Province dated to his initiation at the Alpha Gamma in 1932. Overton was the first Negro appointed to a court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Because he was in poor health, Charles Brockett, the 17th Eastern Province Polemarch, accepted the award for him. Overton died shortly after the adjournment of the Grand Chapter meeting. |
The 50th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1993]: Joseph Bruton | Joseph Bruton [Washington (DC) Alumni Chapter], a native of Orlando [FL], was a successful chemist. A product of the segregated public school system in Orlando, Bruton declined an opportunity to enter the Morehouse College early admittance program following his junior year in high school. |
The 58th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1995]: Oscar Lugree Mims | Oscar Lugree Mims [Washington (DC) Alumni Chapter], a native Washingtonian, grew up in the greater Shaw area and was a product of the DC Public School system. While in high school, Mims was a fairly successful basketball player but his skinny frame prevented him from playing while matriculating at DC Teachers College. |
The 59th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1997]: Dr. K. Bernard Chase | K. Bernard Chase [Hyattsville-Landover (MD) Alumni Chapter], a Baltimore [MD] native, earned a BS degree from Delaware State University. Following a short tenure with a pharmaceutical company, he entered the Howard University School of Dentistry and earned a DDS in 1977. He began his career as a staff dentist at a health center and was eventually promoted to Dental Director. However, in 1982, he decided to leave the center to pursue a life-long dream - owning and operating his own business - and established a private dental practice in St Mary's County [MD]. As the first African American dentist in the County, Chase spent much of his time and resources stressing the importance of total health awareness and teaching good health practices to children and adults. He volunteered time to - the Head Start Program, community groups, and individual high school students to advise, teach, and advocate. Chase, a 1976 Theta Tau charter initiate, was a charter member of the Hyattsville-Landover (MD) Alumni Chapter. He served it in a number of leadership capacities, including Polemarch. In 1996, the Theta Tau established the Dr. K. Bernard Chase Community Service Award to recognize brothers whose service to the community is exemplary and noteworthy. The Delaware State University Alumni Association inducted Chase into its Hall of Fame in 1996, and recognized his noteworthy contributions in the field of science and medicine. In 1997, the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education presented him a Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award. |
The 63rd Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [1999]: Richard Clark | Richard Clark [Washington (DC) Alumni Chapter], a native Washingtonian, was born in 1936, and grew up in the Shaw community. He attended Cardozo High School and was an outstanding baseball player who some thought would pursue a major league baseball career. Clark matriculated at Howard University and earned a BA degree in 1958. He also earned a JD degree from Howard University [1965] and a LLM degree from George Washington University [1971]. Clark enlisted in the US Army Reserves during his senior year of high school. He remained in the Reserves while a student at Howard and rose to the rank of Sergeant. Upon graduating from Howard, Sergeant Clark resigned to accept a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Military Police Branch. Lieutenant Clark was assigned to Fort Gordon [GA] for two years where he served as an executive officer and a company commander. After completing his active duty tour, he moved to the US Army Reserves. During the next nine years [1960-69], Clark served in command positions within the Military Police Branch. In 1970, Captain Clark transferred to the Judge Advocate General Branch. For the next 23 years, he was member of the military judicial system. His final assignment was as a Military Judge in the Criminal Law Division. He retired as a Colonel in 1993 with the 39 years of military service. Clark began his professional career as an attorney for the United States Customs Service [1965]. In 1968, he became a managing attorney for the Neighborhood Legal Service Program. In 1971, he accepted a position as Professor of Business Law at the Federal City College and also became a partner in a local law firm. He remained with the firm until 1981, when he left to establish his own practice. Following the formation of the University of the District of Columbia, Clark was named Professor of Business Law at the University. In 1990, he became Chairman of the Business Law Department, and in 1992, Acting Dean of the College of Business and Public Management. Clark was a member of several professional and civic organizations. In 1990, the District of Columbia City Council passed a resolution acknowledging the achievements and contributions of Clark and his family. In 1993, WHUR/FM, a local minority owned radio station, selected Clark as an African American Men Who Have Succeeded Against All Odds Award recipient. Clark, a 1955 Xi initiate, was a delegate to the 46th Grand Chapter meeting. He affiliated with the Washington (DC) Alumni Chapter in 1964. A diligent brother, Clark chaired most of the committees of the chapter, including a committee the raised over $10,000 to support the chapter activities. The members elected Clark Vice Polemarch, and Polemarch on two different occasions. In 1985, he was the editor of a local Conclave Journal publication that some found more interesting than the Conclave edition of the Kappa Journal. His unselfish service to the chapter earned him its highest award. At the Province level, Clark was the Province Historian/Reporter on several occasions, and a member of the committee impaneled by Province Polemarch Overton to develop the Province Bylaws. At the national level, he was a member of several national committees and commissions. Grand Polemarch Holloway appointed him to the Publications and Publicity Commission [1976-78] where he helped refine the policies for the official publications of the Fraternity. In 1979-80, he served as an Associate Editor of the Kappa Alpha Psi Journal. In 1985, Grand Polemarch Bacon appointed him the Laurel Wreath Commission chairman. |
The 70th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [2001]: Willard Douglas | Richmond (VA) Alumni |
The 76th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [2003]: Winfred Mundle | Washington (DC) Alumni |
The 92nd Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [2009]: Clarence F. Nelson, Jr. | Norfolk (VA) Alumni |
The 93rd Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [2011]: Terrance Blount | Washington (DC) Alumni |
The 93rd Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [2011]: William B. Croom | Woodbridge (VA) Alumni |
The 100th Elder Watson Diggs Award Recipient [2013]: Dr. John M. Jenkins | Bowie-Mitchelville (MD) Alumni |
The Guy Levis Grant Award of Kappa Alpha Psi is the highest award of the Fraternity available, exclusively, to a member affiliated with a Greek letter chapter of the Fraternity. The specific requirements for the award are set forth in the governing laws of the Fraternity. The award consists of a Certificate of Achievement, and a specially designed and engraved medallion. Below are the names of recipients affiliated with chapters in the Eastern Province.
The 6th Guy Lewis Grant Award Recipient [1977]: Henry Lewis | Eastern Province Junior Vice Polemarch Henry Lewis, a 1974. Alpha Iota initiate, was the first student member of the Province to earn the Guy Levis Grant Award. |
The 8th Guy Lewis Grant Award Recipient [1980]: Anthony B. Hill | Washington (DC) Alumni – (Alpha Pi Chapter) |
The 17th Guy Lewis Grant Award Recipient [1986]: Richard A. Naylor II | Richard A. Naylor II was a charter member of the Stanford University Chapter, the Lambda Nu of Kappa Psi in 1983. He transferred to American University and affiliated with the Kappa Chi. The delegates at the 66th Grand Chapter meeting elected him to the Grand Board of Directors. After completing his degree requirements, Naylor embarked on a career as a financial analyst at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve . |
The 18th Guy Lewis Grant Award Recipient [1988]: D. Jason Desousa | . |
The 21st Guy Lewis Grant Award Recipient [1989]: Richard Edwards | Richard T. Edwards is a Kappa legacy. His father Randall Edwards was a 1953 Tau initiate. His mother -Elva Edwards - was a past national president of the Silhouette, and was the first non Kappa member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation board of directors. Edwards, a 1986 Beta Chi initiate, was elected the Eastern Province Junior Vice Polemarch in 1987. The delegates at the 68th Grand Chapter meeting elected him to the Grand Board of Directors. |
The 27th Guy Lewis Grant Award Recipient [1993]: Samuel Boyd | Alexandria/Fairfax (VA) Alumni – (Alpha Nu Chapter) |
The 29th Guy Lewis Grant Award Recipient [1993]: Gregory B. Atkins | Gregory B. Atkins, a third generation Kappaman, was a 1990 initiate of the Eta Sigma. Atkins was a brilliant student at the University of Virginia. After earning his BS degree, he earned MD and PhD degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He followed in the footsteps of his father - Dr. Floyd Atkins - Associate Professor of Medicine and Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at Tufts School of Medicine - by becoming a cardiologist. |
The 29th Guy Lewis Grant Award Recipient [1993]: Gregory B. Atkins | Herman J. "Bud" Tyrance [Washington (DC) Alumni Chapter,] a professor at Howard University, was a native of Attleboro [MA] and was its 1932 football team. Tyrance earned degree a BS degree (1938] from Virginia State College, M.Ed from Boston University [1947], and a Phd degree from Penn State University [1954]. In 1949, he came to Howard University as an instructor in Physical and Education retired as Department chairman. Like many college professionals, Tyrance was involved in other outside activities. He was a visiting professor at Florida A&M University and Jackson State University , and was director of several summer programs sponsored by the DC Departmernt of Recreation. Tyrance, a 1934 Chi initiate , became the Journal Sports editor in 1954. He affiliated with the Washinton (DC) Alumni Chapter in 1949, and was its 17th Polemarch [1961-64]. Tyrance was also an advisor to the Xi for over 30 years. |
The 44th Guy Lewis Grant Award Recipient [2003]: Enjinna Anthony | Baltimore (MD) Alumni – (Alpha Iota Chapter) |
The 68th Guy Lewis Grant Award Recipient [2011]: Marvin Carr | Baltimore (MD) Alumni – (Alpha Iota Chapter) |
The 74th Guy Lewis Grant Award Recipient [2013]: Christopher Grant | The Univ. of Maryland College Park Chapter the Theta Theta |
In 1991, upon the recommendation of the Publicity and Publications Commission, the Grand Board of Directors authorized the William L. Crump History Award of Kappa Alpha Psi. Named for Dr. William L. Crump, the third editor of the Kappa Alpha Psi Journal, who served as Grand Historian for 30 years and was involved in the publishing of the first four editions of the Story of Kappa Alpha Psi, the award recognizes the contributions of members towards the development of histories at the Province level. The award consists of a Certificate of Achievement and a specially designed medallion.
George F. David III [1991] | Baltimore (MD) Alumni |
George F. David III [1995] | Baltimore (MD) Alumni |
Terrence Blount [1995] | Washington (DC) Alumni |
Sharif Dejonette [1997] | Petersburg (VA) Alumni |
Elbert W. Strouthers [1999] | Baltimore (MD) Alumni |
Keshon Kelly (Shon) [2001] | Danville (VA) Alumni |
Keshon Kelly (Shon) [2003] | Danville (VA) Alumni |
Dr.Willie Todd, Ph.D [2007] | Chesapeake/ VA Beach (VA) Alumni |
Cornelius “Neil” Hudgins, IV [2013] | Chesapeake/ VA Beach (VA) Alumni |
The Eastern Province of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity is one of 12 provinces within the fraternity, and was established in 1925. We serve the communities of Bermuda, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Our fundamental purpose is Achievement in every field of human endeavor.
The Eastern Province of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity is one of 12 provinces within the fraternity, and was established in 1925. We serve the communities of Bermuda, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Our fundamental purpose is Achievement in every field of human endeavor.