History

Mission Statement:

The Value of our Chapter should be measured by the quality of our members, the service we provide to the community and the dedication by every member to ensure that we Preserve Phi Eta’s History and Support Phi Eta’s Future.

PHI ETA Chapter History

The history of the Phi Eta Chapter began in 1972 with a group of 12 young men who expressed a desire to become members of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. The Omega Interest group was called the “Sons of Omega”. Under the jurisdiction of the graduate chapter, Theta Omega, four members eventually crossed the sands into Omega Land during the spring of 1972. The “Notorious Four”, Gary Brown, Stephen Thompson, John Smith, and Phillip Williams laid the foundation for the undergraduate chapter.

Between 1973 and 1974, interest in black Greek organizations was at a low. This situation can be attributed to two major features: (1) The black student population at the University was very small. (2) The number of black Greeks on the campus was also very small. However black student enrollment began increasing yearly, beginning in the fall of 1974. At this time interest in Greek letter organizations was revived. As a result, chapters on the U of L campus began to recruit more members and Greek life was restored. The Brothers of Omega were instrumental in stimulating this revitalization.

The second Omega line began its pledge ship during the spring semester of 1975. The ‘Finessing Five’ pledge line was born on February 4, 1975. During the course of the pledge ship, the line numbered between five and eight members. Of the eight, five remained steadfast in their goal to make Omega. They were Ronald Brown, Willie Lovejoy, John Miles, Averil Royal, and Roosevelt Walker. This pledge line marched into Omega Land on April 12, 1975.

The third Omega line began pledging the following spring semester. The ‘Unlimited Four’ pledge line was born on January 11, 1976. The line members were Rodney Amos, Manual Brazwell, Howard McMurray, and James Stringer. Exemplifying the principles of manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift, the ‘Unlimited Four’ doggedly crossed the sands into Omega Land on March 6, 1976.

With the acquisition of the last line, a major goal of the members had been reached. It was now possible to apply for a campus charter from the national headquarters. This dream became a reality at the Grand Conclave of the fraternity April 10th, 1976. At that time, the undergraduate chapter on the campus of the University of Louisville received its official recognition from the national office and was given the name of Phi Eta.

The brothers worked diligently to make the chapter an integral part of the University of Louisville campus and the Louisville community as a whole. Chapter activities reflect this desire to serve.

Freaky Phi Eta Chapter Lines

Notorious Four (Fall 1972)

Gary Brown, Stephen Thompson, John Smith, Phillip Williams

Finessing Five (5/12/1975)

Ronald Brown, Willie Lovejoy, John Miles (deceased), Averil Royal, Roosevelt Walker

Unlimited Four (Spring 1976)

Rodney Amos, Manuel Brazwell, Howard McMurry, James Stringer

Symplaphadelic Two (Spring 1977)

Jerry Stringer (deceased), Kenny Cobbs

Dynamic Duo (2/16/1980)

Eddie Huggins, Gary English

Summer Gold (7/24/1980)

Robert Wilson, Tyree Lewis

Blood, Sweat, and Tears (11/23/1980)

Radford Butts, Victor Williams, Kenneth Elery

The Fifth Order (6/30/1981)

Kevin Tytus, Derrick Williams, Robert Smith, Roger Bloomingburg

Bermuda Triangle (9/2/1984)

Andreas Price, Philip Chenault, Carl Williams

The Infamous One (12/16/1984)

Michael Lee

Tenacious Three (6/5/1987)

Mark Lee, Tim Anderson, Darrell Strickland

Rudely Awaken (10/15/1987)

Jeffery Northington

Three The Hard Way (5/14/1988)

Mark Whitley, Joey Smith, William Blackford

The UnconQueable Quadangle: Dogs of Death (4/10/1989)

Billy Yowell, Aaron Flowers, Jeffery Freeman, Reggie Johnson

New Beginning (5/19/1990)

Eric Jordan, Rhonyia Quick, Donnie Connor, Steve Victoria

Death Wish Six Total Era of Chaos (Spring 1992)

Fred Reeves, Derrick Winters, Derrick Griggs (deceased), Harry Brewer, Reggie Harwell, Shawn Jackson

Pentagon Of Pain (4/29/1995)

Terrell Taylor, Tyrone Roberts, Kevin Jackson, Tim Samuels, Steve Adams

The Gifted One (05/15/1996)

Matthew Franklin

The Phantom Five (Spring 1997)

Richard Smith, Dupree Gatewood, Grant Hughes,

Shawn Blackston, Oracious Thomas

Rebirth (Spring 2008)

Andre Black, Tristian Barnes, Steve Edwards, Just Cooper Moore

Five Titans of Thunder (Summer 2010)

Agyei Williams, Clem Thomas, Darius Mann, Eugene Sowell, Chris Vaughn

The Atlas of Omega (Spring 2011)

Travis Cooley

3 Son’s of the Notorious 4 (Summer 2011)

Robert Shobe, William Savoy, Chris Smith

Double Jeopardy (Fall 2012)

Jordan Frazier, Devin Etling-Turner

Sons of Atlas (Fall 2013)

Darnell Dennis, Tevan Bradley, Jeron Brown

UnQueventional Two (Fall 2014)

Kenton Mobley, Byron Terry

Pedigree of Eros (Fall 2015)

Tre Hunter, Emmanuel Wright, Jeremy Wright

Lone Quevivor (Spring 2016)

Henry Famurewa

The Steadfast Soldiers (Fall 2016)

Jonathan Greenard, Amonte Cruz Caban

Double Trouble (Spring 2018)

Elliott Kelly Jr