The Pi Upsilon Lambda Chapter (PUL) of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated (Key # 652) was chartered at the 1993 General Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, on August 1. The initial catalysts for chartering Pi Upsilon Lambda Chapter were six financial Brothers of the Kappa Epsilon Lambda Chapter: Brothers Alex C. Bailey, Raymond Blackstone, Thomas Brown, Sr., Robert Kirkland, Al Perrine, Sr., and J. Keith Wilson. They were joined by Brother James Henderson, a Life Member of the Fraternity, in the petition to establish a second Alumni Chapter in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Sixty-one Brothers became charter members of the Pi Upsilon Lambda Chapter, believed to be the largest number of charter members for a Chapter in Alpha history. General President Milton C. Davis and Executive Director James “Tiny” Blanton signed the charter establishing Pi Upsilon Lambda Chapter. With the initial Chapter seat established at Brandywine, Maryland, the official chartering ceremony was held at the Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) Club at Andrews Air Force Base on Sunday, December 12, 1993. The Chapter seat was later moved to Largo, Maryland.
Since its chartering, Pi Upsilon Lambda has focused on community service, education, and scholarship. The Chapter conducted a college financial aid workshop attended by parents and students across Prince George’s County. The Chapter also sponsored a mentor and tutoring program at various schools within the county. The mentor program evolved into the Youth Leadership Development Institute (YLDI), supporting the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Leadership Development Institute Special Initiative. PUL also conducts voter education seminars and registration drives, participates in the Adopt-A-Highway program, provides coats to Prince George’s County Public School students, provides food baskets to the needy, visits seniors in assisted living facilities on holidays, and assists with Area and District implementation of Project Alpha and the A. Charles Haston Brother’s Keeper programs. PUL continues to serve and provide services to Prince George’s County residents at every age level.
In 1994, the Pi Upsilon Lambda Chapter established the Alpha Phi Alpha Pi Upsilon Lambda Charitable Foundation (PULCF), a tax-exempt non-profit organization. The Foundation improves the quality of life for Prince George’s County residents through community-based programs, social policy, health advocacy, and educational scholarship. PULCF has awarded over $240,000 in scholarships to 212 graduating high school seniors. One of our signature events is our annual Men’s Health Forum.
From its membership, Pi Upsilon Lambda Chapter has provided leaders at the National, Regional, and District levels of Alpha, including an Executive Director of the Fraternity, an Administrative Director, a Director of Communications/Editor to The Sphinx, a Director of Membership Services, a Director of Educational Activities, and an Executive Director of the National Education Foundation. Brothers from Pi Upsilon Lambda have also served as Regional Director of Educational Activities and General Counsel. Four Brothers have served as Associate Area Directors for the District, three have served as Area Directors, and one Brother has served as the District Director. Members have also served as Mid-Atlantic Association of Alpha Chapters (MAAC) Alumni Vice President, Treasurer, and National Director of Membership Services. Also, a PUL Brother served as the primary architect of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, which now sits on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
The past Presidents of Pi Upsilon Lambda Chapter were, in order of service, Brothers
Brother Kevin Stewart currently serves as the fifteenth President of PUL.
This article contains information from The History of Alpha Phi Alpha: Origins of the Eastern Region written by PUL charter member Brother Paul E. Brown et al.*
* Brown, Paul E. et al., The History of Alpha Phi Alpha: Origins of the Eastern Region. The Foundation Publishers, Baltimore, 2017.
