The home of Mr. Archie Singleton and his wife, the affable Annie C. Singleton, was located at the foot of the hill of the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York. It was in their home at 411 East State Street in an upper bedroom, which they rented out to young student from Washington, DC named Robert Harold Ogle. She was born Annie Nixon in 1874 in Alabama. Her father was from one of the parishes in Louisiana and her mother was a South Carolinian. By the turn of the century, Archie and Annie who married in 1904, had relocated to the township of Ithaca from South Carolina. Their home on east State Street was in a racially mixed neighborhood where they were one of two African-American families residing on the street. Mrs. Singleton worked as a domestic in the home of one of the white families in Ithaca. She and Archie had a daughter Annie and a nephew Albert Nixon, who resided with them also. Archie Singleton had two sons by his first wife. In 1939, at the Convention in New York during the New York World's Fair, the fraternity invited Mrs. Annie Singleton as its special guest. General President Charles H. Wesley, who realized that the many of the brothers had not seen this grand lady, introduced her to the brotherhood. It was at this convention that the name "Mother" was endeared to the brotherhood and she was 
officially designated the "Mother of Alpha Phi Alpha." 
      "Mother" Singleton later moved from Ithaca to Toledo, Ohio during the 1940s and then returned to Buffalo, New York where she lived until her death on July 25, 1960.  At the 50th Anniversary Convention in Buffalo, she was honored again by the brotherhood.  A few years later, at the 54th Anniversary Convention in Washington, DC, General President Myles Paige on behalf of the fraternity, deposited a yellow rose in memory of Mrs. Annie C. Singleton--the beloved "Mother" of the Fraternity and his aunt. (This article originally appeared in the Spring 1999 issue of the The Sphinx) 
 

Mother  Clara Nelson (214 Hazen Street)
Mrs. Clara Nelson and her husband resided at 214 Hazen Street. Several of the early members resided with her including Robert Harold Ogle, Vertner Woodson 
Tandy, Roscoe C. Giles, Eugene Kinckle Jones, Gordon Jones and Frank Wilson. 

Mother Lula Newton(421 North Albany Street)
Mrs. Lula Newton was the  wife of Edward Newton. They were the parents of two children, Florence and Edward, Jr. Their daughter Florence courted and married a young professor at Cornell by the name C.C. Poindexter.  They resided at 421 North Albany Street. . Their daughter helped the Alpha Phi Alpha Society carry out its first program at the Zion Church Bazaar. 
(Minutes of the meeting on December 4, 1906) 

Mrs. Irene  Moore(213 South Plain Street)
Mrs. Irene Moore and her family lived at 213 South Plain Street. Her daughter Helen married Robert Harold Ogle. The history book identifies her home "as a frequent meeting place for Alpha Chapter" 

Mrs. Katie Plummer (332 College Avenue)
Mrs. Plummer  was the wife of Robert Plummer and the mother Alpha Chapter  initiate Frank V. Plummer, a native of Ithaca.  Frank Plummer was initiated into Alpha Chapter in 1907. Plummer loved the name "Jewel" so much that he named his daughter Jewel. Today, she is Jewel Plummer Cobb, a renowned cancer researcher and  president of California State University in Fullerton. 

Mrs. Rose Cohan (321 West Mill Street) 
The matron of the facility where the Second Annual Banquet was held in October of 1907. 

Part Two: The History of Alpha's History Book 
(excerpt from the book "The Talented Tenth" by Skip Mason 

By the time of the 16th convention in Columbus, Ohio in 1923 , Brother Cannon was even more convinced that the history of Alpha Phi Alpha should be compiled, published and a copy given to every member.  Before that could be done, Brother Cannon proposed to the convention that provisions be made for the  attendance of a Founder at each convention. This marked the inception of a Founder at each convention and as Cannon stated so bluntly "to forestall radical departures from our Ritual and Constitution and begin to pave the way later for history." It was at this same convention that Raymond W. Cannon was elected General President, an office he would serve from 1924-1927. 

During his presidency in 1923, General President Cannon was called to Lawrence, Kansas at the request of Upsilon Chapter who was  experiencing discrimination in the  school's cafeteria and in other departments at Kansas University.  The chancellor initially declined to see Brother Cannon; however, after a couple of days passed,  he finally met with him.  From the meetings, the brothers of Upsilon and other students had access to all facilities and service  in the cafeteria. 

The following year, General President Cannon invited George Biddle Kelley to be the guest Founder and make remarks at the 17th Annual Convention in New York. Also present were Eugene Kinckle Jones and W.E.B. DuBois. Though Tandy resided in Harlem(near the convention site0 he is not listed as having been present and in not on the convention photograph).  During the convention he gave a brief outline of the early history as he remembered it. Following his speech, Brother Cannon recommended that a history be written. However,  due to constitutional discussion and debates, the issue of the history fell by the wayside, but President Cannon was determined to bring the issue back up at the next convention. 
 
To be continued..... 

"Many of the members of this social club worked as waiters at the fraternity houses for their board and extra money. They were able to pick up work at fraternity dances, where again we assisted.  Seeing others getting along so splendidly and desirous of having a similar organization among Negroes, which operated and was enjoyed just like the white students for whom we worked, a feeling was soon evident in which some of the fifteen felt that we had a nucleus to start and perfect a similar organization.  Little did we dream at that time of the tremendous unit of effort, time and money necessary to put such a thing over.  All of us were full of that youthful enthusiasm so characteristic of one entering college." 
Jewel Nathaniel Allison Murray, 1936 

"A Phi A men are always interested in the success that their brothers achieve; as well as in the hardships that they must endure."
Dr. Moses A. Morrison, 1911 

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STEPPING IN THE 70's 
In regard to the statement concerning 'stepping' at parties being accredited to the early eighties regime, I only wish to comment to Bro.Lawrence Jones, II :  "Then what in the world were we all doing during the early seventies?  I hail from the heralded "Fifth House" of Alpha (EPSILON), and there was some sho' 'nuff MIGHTY stepping going on throughout the land-before and after I crossed those burning sands - at parties, up and down S.Division Street (Ann Arbor, Michigan), on road trips, and of course at "Step Shows" across the country.  " Who dat talkin'  'bout they're badder than the ALPHAS?, Who dat, Who dat??" 
               
4/15/73   12:01 a.m. 
Brother Carl L. Baker