History Of The South Carolina State Organization

Brothers assembled for the 1st South Carolina State Conference Claflin College

January 25, 1976

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. became the first of the historically Black Greek-Lettered Fraternities and Sororities to be established in South Carolina when Omicron Chapter was chartered at Claflin University in 1923. In 1976, individual chapters within the state came together in our first state-wide conference. This first conference was primarily the vision of Honorable Brother Larry D. McCutcheon who was elected to the office of State Director for South Carolina in 1975. This meeting was so successful that the Honorable Richard M. Ballard Jr., 22nd National President, was in attendance at the second conference that following year. From that point, chapters throughout Phi Beta Sigma began to organize on the state level.

Among Brothers in attendance at the first conference were Dr. Hubert V. Manning (President of Claflin at the time), James T. Floyd, J. Niel Armstrong, Willie Benson, Larry Blanding, O. A. Dupree, Russell Gregg (Omicron Chapter charter member ), Henry Goldstein, Howard Lee, Earl Middleton and J. Milton Shuler. Bro. Floyd went on to become 25th National President of the Fraternity while Brothers Armstrong, McCutcheon and Goldstein were later inducted into the Distinguished Service Chapter. Bro. Lee was the first African-American to lead a majority white city in the south when he was elected mayor of Chapel Hill (NC) in the 1960’s. These annual “gatherings” have served to strengthen our Brotherhood and to unite us more closely to the ideals of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.