Oldest African-American Fraternity Honors Atlanta Youth Leaders at Founder’s Day Celebration

Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity Celebrates 106 Years and Focuses on “Building Legacies Through Youth”

Sigma Pi Phi's 2010 George M. Hughes Foundation Scholars, Kaeland Lamar Chatman of Marietta High School, Taylor Howard Harris of Kennesaw Mountain High School Magnet Academy of Math & Science, Zachary R. Kendall of Woodward Academy and Krysta L. Wilkins of The Paideia School.

(Black PR Wire) - On Sunday, members of Delta Upsilon Boule’ of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity celebrated their 2010 Founder’s Day. The celebration focused on the future of the organization by honoring Atlanta’s youth leaders and fraternity members at the forefront of carrying on Sigma Pi Phi’s long tradition of working with African American youth and preparing them for successful careers.

Four students were honored as the 2010 George M. Hughes Foundation Scholars. The George M. Hughes Foundation awards three scholarships each year, named in honor of three Sigma Pi Phi members who were instrumental in the chartering of the Delta Upsilon Boule in 2004: George M. Hughes, Alan Pinado, and Ben Blackburn. This year, because of the fantastic quality of the applicants, a fourth scholarship was added. The scholarships were awarded as follows:

• The George M. Hughes Scholarship went to Taylor Howard Harris of Kennesaw Mountain High School Magnet Academy of Math & Science. Taylor is considering attending Morehouse College, Howard University, and Xavier University of Louisiana.

• The Ben Blackburn Scholarship went to Zachary R. Kendall of Woodward Academy. Kendall plans to join his older brother, John, who was also a Du Bois Scholar, at the University of Michigan, where he will major in Computer Science of Business.

• Two Alan Pinado Scholarships were awarded. The first went to Kaeland Lamar Chatman of Marietta High School. Kaeland plans to major in Mechanical Engineering or Business Management at Georgia Tech, the University of Michigan, or Vanderbilt University.

• The second Alan Pinado Scholarships went to Krysta L. Wilkins of The Paideia School. She plans to major in journalism at Howard University, the University of Georgia, or Syracuse University.

Member honorees included Henry “Doc” Holliday, Assistant Professor of Education at Kennesaw State University and longtime Atlanta Public Schools educator; Don Johnson, owner of Don Johnson Insurance and active member of the Save Our Sons, a program aimed at young black men at the crossroads of their future; Hal Logan, member of the W. E. B. Du Bois Society, an Atlanta-based non-profit organization that uses public recognition and rewards as strategies to increase the motivation and academic success of black students; and James E. Payne, former Capital Hill staffer for Congressman William Lehman and current senior partner with Provost Umphrey Law Firm. Payne also served as the keynote speaker.

Attendees were treated to a performance by the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble, a 10-year-old Atlanta-based non-profit whose mission is to teach the harp to young men from the inner city of Atlanta. The program is housed at Carver School of the Arts.

For more information on Sigma Pi Phi, visit www.sigmapiphi.org.