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During the 60’s, the brotherhood began to think about having a permanent meeting facility and providing dormitory housing for the undergraduate brothers attending Texas Southern University. Under the leadership of Basileus C.W. Thompson, the members of the chapter decided to make a big commitment for themselves and began the task of finding the perfect real estate. After many months of searching for the right financial deal and location, an exquisite house located at 2615 Calumet Street in Houston’s Third Ward was selected by the members.
The brotherhood agreed to purchase the house and in order to legally enter into a financial arrangement, a board of trustees was established. The original members of the board of trustees were Brothers H.P. Carter, W.L.D. Johnson, Samuel L. Prince, C.W. Thompson and Ned Wade. With the board of trustees in place, the chapter was ready to move forward. A financial agreement was worked out with the owner, Mr. Barry Tobias, and with additional financial assistance from the National Office, the signing of the Deed of Trust was completed on June 24, 1965.
Unfortunately, in the early morning hours of December 26, 1976, Nu Phi experienced a very disheartening event. The Frat House was nearly destroyed by fire which was discovered to be an act of arson. More than seven separate fires had been set. However, being true Omega Men, the members of the chapter set about the business of pulling themselves up by their Omega bootstraps. Basileus James Hendricks held the chapter together during this low period in Nu Phi history. Brother Hendricks and his Ad Hoc Housing Committee began the slow process of rebuilding and redesigning the Frat house. Brother Harold “Rembrandt” Houston and Brother Marcus Sheppard, Sr. served as the architect and designer for this project, respectively.
In 1986, during Brother Raymond Bourgeois’ administration, the restoration of the “Frat House” was completed and under the steady leadership of Brother Charles Qualls, Chapter Keeper of Finance, all financial obligations on the house were retired. The burning of the deed ceremony was held in 1986 – thus creating a new era and a new philosophy for the use of the “Frat House.”
During the late 90’s and the early years of the new millennium, under the leadership of Basilei Warren Moody, Ramon Simon, Joel Richards, Marcus Sheppard, Sr. and Byron Keith “B.K.” Watson; the chapter experienced a tremendous leap in the energy due to the leadership becoming younger in age. They were instrumental in getting the seasoned brothers and the younger brothers to work more effectively for the good of the chapter. From their efforts, reorganization of the Chapter community activities such as, youth mentor programs, food and clothing drives for the needy, the Adopt a Family program, the Nu Phi Chapter Annual Reclamation & Retention Reunion and the Talent Hunt Program, were given new lives and direction from an emboldened Brotherhood. The mechanisms by which business was conducted evolved as well, as the chapter embraced the technology of the new century.
In support of the community, the mainstay of Nu Phi is its Go Western Scholarship Dance. The dance, established during Brother Fletcher Morgan’s administration in 1961, was generally held on the third Saturday of February. This Go-Western gala has been considered the oldest, longest-standing, Black Go-Western in the Greater Houston area. The proceeds generated from this affair are used to provide scholarships and to support the numerous community programs that the Chapter conducts and sponsors. The Go Western Dance now falls under the auspices of ONPEC in order to accept tax deductible donations.
The other major source of revenue for Nu Phi is its Annual Boat Ride. Boat Rides have been a part of Omega’s history for a long time. The first Houston-area Omega Boat Ride took place in 1987, “Moonlight Cruise with the Ques”, the dream of Nu Phi Brothers Ronald Ross and Raymond Bourgeois, who had experienced Omega Boat Rides on the East Coast and New Orleans. With the assistance of Brothers John Captain and Lavoid Perry, and chapter backing, Brothers Ross and Bourgeois were able to set the Labor Day cruise on course. In the early years, the Moody Gardens Paddle Wheeler, The Colonel, arrived from Galveston, Texas, where patrons loaded up at the San Jacinto Battleground to enjoy a five hour cruise and dinner.
Under the leadership of Bro. Henry Emanuel, the cruise now takes place on Memorial Day weekend with pre and post event flair. Today, everyone in Houston has a Boat Ride; however, Nu Phi’s Boat Ride continues to be “The Sellout Cruise” in the Houston area.
Nu Phi has always been a vital force in the social, political and educational arenas of the Houston community and has played an integral part in the growth of Omega within the Houston area.
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The Nu Phi chapter is directly responsible for the charters of four graduate and five undergraduate chapters:
Graduate – Theta Chi, Prairie View (02/01/55), Rho Nu, Galveston (04/01/71), Rho Xi, Freeport (08/31/77) and Rho Beta Beta, Missouri City (10/23/82).
Undergraduate – Tau Epsilon, Texas Southern Univ. (05/01/48), Rho Theta, Prairie View A&M Univ. (04/25/70), Omega Theta, Univ. of Houston (11/11/70), Eta Mu, Sam Houston State Univ. (02/15/83) and Nu Delta Delta, Texas A&M Univ. (05/29/92).
In 1986, under the leadership of Brother Raymond Bourgeois, the Houston Area Coalition of Chapters was established with Nu Phi and Rho Beta Beta being the charter chapters. The primary objective of the coalition was to promote unity among the brotherhood and bring all the Omega men together to pool their combined talents and resources in order to better conduct nationally mandated programs and meaningful community projects. As of today, the Houston Area Coalition of Chapters is the only coalition of this nature that is still functioning in Omega. In 2001, coincidental to Nu Phi’s 75th Diamond Anniversary and Omega’s 90th, Nu Phi hosted the Ninth District Meeting in conjunction with the Houston Area Coalition of Chapters.
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Since the birth of Nu Phi Chapter, it has been an active and expanding chapter. A number of loyal men have been initiated into the chapter, while many from other chapters have joined us. Thus, it is totally impossible to state the number of Brothers who have been affiliated with this grand old chapter since its origin.
Nu Phi Chapter has a number of noteworthy accolades, among them is the distinction of being the only chapter in the Ninth District to have six Brothers serve in the role of District Representative (H.P. Carter, J.D. Bowles, W.L.D. Johnson, Fletcher Morgan, Samuel Prince and Shelly Stewart). As a chapter, Nu Phi continues to affect policies and operations of the Fraternity at the National and District Level. The Chapter is the home of the current National Membership Selection Chairman, Bro. Raymond Bourgeois, and former National Registration Chairman Joel D. Richards, III.
Howard Payne Carter1926 – 1927
James Delbridge Ryan1934
J.D. Bowles, PhD1937 – 1939
Lawrence C. Thomas1940 – 1941
J.C. Sanderson1945 – 1947
Robert Mel Dawson1947 – 1948
Howard Wright1948 – 1950
G.C. Burchett1950 – 1952
Gene Richards, PhD1952 – 1956
Fletcher Morgan1956 – 1964
Ira B. Scott, Sr1964 – 1965
Dr. C.W. Thompson1965 – 1969
Samuel Prince1969 – 1972
Clarence Miller1972 – 1974
Louis Morris, PhD1974 – 1976
James Hendricks1976 – 1979
John Captain1979 – 1981
Shelly Steward, IV1981 – 1983
Walter Stafford1983 – 1985
Raymond Bourgeois1985 – 1990
James Thomas1990 – 1993
Bennie Rucker1993 – 1996
Warren Moody, Jr1996 – 1997
Ramon Simon1997 – 1999
Joel Richards, III1999 – 2001
Marcus Sheppard, Sr2001 – 2003
B.K. Watson2003 – 2004
Ramon Simon2004 – 2005
Henry Emanuel, Jr2005 – 2008
Bertrand Simmons2008 – 2011
Marvin Alexander2011 – 2014
Bernard Clayton, Jr.2014 – Present