Pi Gamma Omicron

Pi Gamma Omicron
ΠΓΟ
Founded	January 1, 1905; 120 years ago (1905-01-01) Ohio State University
Type	Social
Affiliation	Independent (pre-NPHC)
Status	Defunct
Defunct date	c. 1908
Emphasis	Black students
Scope	local
Chapters	1 (now dormant)
Members	12 lifetime
Headquarters	United States

Pi Gamma Omicron (ΠΓΟ) was one of the first documented black collegiate fraternities which was founded in 1905.^[1]

History

The group was founded at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.^[2][3] The group had 12 members.^[4] The group was not known by the Ohio State's registrars office but was known to the Chicago Defender newspaper which wrote an article about Pi Gamma Omicron.^[1][5] This article about Pi Gamma Omicron took the interest of Alpha Phi Alpha founder Robert H. Ogle who was inspired to transform Alpha Phi Alpha from a literary society into a fraternity.^[5]

It was reported that Pi Gamma Omicron initially desired to become a national fraternity by establishing chapters in Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, and Indiana according to the Beta Theta Pi correspondent at Ohio State University, but this expansion did not occur.^[6]

One member, Elmer Shackelford, went on to earn his law certificate in 1906, then the equivalent of today's law degree.^[2][7]

Founders

The Founders of Pi Gamma Omicron were:^[4][8]

• Leroy Barnett
• William Berry
• W. E. Davis
• Richard Pettiford
• Elmer A. Shackelford
• John Shavers
• Norman Thorne
• H. A. Turner
• C. C. Underwood
• Walter Williams
• William Woodward

See also

• List of African-American Greek and fraternal organizations
• History of North American fraternities and sororities

References

1. Kofi Lomotey (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Education. SAGE Publications. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-4129-4050-4.
2. "Tracking the early history of African-American fraternities at OSU". "From Woody's Couch" - Official Ohio State University Archives’ blog. March 28, 2012.
3. Ricky L. Jones (10 March 2010). Black Haze: Violence, Sacrifice, and Manhood in Black Greek-Letter Fraternities. SUNY Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-7914-8565-1.
4. OSU Archives Student Assistant Michelle Brundige (March 2012). "Pi Gamma Omicron Members" (PDF).
5. Gregory S. Parks (13 June 2008). Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun. University Press of Kentucky. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-8131-3872-5.
6. "The Rainbow of the Delta Tau Delta". Rainbow. Vol. XXIX, no. 3. March 1906. p. 406. ISSN 1532-5334.
7. Shackelford senior picture The Makio yearbook (PDF). Columbus, Ohio: OSU student body. 1906. p. 85. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
8. "Ohio State Lantern". January 10, 1906. p. 3. OCLC 18384916.