Official Release

The genesis of the South Florida Chapter was the announcement and charting of the Orlando Area Chapter on June 12, 2004.  Our foundering Alumnae James M. Crumpler had received an invitation to attend the charting during the winter of 2004 and was motivated to inquire interest of forming a chapter in South Florida by mailing the following letter to area alumni.

April 16, 2004

Dear Fellow Alumni,

The time is long overdue for us to organize an Alumni Chapter of North Carolina Central University in South Florida.  Enclosed you will see a directory of twenty nine graduates of our institution.  I am sure there are more that I am not aware of in this area.  If you notice, all of these are in Broward County and easily accessible to all.  If you are interested, please contact me at your convenience.  WE OWE IT TO OUR ALMA MATER TO SERVE.

Looking to hear from you soon.  The sooner the better.

Yours truly,

James Monte Crumpler

Class of ‘57

With follow-up telephone calls by Monte Crumpler and Laurestine Porter, enough alumni committed to come to the first meeting at the Kappa House in Fort Lauderdale on August 29, 2004. Attending the first meeting were: Amos Bonner (’59), Laurestine Porter (’63), Clifford Outlaw (’62). Ivan C. McCaskill (’57 deceased), Dr. Gwen Hankerson (’53), Marti Moore (’74), Annie R. Rawls (’58), James M Crumpler (’57) and Carmen Jackson.  Out of the initial attendee, the core membership group evolved.

During the fall of 2004 and winter of 2005 this core group (dues paid) worked to modify the By-Laws and at the monthly meeting (February 12, 2005) the decision was made to send the By-Laws to the National Association for review and correction.  In April 2005, with Regional 3 Vice President, Robert Chiles’ assistance we began to see progress.  He presented our request to the Executive Committee and the Alumni Council.  May 2005 our chapter partition was accepted and by June 2005 we were trying to settle on a chartering ceremony date.  August 27th was agreed upon, just two days short of our first year anniversary.

Eventually the August 27th date was cancelled because the keynote speaker (Bobby William) had a prior commitment (family wedding) on the same day.  Our charting date was reschedule to January 2006.

January 14, 2006 chartering ceremony for the South Florida Chapter was held at West Ken Lark Park, Lauderhill, FL: Greetings (Bob Chiles), Keynote Speaker (Melvin F. White – National President), The Charting Litany (Bob Chiles), Installation of Officers (Bob Chiles) and Presentation of Charter (Melvin White).

Chapter Officers (2006-2008): President – James Monte Crumpler, Vice President – Clifford Outlaw

Secretary – Marti Moore, Treasure – Amos S. Bonner, Chaplain – Laurestine Porter

Chapter Officers (2008 – 2010): President – Clifford Outlaw, Vice President – Elvoyd C. Fischer (’70)

Secretary – Marti Moore, Treasure – Amos S. Bonner, Chaplain – Laurestine Porter

Chapter Officers (2010 – 2012): President – Clifford Outlaw, Vice President – Elvoyd C. Fischer (’70)

Secretary – Marti Moore, Treasure – Amos S. Bonner, Chaplain – Laurestine Porter

Since our charting the South Florida Chapter has been on a mission of living up to the motto of “Truth and Service”.

We believe in giving back to the community. We accomplished this in a number of ways: donating to the Rescue Mission of Broward and Miami-Dade, raising money for high school golfers to participate in our annual golf tournament and thru our Annual Luncheon provide Christmas gifts for children of teenage mothers (Charles Drew Family Teen Parent Center).

Through the Institution of Advancement and NCCU Foundation, the South Florida Chapter provides an annual scholarship ($1000) for a freshman who has been accepted to attend NCCU and lives in South Florida area.  In addition, the Chapter provides a local (in-state) scholarship ($1000) to a South Florida area freshman (lives locally) who has been accepted to attend a Florida university.  The recipient universities to date are: Florida Memorial University and Bethune Cookman University.

President Trudie Reed of Bethune Cookman University awarded the South Florida Chapter a Proclamation for its generosity.

Annually, the South Florida Chapter meets its obligation of donating to the Merit Scholarship Program at NCCU through the Ms. And Mr. Alumni Contest.  Our major fundraising activity has been our annual golf tournament (the 5th will be held in the coming months).

Being located some distance for the central flow of Alumni Activity the South Florida Chapter is committed to supporting and participating in as many alumni functions as available funds dictate. To date, we have participated in the regional conferences of Charleston SC, Orlando FL, Atlanta GA, Charlotte NC, the Centennial, Regional and Executive Council meeting in Durham 2010.

The core group of Alumni is still intact and our goals are to live-up to the standards set forth by the National Association, honor the traditions and memories of NCCU, attract new members and enjoy the journey of building a NCCU presence in South Florida.