Kenneth Straughter, left, receives his Outstanding Sigma of the Southern Region certificate from Darrel Reynolds.
Posted on Saturday, April 20, 2019 4:28:00 PM
The Georgia brothers of Phi Beta Sigma were well represented at the 2019 Southern Region Conference in Tampa, Florida on April 11-14. Only trailing host state Florida in registered brothers, Sigma men from Georgia were seen working in executive board positions and serving on conference committees. There were also several chapters and brothers who notified for their work in the fraternity.
The conference started off with the first plenary session with Southern Region Roy Edmonds presiding. Delegates were seated by regional secretary, Lyric Cosby of the Nu Psi Sigma chapter in Metro Atlanta. State officers brought which included the financial report brought by Alpha Phi Sigma’s Frank Wright, regional treasurer. Hon. Daryl Anderson, Executive Director, gave an update of the International Headquarters and International President, Micheal Cristal briefed the conference attendees on the overall status of the fraternity. After the first plenary session, the opening ceremony allowed representatives from local organizations to bring greetings on behalf of their organizations. Edmonds declared the conference open.
The second day of the conference began with the necrology ceremony, which recognizes the members who passed away since the last regional conference. Edmonds welcome those brothers who could not attend the first day of the conference and the delegates were reseated. Micheal Cristal provided more detailed report of the fraternity and his vision for 2019. During his presentation Cristal presented Kenneth Hodge of the Xi Chi Sigma with the Conscious Brother Award for the Southern Region. After the report, Cristal allowed a few brothers to share their brotherhood experience. The morning session concluded after Cristal’s report.
The afternoon session was completed with workshops, committee meetings and candidates’ forum. The workshops were from the partner organizations and organizations for personal and professional development. Several Georgia brothers participated on the committees and others chaired them. The candidates’ forum allowed brothers running for General Board position their platforms. The only brother from Georgia running for a General Board position was John Turner who was seeking a seventh term as General Counsel. The candidates’ forum ended the business portion of the second day. The local chapters of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. hosted the hospitality suite to complete the second day.
The third day of the conference began with the ‘History of Phi Beta Sigma’ presentation by International Historian Mark Pacich. Brothers were attentive to learn the history of the fraternity. While some brothers asked questions pertaining to the history, there were several brothers who added detailed information to certain parts of the presentation. Pacich received a round of applause from his presentation. More General Board officers presented international reports after Pacich’s presentation. The reports capped off the morning session.
The awards luncheon kicked off the afternoon events. Several chapters from Georgia received awards for their work with March of Dimes. Kappa Alpha Sigma of Stone Mountain, Rho Beta Sigma of Gwinnett and Pi Rho of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro were recognized by the organization for their outstanding work. There were several other chapters who received recognition for the work in the fraternity. Pi Alpha of Georgia State University was given an award for their excellent programs. Lambda Sigma and Xi Chi Sigma, both of the Atlanta, and Tau Beta Sigma of Savannah won chapters awards for membership.
The final business session was committee reports. A key committee report was the Outstanding Sigma of the Southern Region. Immediate Past State Director Kenneth Straughter of the Delta Mu Sigma (Athens) was inducted into the Outstanding Sigma of the Southern Region. The business session concluded with the singing of the fraternity hymn.
The evening of the final day of the conference was fun and socializing. The Miss Phi Beta Sigma – Southern Region pageant gave the winners from the state conferences to present reasons why they should represent the Southern Region at the 2019 Conclave in Las Vegas. After great displays, K. Maiya Webster, representing as Miss Georgia and Chi Chapter was selected as Miss Southern Region. After the pageant, the 2019 Southern Region conference capped with the Black Masquerade Ball.
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