The Fort Lee alumni chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. We were chartered to serve brothers in uniform, and we still serve the Tri-Cities and Southside Virginia.
Chartered May 1981 at Fort Lee, Virginia
37°14′ N 77°20′ W
Nu Omicron Lambda received its charter in May 1981 with a clear purpose: give the brothers permanently assigned to Fort Lee a chapter of their own, and give the brothers passing through the Quartermaster Center for training a home while they were here.
Fifteen men signed the charter. Under Brother Silas H. Christian III, the first year set the pattern the chapter still follows: a contribution to the fraternity’s Million Dollar Drive, tutoring for Chesterfield youth, a seat in the Virginia Association of Chapters, and a Founders’ Day program.
The uniforms have changed and many brothers have retired from service, but the posture has not. The chapter still meets on post, and its work reaches Petersburg, Hopewell, Dinwiddie and Chesterfield.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for our communities.
Seven students in Ithaca, New York establish Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity for African American men.
Fifteen brothers sign the charter for Nu Omicron Lambda to serve the post and the Quartermaster Center.
Tutoring through the Chesterfield Mental Hygiene Clinic, the Million Dollar Drive, VACAPAF and Founders’ Day.
Scholarships, Scouting, voter education and partnerships with Virginia State University and the Petersburg NPHC.
Seven Cornell students founded Alpha Phi Alpha on 4 December 1906, when few campuses welcomed Black students and none offered them a fraternity. The fraternity honors them as its Jewels, and the seven stars on our chapter seal echo them. Select a portrait to read more.
A physician and professor of medicine at Howard University, Callis was called the philosopher of the founders.
He is the only Jewel to serve as General President. Before settling in Washington, he consulted for the Veterans Hospital at Tuskegee, Alabama. He was the last surviving Jewel.
Chapman chaired the first committees on initiation and organization while Alpha Chapter took shape.
He became a professor of agriculture at what is now Florida A&M University, where he founded Beta Nu Chapter. He was the first Jewel to enter Omega Chapter.
Jones carried the fraternity beyond Cornell. He organized its first three branch chapters: Beta at Howard, Gamma at Virginia Union in Richmond, and the original Delta at Toronto.
He was Alpha Chapter’s second president, helped choose the fraternity’s name, and helped write its ritual. He went on to lead the National Urban League as executive secretary for two decades.
Kelley was the strongest early voice for the fraternity idea and Alpha Chapter’s first president.
A civil engineering student at Cornell, he became the first African American engineer registered in New York State. He worked with Ogle on the first ritual.
Murray served on Alpha Chapter’s first organizing committee and on the committee that created the fraternity grip.
A career educator, he taught in the Washington, D.C. public schools, mostly at Armstrong Vocational High School. He was a charter member of Mu Lambda Chapter.
Ogle proposed the fraternity’s colors, black and old gold, and served as Alpha Chapter’s first secretary.
He worked with Kelley on the first ritual and later joined the professional staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, a rare post for an African American at the time. He was a charter member of Mu Lambda Chapter.
Tandy designed the fraternity pin and, as Alpha Chapter’s first treasurer, led its incorporation.
He became the first registered Black architect in New York State and designed Saint Philip’s Episcopal Church in Harlem. He was also the first African American to pass the military commissioning examination, and he was commissioned a first lieutenant in the 15th Infantry, New York National Guard.
Every Alpha chapter carries out the fraternity’s national programs. Here is what each one looks like in our communities.
Since 1922, the fraternity has pressed one message: finish high school, then finish college. We back it with scholarships through the Willie J. Bradley Foundation and steady support for Virginia State University students.
See the 2026 scholarship programBorn in the 1930s, when poll taxes and threats kept Black citizens from the ballot, this program now runs voter education, registration drives and candidate forums.
Register to vote in VirginiaWorkshops for young men ages 12 to 15 on responsibility, relationships and health. The chapter has delivered Project Alpha seminars with the March of Dimes.
We look after our own: brothers, spouses and widows who are retired, elderly, ill or disabled. For a chapter built by soldiers, leaving no one behind comes naturally.
The fraternity has partnered with Scouting for decades. This October at Virginia State University, brothers taught merit badge classes to Scouts from across the region, with VSU’s Department of Military Science on hand.
“We don’t just teach them to earn badges. We inspire them to earn their place among tomorrow’s leaders.”
The chapter donated to the Virginia State University Football Parents Association so the team has meals for its home games.
Classrooms full of Scouts, and brothers teaching.
Bro. Dezmon Roman helped the VSUAA Dinwiddie Chapter greet new Trojans at freshman move-in.
Officers for the term beginning 1 June 2026
Willie J. Bradley Jr. signed our charter in 1981. A decorated veteran of three wars and an educator, he is honored by the foundation that carries his name.
The foundation awards scholarships to graduating seniors from Petersburg, Hopewell, Chesterfield, Prince George and Dinwiddie. Every gift helps a student take the next step.
Visit williejbradleyjrfoundation.orgThe Willie J. Bradley Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 27-0684170. Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
