Members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority from a five-state region are expected to converge on the Institute campus of West Virginia State University (WVSU) on Friday, Jan. 25, for a 90th anniversary celebration.
Alpha Kappa Alpha International President Carolyn House Stewart will lead the celebration of WVSU’s Alpha Kappa Alpha Nu Chapter.
Planned activities include a special dedication at 4 p.m. at the Nu Chapter Monument located on campus where Alpha Kappa Alpha Great Lakes Regional Director Charlene Truitt Nelson will place a special plaque in memory of Sara Merriweather Nutter.
This dedication will be followed by a public reception from 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in the University Union.
Nutter helped charter the Nu Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha on Dec. 26, 1922. At the time, it was the 13th collegiate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha and the first in West Virginia.
Continuing her activities to establish chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha, in 1928 Nutter organized and chartered the Alpha Omicron Omega Chapter in Institute, which was the first graduate chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. in West Virginia.
Dedicated to continuing the work of Alpha Kappa Alpha to further the organization’s purpose of service to all mankind, in 1934 she organized and chartered the Beta Beta Omega Chapter in Charleston where she maintained membership for 37 years.
WVSU holds a particular importance to the regional group as the campus membership has continued the legacy of leadership and service through its history and has fostered two Great Lakes Regional Directors, Gwendolyn C. Goldston and Patricia Petty-Wilson.
“We are proud to honor founders of our beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,” said Nelson, the sorority’s regional director. “We are extremely proud to honor those founders who were significantly involved with the Great Lakes Region. We are happy to honor their memories at a time when her legacy, Nu Chapter on the campus of West Virginia State University, is celebrating its 90 years of service to all mankind.”
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. is an international service organization founded in 1908. It is the oldest Greek-lettered organization established by African-American college-educated women. For more information, visit www.aka1908.com.
