Kappa News

Gary (IN) Alumni Chapter recipients of 102nd Province Council Awards

Our most recent Joint Province Council was held in St. Louis in April 2023, and the Gary (IN) Alumni Chapter was not only able to welcome five (5) new Brothers into the Bond, but we were also the recipient of several honors…

C. Rodger Wilson Award- Bro. Shontrai Irving – Gary (IN) Alumni Chapter

Freeman Spirit Award- Bro. Eric Blackmon – Gary (IN) Alumni Chapter

Reclamation Award- Largest % Increase, Large Chapter – Gary (IN) Alumni Chapter

Kongrats on these Achievements! 👌🏽♦️

 

Michael McGee (Kappa Alpha Psi) & POP featured on ABC7 Chicago

Bro. Michael McGee ( ) is an Emergency Room physician and the founder of Project Outreach and Prevention (POP), an organization that works with youth to prevent violence by offering positive opportunities and introductions to positive behaviors. POP is in partnership with several organizations, and their work was featured on ABC7 Chicago on April 23, 2023. Kongrats to Bro. McGee on this Achievement, and we are grateful and glad to partner with this good work. View the story below!

https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-violence-downtown-teen-takeover-shootings/13177485/

 

“Gift of Warmth” Feature

Our chapter’s annual “Gift of Warmth” donation/charity event was featured on the “Let’s Talk with Sandra” Youtube channel. Many thanks to Sandra, and many thanks to the brothers that came together for another successful year of service and love! Watch the video, press “like”, comment, and be sure to thank Sandra.

Dr. Marlon Mitchell (Kappa Alpha Psi) Honored by Boy Scouts of America

Since 2015, Dr. Marlon Mitchell (Alpha Chapter Spring ‘91) has been instrumental in the development of the STEM scouting program for the Pathways to Adventure Council of Boy Scouts of America (Prairie Dunes District). The program offers exposure to coding, robotics, forensics and other science-based capacities for K-12 youth. Thanks to Brother Mitchell’s leadership, thousands of Gary youth have been given access to STEM learning since the program’s inception, including over 800 Gary youth participating in 2022. Notably, Brother Mitchell helped establish a partnership between BSA, NASA, and 50 HBCUs – exploring careers in gaming, app development, and providing access to thousands of dollars in scholarships. This is a breakthrough partnership with Gary at the forefront, and students are already benefitting tremendously.

 

On April 28, 2022, a special gala will honor Brother Marlon Mitchell for his work with BSA, at the Hard Rock Casino (5400 W. 29th Ave, Gary, IN, 46406). The gala begins at 6:30pm and tickets are $25 each. Ads are also available for purchase, which will support the Pathways to Adventure Council. For more information, contact Kellauna Mack: kellauna.mack@scouting.org (312-421-8800 ext. 266)

 

Congratulations to Brother Mitchell on this outstanding Achievement!

Lake Prosecutor Bernard Carter (Kappa Alpha Psi) wins Distinguished Barrister award

Bernard Carter
Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter

By Bill Dolan

CROWN POINT — Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter (Kappa Alpha Psi, Alpha Upsilon ’76) is being honored for his long career in criminal justice.

The Indiana Lawyer, an Indianapolis-based publication, chose Carter as one of 15 attorneys to receive its Distinguished Barrister award this year.

“It’s a great honor,” said Carter, an East Chicago native who has been a fixture in Lake County law enforcement and politics for the past four decades.

Carter received his law degree from Valparaiso University in 1984. He said he wanted to be a prosecutor from the time he became a law clerk, while still in law school, under former Lake Criminal Court Judge James Letsinger.

“I got to see all the great deputy prosecutors operate in that court, like Tom Vanes, John Burke and Mark Wolf,” Carter said.

His first job after graduation was serving as deputy Lake County prosecutor. He served in the office’s county court division, which handles minor criminal offenses; as a felony court prosecutor and then supervised the office’s county court division.

Carter then turned in 1990 to the voters who elected him a judge of the Lake Superior Court County Division.

He served on that bench for three years. That included his overseeing the 1993 trial of 19 abortion clinic protesters who blocked the entrance of a Gary clinic.

He said he sentenced the protesters to do community service at Planned Parenthood, but later rescinded that order when he learned how committed the protesters were to stopping legalized abortion.

Later that same year, Gov. Evan Bayh appointed Carter to become Lake County Prosecutor, filling a vacancy created by the departure of Jon E. DeGuilio, who became U.S. Attorney.

Voters later elected and have since re-elected Carter as prosecutor six more times, making him one of the longest-tenured county prosecutors in the state.

He has led several initiatives as prosecutor.

Carter announced in 2016 he would stop the long-standing practice of letting accused drunken drivers plead to lesser charges to avoid the full penalties of conviction for Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated.

Carter reacted in 2017 to complaints about abandoned police investigations of rape complaints by forming an all-female team of deputy prosecutors to step up police investigations of alleged rapes and prosecuted them in court.

Carter has long served as a board member of the Association of Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys, Inc. and serves on the executive committee of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council.

Carter also recently began to serve on the Indiana Disciplinary Commission, which investigates complaints of ethical violations by attorneys.

The Indiana lawyer also named Merrillville attorney Alfredo Estrada as one of 15 Up and Coming Lawyers.

Estrada, a Partner at Merrillville’s Burke Costanza & Carberry LLP, law firm has been practicing law in Indiana since 2015.

Estrada is a former steelworker and a lifelong resident of Northwest Indiana. He earned bachelor’s in political science from Purdue University Calumet and his law degree from Valparaiso University, where he graduated magna cum laude, according to the law firm’s website.

Courtesy of NWITimes.com

https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/lake-prosecutor-carter-wins-distinguished-barrister-award/article_41ac6206-481e-5818-ac71-f565605871c5.html?

 

Hammond’s Larry Moore Jr. (Kappa Alpha Psi) is the 2020 Times Coach of the Year

Hammond at EC Central boys basketball (COY)
Hammond coach Larry Moore Jr. guided the Wildcats to their third consecutive sectional championship and continues to uphold his family’s rich basketball tradition. 

Basketball has been a vital part of Larry Moore Jr.’s life ever since he was born.

Hammond’s coach wasn’t forced to play, but in a sense he never really had a choice. He and his three brothers were raised on the sounds of whistles being blown, plays being shouted and countless gym shoes squeaking across the hardwood.

“The basketball IQ and knowledge of the game started for me probably around third or fourth grade,” Moore said. “We went to the park as a family, two-on-twos and everything like that, so this is something that has been indebted to all of us.”

Under the tutelage of his parents, who are both former coaches and standout players, Moore — the second youngest of four sons — carried on his family’s rich basketball tradition and became a strong prep player in his own right. With his dad as his high school coach, he poured in 1,704 points at St. Francis de Sales in Chicago and went on to play college basketball at Eastern Illinois and Southern Indiana before wrapping up his playing days at Loras College in Iowa in 2000.

Two decades later, Moore is now on the sidelines guiding one of the premier prep programs in the Region. The Wildcats claimed their third consecutive Class 3A sectional championship this year — the team’s first sectional trifecta since 1998 — and the 2020 Times Coach of the Year credits his success to the people who taught him the game.

“My mom actually started out coaching at Spohn Middle School in Hammond, and then she was the JV and varsity assistant coach at Hammond High (for girls basketball) for a number of years,” Moore said. “At the same time, my dad was coaching at St. Francis de Sales, so I pretty much grew up in the gym.”

Both of Moore’s parents, Crystal and Larry Moore Sr., are Hammond graduates and members of the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame. Crystal was a volleyball, track and basketball star for the Wildcats and is recognized as a pioneer for girls basketball in Hammond. Larry Sr. was a 1974 Indiana All-Star — playing alongside NBA legend Larry Bird — and had a noteworthy coaching stint at St. Francis de Sales before finally earning a position at their alma mater.

Larry Moore - Kapp Alpha Psi Achievement

Hammond coach Larry Moore Jr., center, is the son of Crystal and Larry Moore Sr., who are both members of the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame.

 

He took over Hammond’s program in 2002 and allowed Larry Jr. to join him as an assistant coach. Timel Moore, Larry Jr.’s older sibling, was also an assistant coach during their father’s nine-year tenure with the Wildcats. Together they guided the team to a Class 3A sectional crown in 2005.

It was a triumphant moment for the Moore family, who claimed the program’s 32nd sectional title, and Timel said it felt great to collectively leave their mark. But throughout the trio’s time together, he joked that it wasn’t always easy to stay on the same page.

“We all coached there for about seven or eight years together, which it was a lot of fun and a lot of fighting,” Timel said with a laugh. “But at the end of the day, whether you agree or disagree, you’re still family, so that made it a lot easier. My mom had to do a lot mediating because my dad wanted to do something one way, I wanted to do it one way and Larry (Jr.) wanted to do it his way. But we always came together to try to get those wins.”

Timel has continued his career as an assistant coach at Bloom in Chicago. His team was upset by Marian Catholic in a Class 4A sectional semifinal just two days before the IHSA canceled the rest of its boys basketball playoffs on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite his team being bounced out, Timel was disappointed that other Illinois players couldn’t keep going and prepared his younger brother for a similar outcome across state lines.

Coach Larry Moore (Kappa Alpha Psi)
Munster at Hammond boys basketball (COY)
Hammond coach Larry Moore Jr. guided the Wildcats to a 20-4 record this year, which was the program’s best record since 1997, before the IHSAA canceled the rest of the boys basketball postseason due to COVID-19.

Hammond rolled past Calumet on March 7 to advance to the regional round, but that would be the end of its season. The IHSAA initially postponed the boys basketball state tournament on March 13 and shut down the remainder of the postseason on March 19. When the news finally came, the entire Moore family was upset. But aside from Larry Jr., no one may have been more devastated than his mother.

“I was just heartbroken when that happened, but I understood it,” Crystal said. “I wasn’t even going to be able to go to the regional game because they had limited numbers, and I had just had a lung transplant. But it crushed my spirit a little bit. It took me a day or two to really talk to him and get him through it while I was going through it.”

The Wildcats were seeking their first regional championship since 1954 and seemed to have all of the pieces to pull it off. Five players averaged double figures in scoring for Hammond, including senior forward Jamar Styles and senior guard Tim Wilder, who were robbed of their chance to play for history.

It was a tough situation that several high school teams around the country succumbed to. But regardless of how the year ended, Larry Sr. said his son should still be proud of the way he led his group and the values he instilled in the athletes that won’t be returning.

“He grew up in Hammond High’s gym, and for him to grow into the person that he is now, just to see him taking young kids and making them men, that’s what’s most important,” said Larry Sr., who is the Wildcats’ athletic director. “He’s taking these young men and getting them off to school and getting them scholarships and building a program. … To watch him put the time in that he has, it’s very rewarding as a father.”

Hammond finished 20-4, its best record since 1997, and was on the verge of something special. Guards Harold Woods and Reggie Abram, along with forward Darrell Reed — who has a scholarship offer from Illinois-Chicago — were all chosen as Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Underclass All-State honorable mentions. The junior trio will try to wash away the bitter ending of this year’s season with a strong senior campaign, and Larry Jr. knows his family will be there to support him and his players in their quest for that elusive regional title.

 

“Day to day, it’s still tough not knowing how far we could’ve went,” Larry Jr. said. “I really felt confident about us winning that regional for the first time in 66 years, but it wasn’t just tough for us. We have a strong fan base that really loves Hammond High, and we thought we were going to make that breakthrough. It’s bigger than just the coaches and the team.

“Our community, former players and alumni really want us to get out of regionals.”

Courtesy of NWITimes.com – James Boyd

https://www.nwitimes.com/high-school/hammonds-larry-moore-jr-is-the-2020-times-coach-of-the-year/article_cbe9cd8b-eda6-51e9-a0f1-3d953aa15da2.html

Lawmakers Lonnie Randolph (Kappa Alpha Psi) and Carol Jackson hosting town hall meetings in Whiting, Hammond

Jackson-Randolph
State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond, left, and state Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago

 

State lawmakers representing Hammond, Whiting and East Chicago are holding two town halls meeting Saturday to update their constituents on the Indiana legislative session.

State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond, and state Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, will speak from 10 a.m. to noon at the Whiting Public Library, 1735 Oliver St.

Their second meeting is set for 1-3 p.m. at the Hammond Public Library, 564 State St.

“I’m excited to report on what’s been happening in the Statehouse so far,” Jackson said. “This will also be a good opportunity to see what my constituents are talking about.”

The 2020 General Assembly is required by law to adjourn for the year by March 14.

Sen. Eddie Melton (Kappa Alpha Psi) officially declaring run for Indiana Governor

State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, announces that he’s running for the Democratic nomination for governor Tuesday in Gary. (Carole Carlson / Post-Tribune)

State Sen. Eddie Melton returned to his boyhood stomping ground Tuesday at the Gary Public Library and Cultural Center to announce he’s running for governor in the Democratic primary next year.

Surrounded by family and a packed auditorium of supporters, the first-term state senator and Gary Democrat, hopes to be the candidate who can unseat Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican seeking his second term.

Republican State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick joined Melton, raising speculation she might be his lieutenant governor running mate. McCormick, whose office will no longer be an elected one, drew criticism from her fellow Republicans when she joined Melton during his summer listening tour to talk about education.

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Chuck Hughes (Kappa Alpha Psi) recognized as a “Gary Great” Award recipient

Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson, Ruth Needleman, Herbert Smith and Chuck Hughes

The African American Achievers Youth Corps, Inc. will sponsor their 12th Annual “Kings of Gospel” Concert in observance of the 11th Anniversary of the Glen on Saturday, October 5 at 7 p.m. in the Glen Theater, 20 West Ridge Road in Gary. The event will be held in conjunction with the 5th Annual Gary Greats Awards Program.

A record crowd is expected to hear the Gary area best male gospel singers. Among the participants are Elder Eddie Scott, Rev. John Talley, Rev. Roosevelt Dixon, Sylvester Mabone, Jason Anderson, Ramone Griffith, David Gullett, Charles Johnson, Rev. Greg Frazier, Damion Johnson, Bruce A. Pearson, and Michael Curtis.

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Kappa Alpha Psi’s Rashaun Williams Opens Up About Investing, Venture Capital and The Power of HBCUs

When it comes to the venture capital world, Kappa Alpha Psi’s Rashaun Williams is definitely a person you need to know.

A former investment banker turned venture capitalist, Williams has over 100 investments under his belt and over 20 exits. Williams is currently a general partner in the Manhattan Venture Partners All-Star Fund, a late stage tech fund and also serves on the Board of Trustees for the HBCU, Fisk University.

Born on the South Side of Chicago, Williams got his start at Morehouse College where he graduated summa cum laude. He is a Fall 2006 initiate of the Gary Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi.

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