Florida A&M University Extended History 

The Washington D. C. Chapter of Florida A & M University was organized by Mr. Bozie Phillips and Mr. Charles Perry in 1948. There was no charter issued, however, the chapter was sanctioned by Mr. George C. Conoly, the university representative.

The D. C. Chapter was started as an off-shoot of the Florida Social Club which was comprised of members who had some type of Florida connection and who raised money for club purposes. FAMCee members were: Mr. & Mrs. Charles Perry, Mr. Bozie Phillips, Mr. Oswald Glymph, Mr. Dave Bryant, Dr. Jack White, Mr. & Mrs. Quincy D. Meeks, Mr. Joseph. Langhorne, and Ms. Cynthia Mason. Annie Pharr joined the chapter a short time later. When the Florida Social Club failed to give a scholarship to a FAMCee student, these members split and formed the FAMU alumni organization while on a picnic.

What is now known as "chapters", at the outset, were called "groups" and bore the name of the city or town in which the members resided. There were no structured dues. Members paid what they could afford from fifty cents (.50) to five dollars ($5.00).

Early on, Mr. George Conoly was the contact person from the university. There was no alumni structure as we know it today. When Mr. Conoly came to town, he would visit the homes of all the alumni in the area and discuss alumni and university matters. Some of the alumni would give him $1.00, $5.00 even less, to help the programs of the university. Whatever was given to him, he would send a receipt when he got back to the university.

As "groups" formed around the country, they were known by the city in which they were established. The Washington, D. C., Philadelphia, and New York Chapters were the mainstays in the Northeast region. The persons named above as founders kept the chapter going for many years. In the 1960's then came the youngsters who made the chapter great: Mr. James E. & Mrs. Penelope A. Jones, Mr. Nathaniel Moore, The Johnson Brothers, Mrs. Carolyn Howard, Mr. Joe Willis, General (Ret.) Leroy Bell, Mr. Heron, Dr. Freddie Dixon, Mr. Brodes Hartley, Mr. & Mrs. Julian and Betty Moreland, Mr. Robert Warren, Jr., Mr. Harry Campbell, Dr. Frank Porter, Dr. Eugene Baker, and Dr. Bennie Samuels. The youngsters worked side-by-side with the seasoned alumni to ensure the viability of the chapter.

The chapter continues to grow under the leadership of Colonel (Ret.) Robert Warren, Colonel (Ret.) Horace Knight, Dr. Carolyn Jones and a new set of youngsters who are working to preserve and magnify the legacy of the Mighty, Mighty DC Rattlers.