GCR II

The Gulf Coast Region of Sigma Fraternity Incorporated celebrated its 50th anniversary with a conference. The region was founded by the Brotherhood from Louisiana and Texas with the goal of making contributions to the greater good. The region grew to become the third largest in the fraternity. The Brotherhood and leaders faced challenges and uncertainties when forming the new region. However, they remained dedicated to the fraternity's motto of Culture for Service and Service for Humanity. The region's success can be attributed to its commitment to education, social action, business, and community service. They also support organizations like the Sickle Cell Foundation and have a youth mentorship program called the Sigma Beta Club. The region's leaders and chapters have shown great leadership and success over the past 50 years. They have initiated future fraternity leaders and notable members and have held conferences and workshops to educate and empower their membership. The region co Five Days of Sigma Fraternity Incorporated, Gulf Coast Region. Regional Conference Theme, 50 Years of Excellence, 50 Years of Brotherhood. 50th Anniversary Theme, 50 Years Tells a Story. We have just highlighted our regional beginning, a beginning worthy of being emulated by ourselves and others. The Gulf Coast Region was founded through the dedicated work and desire of the Brotherhood from Louisiana and Texas, with the goal of continuing to make contributions to the greater good. Service to Humanity, a personal creed articulated by our principal founder, A. Langston Taylor, the greatest name in Sigma. From a region of one state to a brand new region of two states, the Gulf Coast Region became the third largest region in the fraternity in 1974, and indeed, that example was followed in 2015, when the Gulf Coast Region welcomed its third child, the great state of New Mexico, to our regional band of Brotherhood. However, back in 1974, after forming a new region, our Brotherhood and leaders must have said, a new region, now what? We can only imagine the anticipation, expectations, angst, and stress our first Gulf Coast Region leaders and the Brotherhood must have felt. A new region. Bottom line, our Gulf Coast Regional leaders and Chapter Brotherhood never forgot our fraternal foundation articulated in our motto, Culture for Service and Service for Humanity, and our core principles, Brotherhood, Scholarship, and Service. Sigma's success during our fraternal beginnings at Howard University, with the Alpha Chapter growing from 12 founding and charter members on January 9, 1914, to 51 members in June of 1915, is certainly noteworthy. Not bad for the new kids on the block. The spirit and dedication of our early members was evidently passed down to our Brotherhood by 1974 and still exists today. We were dedicated primarily to our four programs, Education, Social Action, Bigger and Better Business, and at the time, a new program, Project SAD, Sigma's Attack Defects, a partnership with the March of Dimes, and today, our dedication to the fraternity's programs remains stronger than ever. It includes supporting the Sickle Cell Foundation and expanding and growing our signature youth mentorship program, the Sigma Beta Club. The underlying expectation and feeling was, quote-unquote, Sigma's moving positively. So eloquently articulated by Brother Liddell Fights III, a 1975 graduate of Paul Quinn College. In an article in the Fall 1975 issue of the Crescent Magazine, he wrote, For every purpose there is a time which distinguishes it. By Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated, Sigma Land is a place where, hopefully, ignorance is defeated by intelligence, where seekers and learners band together for the common goal of storing knowledge for the future. The impressionable years of the young and experience of the educated afford an inseparable link to each other. There are those minds of today who will be leaders of tomorrow. It is the pledgeship of brotherhood, love, knowledge, service, and the community as a whole, for these are the substances of our Sigma Nation today, tomorrow, and forever. This message creates a lengthy banner of which the story is told of the first 50 years of the Gulf Coast region, and prayerfully for the next. For 50 years does tell a story. In our first 50 years, we have examples of the Gulf Coast region's leadership and success. In our first 50 years, we have examples of the Gulf Coast region's leadership and success. In our first 50 years, we have examples of the Gulf Coast region's leadership and success. We have examples of the Gulf Coast region's leadership and success. Our desire to be a viable and productive body, accomplishing the vision our founders chartered, has been evident throughout the Gulf Coast region's existence. Almost immediately, one year after the region was founded in 1975, chapters in this region initiated future fraternity leaders and notable members. Examples include Honorable Paul L. Griffin, Jr., 8th Gulf Coast Regional Director and 32nd International Vice President, Brother Reginald Taizka, 12th Gulf Coast Regional Director, and Wilson Whitley, Jr., college football standout and professional football player for the Cincinnati Bengals. We sponsored state-level leadership conferences in Louisiana and Texas to support our chapters and individual members. We also held valuable joint Sigma Zeta workshops, utilizing the talents of our brothers and sorors to educate and empower our membership. The theme of the first Gulf Coast Regional Conference in March of 1975 was Retrospect with Pride, Project and Serve with Dignity, a continued vision and emphasis on our mission that acknowledged our storied history. Founders Day celebrations continued with pride and respect. We honored our seasoned and experienced brothers with the recognition and acknowledgement they earned and deserved. The Gulf Coast continued the legacy of Sigma by providing service to our community and supporting our membership. We not only mended fences that were broken, we strengthened established bonds. The Gulf Coast region exemplified the benefits of a true brotherhood. The Gulf Coast region and its chapters were recognized then and continue to be recognized for membership growth, scholastic achievement, service to humanity, business education, as well as support of black businesses.