Charles Cardoza Poindexter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Cardoza Poindexter
|
|
|---|---|
Poindexter (around 1910)
|
|
| Born | March 10, 1880 Pennsboro, West Virginia, U.S.
|
| Died | June 3, 1913 (aged 33) Washington, D.C., U.S.
|
| Alma mater | Ohio State University |
| Known for | Founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Society which became Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at Cornell University |
Charles Cardoza Poindexter (born March 10, 1880 – died June 3, 1913) was a professor at Fisk University. He is also known for starting the Alpha Phi Alpha Society. This group later became the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.
Early Life and Education
Charles Cardoza Poindexter was born in Pennsboro, West Virginia, on March 10, 1880. He went to high school at the West Virginia Colored Institute. He graduated in 1896 and later earned a special vocational degree there.
From 1899 to 1903, Poindexter studied at Ohio State University. He earned a science degree in Agriculture. In 1903, he wrote a paper about how corn grows. Later, from 1905 to 1907, he attended a graduate program at Cornell University.
While at Cornell, Poindexter married Helen Florence Newton in March 1906. He also wrote about what it was like to be a student there. He worked as a secretary for a professor named Thomas Forsyth Hunt. Poindexter also represented Virginia at a convention for agricultural colleges.
Starting Alpha Phi Alpha
While he was a graduate student at Cornell University, Poindexter started a group for students who liked to read and discuss ideas. This group began with 15 students, including both boys and girls. They met every two weeks at Poindexter's room. Poindexter believed the group should help meet the cultural and social needs of the Black community. He did not want it to be a secret club just for a few people.
Poindexter was the first President of the Alpha Phi Alpha Society. He had a special connection with the students because he worked for a professor. In December 1905, Poindexter organized a meeting with several students. These included Murray, Ogle, Morgan T. Phillips, Chapman, Kelley, Callis, Tompkins, and Tandy.
In March 1906, the group decided to call themselves Alpha Phi Alpha. Poindexter became their first president. Under his leadership, they held their first banquet and set up rules for new members. They also chose old gold and black as their colors. New members were welcomed on October 30, 1906, at a Masonic Hall. These new members included Eugene Kinckle Jones, Lemuel Graves, and Gordon Jones.
Some members felt that Poindexter, being a graduate student, had a very strong influence on the group's meetings. His leadership was very important when the organization was just starting. Later, when Poindexter was not at a meeting, two members, Murray and Robert H. Ogle, suggested that the group become a fraternity.
In December 1906, Poindexter decided to leave the organization. His resignation was held for a month because his message was not clear. In January 1907, Poindexter officially resigned from the fraternity. He took a new job in Hampton, Virginia, as an assistant agriculturist.
Even though Poindexter played a big part in starting Alpha Phi Alpha, the "Jewels" (the founding members of the fraternity) decided not to link his name to the early formation of the fraternity. Nathanial Murray felt very strongly about this. The term they used for Poindexter was "Precursor," meaning someone who came before and helped set the stage. Eugene Kinckle Jones, who joined the group in October 1906, was later recognized as a founder in 1952.
Professor at Fisk University
After leaving Cornell, Poindexter became a professor at Fisk University. He taught in the Agriculture Department and Biology. While there, he started programs like the yearly spring day celebration. One of his students in botany was Charles H. Wesley, who later became a historian for Alpha Phi Alpha.
Charles Cardoza Poindexter passed away on June 3, 1913. His death was due to problems from surgery.
