Bro. David H. Reid, Jr., M.D. - Omega Chapter
. David H. Reid Jr.
Brother David H. Reid, Jr., a longtime physician and stalwart member of the
Alpha Omega Chapter in Washington D. C., has entered Omega Chapter.
He was 104.
Brother Reid was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. Because there were no high
schools in Raleigh for African-Americans, Brother Reid attended and later
graduated in 1926 from the Laboratory High School program which was located
on the campus of Shaw University.
In September 1926, Brother Reid attended Wilberforce University, where he
became a member of the Lampados Club. Brother Reid was later initiated into
the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., through Upsilon Chapter on November 17,
1927.
Consequently, Brother Reid was initiated inside a building which previously
operated as a station along the historic Underground Railroad. The house was
owned by “Mother Young,” wife of the deceased Omega Brother Colonel Charles
Young, the highest ranking black officer in the United States Army until his death
in 1922. The Colonel Charles Young house is a national historic landmark
located in Wilberforce, Ohio.
Brother Reid graduated from Wilberforce in 1930, and later attended Howard
University School of Medicine, where he graduated in 1935. While in medical
school, Brother Reid affiliated himself with the Alpha Omega graduate chapter in
1931.
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Upon graduation in 1935, Brother Reid returned to Raleigh, and passed his
medical boards with the highest score ever recorded for the examination. During
that time, Brother Reid mentored the undergraduate brothers from Shaw
University and St. Augustine College located in Raleigh, encouraging them to be
the best that they could be, emphasizing the importance of character and
education.
In 1939, Brother Reid relocated to Washington D.C. and rejoined Alpha Omega
Chapter and opened his medical practice. Brother Reid maintained an interest in
the activities of Alpha Chapter located at Howard University and frequently
offered his assistance to the undergraduate members.
His son, David H. Reid, III, was initiated into Omega, through Alpha Chapter, on
April 4, 1964. Brother David H. Reid later joined his father as a physician.
During his 86 years of fraternal service, Brother Reid held various offices and
served in numerous capacities, including as Keeper of Finance and as an adviser
to Les Jeunes Hommes, an interest group affiliated with the Alpha Omega
chapter.
Brother Reid, and other chapter brothers, tutored young men in mathematics,
science and English and many of these men later became Omegas. Brother Reid
recalled that there were not many members of the Fraternity at Wilberforce at
that time. The academic and character standards of the Fraternity were so strict
that few were eligible and even fewer were chosen.
At the Fraternity’s Centennial Celebration in 2011, many of the Fraternity’s
leaders including Brother Warren G. Lee, Jr., 38th Grand Basileus, presented
Brother Reid with a special purple and gold birthday card and extended
well-wishes and numerous accolades.
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Brother Reid fondly remembered numerous Alpha Omega brothers: the Oliver
brothers, John and Basil; Frank Page Bolden; Father H. Albion Farrell; and
James Quander, founder of the Les Jeunes Hommes interest group.
These were the men with whom he developed special personal friendships which
is not surprising because indeed, “Friendship is essential to the Soul.”
Brother Reid often sagely advised younger Omega brothers, “Remember the
Cardinal Principles and the meaning of each of the Pearls. Walk tall, excel in
education, and yet be humble in the face of God.”
Funeral services will be held at noon, Tuesday, March 4 at the Plymouth
Congregational United Church of Christ, 5301 North Capitol Street, NE;
Washington D.C. Omega Service will start prompted at 11:30 a.m.
Brother Norm Senior
Chapter Reporter, Alpha Omega.
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