For nine decades, the Tau Iota Sigma chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. has been woven into the civic and cultural fabric of Memphis. On Saturday, Sept. 7, the chapter capped its 90th anniversary weekend with a gala at the Renasant Convention Center, celebrating a legacy of service, leadership and brotherhood.
The weekend also featured a Friday evening murder mystery fundraiser and a pop-up museum tracing the chapter’s history back to its 1935 founding. But Saturday’s black-tie (blue-tie?) gala served as the culminating event, bringing together fraternity brothers, community leaders, sponsors and friends.
“We’re most proud of our ability to foster brotherhood, scholarship and service through our motto of ‘Culture for Service and Service for Humanity,’” said Brandon Pollard, president of Tau Iota Sigma. “Here in Memphis, we’ve adopted eight schools in the Whitehaven Empowerment Zone. That means clothing closets, incentive programs and real resources for kids who might not have them otherwise. We want to lift up students, teachers and families alike.”
Founded in 1935, TIS has been a steady presence in Memphis for nine decades. Its early members included educators, ministers and civic leaders such as Louis B. Hobson, a respected high school principal, and charter member T.O. Fuller Jr., who also served at LeMoyne-Owen College. Over the years, chapter brothers have served as school administrators, city council members, lawyers, doctors and civil rights leaders, shaping both Memphis institutions and national movements.
Michael Cristal — who serves as president of Kroger’s Delta Division and is also a former international president of Phi Beta Sigma — placed the chapter’s milestone in a broad historical arc.
“Tau Iota Sigma was founded just 21 years after our fraternity began at Howard University,” Cristal said. “When you think about the challenges of that era, it’s remarkable. Our founder, A. Langston Taylor, actually walked the streets of Beale. That’s the lineage we celebrate.”
True to the fraternity’s motto, “Culture for Service and Service for Humanity,” Tau Iota Sigma has blended scholarship, leadership,and activism into a legacy of community impact that continues today .
“Over the decades, this chapter has provided more than $120,000 in scholarships, lifted up youth through the Sigma Beta Club, supported Black businesses during Sigma Business Week, and honored positive images of African American men through our Image Awards,” Cristal continued. “Too often, we don’t uplift the African American male, but Sigma has always made that a priority. To whom much is given, much is required, and this chapter has lived up to that.”
Harold Collins, who pledged Sigma at Memphis State in 1982, has been deeply tied to the fraternity ever since. Today, he serves as chief administrative officer for Shelby County under Mayor Lee Harris.
“The fraternity is a microcosm of our careers,” Collins said. “It prepares you for life. And if you give to it, it’ll give back to you. That’s been my experience for more than 40 years. From undergrad through alumni life, it’s been brothers pushing me to use my gifts, and in turn, I’ve tried to do the same for the next generation.”
Brandon Pollard, president of the Tau Iota Sigma chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., shares a moment with Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery during the chapter’s 90th anniversary gala at the Renasant Convention Center on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. The event celebrated the chapter’s nine decades of civic engagement, leadership and community service in Memphis. 
Calvin Anderson, longtime Memphis civic leader and supporter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., attends the Tau Iota Sigma chapter’s 90th anniversary gala at the Renasant Convention Center on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. Anderson was among the distinguished guests celebrating the chapter’s legacy of service, scholarship and leadership in the Memphis community. 
Fraternity brothers, community leaders, students and supporters came together in celebration as the Tau Iota Sigma chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. marked its 90th anniversary with a black-tie gala on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at the Renasant Convention Center in Memphis. The evening capped a weekend of events highlighting the chapter’s enduring impact on education, civic leadership and community service across generations. (D’Angelo Connell/The Tri-State Defender) 
Fraternity brothers, community leaders, students and supporters came together in celebration as the Tau Iota Sigma chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. marked its 90th anniversary with a black-tie gala on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at the Renasant Convention Center in Memphis. The evening capped a weekend of events highlighting the chapter’s enduring impact on education, civic leadership and community service across generations. (D’Angelo Connell/The Tri-State Defender) 
Fraternity brothers, community leaders, students and supporters came together in celebration as the Tau Iota Sigma chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. marked its 90th anniversary with a black-tie gala on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at the Renasant Convention Center in Memphis. The evening capped a weekend of events highlighting the chapter’s enduring impact on education, civic leadership and community service across generations. (D’Angelo Connell/The Tri-State Defender) 
Fraternity brothers, community leaders, students and supporters came together in celebration as the Tau Iota Sigma chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. marked its 90th anniversary with a black-tie gala on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at the Renasant Convention Center in Memphis. The evening capped a weekend of events highlighting the chapter’s enduring impact on education, civic leadership and community service across generations. (D’Angelo Connell/The Tri-State Defender)
Daryl Anthony Anderson, immediate past chapter president, reminded attendees that Sigma’s impact has always been amplified through partnerships.
“We could not have had 90 years of service by ourselves,” Anderson said. “Our collaborations with the NAACP, the American Cancer Society, the Red Cross, the March of Dimes and our sister sororities have kept us connected to the community. We’ve always been on the ground, and that’s why our legacy endures.”
A highlight of the gala was a tribute to the late Rev. Ezekiel O. Bell, a Memphis pastor and civil rights leader. His nephew, Stan “The Bell Ringer” Bell, an iconic voice on WDIA 1070 AM, delivered heartfelt remarks.
“Though I’m a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi, I was honored to stand here celebrating my uncle’s legacy with the Sigma brotherhood,” Bell said. “Growing up, I watched his steadfast commitment to civil rights. He was my hero. Tonight is about honoring him, and I’m grateful the Sigmas asked me to share that story.”
“The fraternity … prepares you for life. And if you give to it, it’ll give back to you. That’s been my experience for more than 40 years. From undergrad through alumni life, it’s been brothers pushing me to use my gifts, and in turn, I’ve tried to do the same for the next generation.”
Harold Collins, chief administrative officer for Shelby County, pledged Sigma at Memphis State in 1982
As Tau Iota Sigma looks toward its next 90 years, brothers and friends alike came back to one theme: the bond that unites them.
“Our fraternity was founded on three principles, but the core is brotherhood,” Cristal said. “We celebrate each other, we champion each other, and we love each other as husbands, fathers and citizens. That’s the essence of who we are.”
“We could not have had 90 years of service by ourselves,” Anderson added. “Our strength has always come from working with others, and from the bond we share as Sigmas.”
As the evening unfolded with music, tributes, and fellowship, attendees agreed the celebration was less about nostalgia than about renewal. And for current chapter president Pollard, the anniversary was less a capstone than a charge for the future.
“We appreciate everyone for supporting us for 90 years,” Pollard said. “Now we’re striving to work together for 90 more.”
