Woodrow Anderson Williams, Jr. (“Woody”) was born on June 20, 1942 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He was raised by his grandparents, Edward and Estelle Woodland, in Glassboro, New Jersey.  With the exception of attending fifth grade at P.S. 186 in New York City, Williams attended Glassboro public schools and graduated from Glassboro Senior High School in June 1960.  He entered Morgan State College in September 1960, majoring in Physical Education.  Williams excelled both in academics and in sports. He was a starter on and captain of the Golden Bears championship swim team for four years and inducted into the Golden Bears Hall of Fame in March of 1974.

Williams received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education in June 1964.  Following his graduation, he worked for a year as a substitute physical education teacher in the Philadelphia school system.  In August 1965, he accepted a full-time teaching position in physical education with the Baltimore City public school system.  Every year from 1965 to 1974, he was rated an outstanding teacher and coached freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity football teams. He also coached the swimming, track and field, and basketball teams, on both the junior varsity and varsity levels, to league, city, and state championship seasons.

To further his education, Williams earned his Master’s degree in Physical Education in June 1974.  From 1974 to 1989, he held various positions, serving as a physical education teacher, the Department Head of Physical Education, and the Director of Athletics, while continuing to coach three varsity teams.

In August 1989, Williams took his career to the collegiate level by accepting a coaching staff position with Bob Wade’s University of Maryland’s men’s basketball team.  In September 1991, Williams returned to the Baltimore public school system in his former positions with continued success, until he retired in June 2004.

Williams is married to his college sweetheart, Beverly E. Brown. They have one daughter, Lanaya L. Smith, MD, and one granddaughter, Madison Beverly Smith.

Robert E. (Bob) Simpson (“Tennessee”) was born on July 3, 1943 in Earle, Arkansas, and was raised in Memphis, Tennessee.  He completed his primary and secondary education in Memphis and graduated from Manassas High School in 1961.  He went on to attend Morgan State College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965.

After graduating from Morgan State, Simpson went on to serve as an officer in the United States Army from 1965 to 1968.  He also held several managerial positions with Sears for 17 years, from 1965 to 1983.  In 1983, he began operating his own independent State Farm Insurance Agency, selling and servicing multiple lines of insurance and financial services.

Simpson is heavily involved in both sports and mentoring.  An avid golfer and tennis player, Simpson serves on the Board of the Mid-South Junior Golf Association/First Tee of Memphis and is a member of the Ad-In Tennis Club.  He also volunteers as a mentor for the Boys and Girls Club and serves on the Board of Trustees of Lemoyne-Owen College, an historically black college located in Memphis.

Simpson is married to Elizabeth Chase and has three children, Robert, Jr. (Kellie), Leiza McKenna (Warren), and Daniel Simpson.  He also has five grandchildren, Terisa, Robyn, and triplets Robert III, Olivia, and Sophia.

Simpson participated in the founding of Groove Phi Groove because the other founders shared some of the same beliefs about life that he did.  He says that he has too many fond memories of Groove to list them all but that the beginning days of the Fellowship were special.  His hope for Groove’s future is that it will continue to grow and both benefit and inspire the many who will follow.

Barry Simms (“Dep”) was born on January 24, 1941 and raised in Baltimore, Maryland.  He attended Lincoln Academy in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, for his middle school years, returned to Baltimore for high school, and attended Baltimore City College in 1959.  Simms went to Morgan State College on a Senatorial Scholarship and also financed his collegiate career with a basketball scholarship and work-study.

In 1964, Simms graduated from Morgan State with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education.  After graduation, he taught in the Baltimore city schools for three and a half years.  He then went to work for the Eastman Kodak Company as a technical sales representative in what became the Printing and Publishing Division, retiring after 38 years in 1996.  During his time at Kodak, he still found time to teach, serving as a continuing guest lecturer at the University of Kansas and at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  He also taught technical courses at the University of the District of Columbia.

In 1967, Simms married Joyce Brenda Tucker. The couple has two children, Keith and Kelli. Ever the athlete, Simms enjoys playing tennis.

A continuing interest in education has led Simms to assist families with college planning and teachers with their retirement planning and their continuing education.  Community service is important to him as well. In addition to mentoring young males in his community, he served as a Big Brother to twins in the Kansas City Big Brother/Big Sister organization.  Simms has also served the following organizations: the Morgan State Alumni Association, the Upton School Foundation, the Columbia Basketball Association, the Howard University Mentor Program, Prince George’s County Human Relations Board, Baltimore Juvenile Justice, the Howard County Mediation and Conflict Resolution Center, and the Black Student Achievement Program

Simms’ fondest Groove memories are when the founders first marched into the refractory as a group and when they successfully supported an independent candidate running for president of student government.  He says that he is proud and humbled by the growth of Groove and the loyalty of its members.  His hope is that the organization continues to grow and develop leadership among its members and the greater community which it serves.

Harry Payne was born on October 26, 1940 in Lakeland, New Jersey.  He attended Lakewood High School, where he played football, threw the javelin, and was a trumpet player.  After graduating in 1958, he went to Morgan State College, where he was a member of the Pershing Rifles and an athlete who excelled at wrestling.

After graduating from Morgan State College, Payne entered the military as a second lieutenant and was sent to Korea from 1964 to 1968. Upon leaving the military, he continued to serve in the U.S. Reserves as a captain.  He held a few jobs and then went to work at Middlesex College in New Jersey in 1973, where he stayed for nine years and eventually became Director of Admissions.  At Middlesex, Payne was honored by having a scholarship established in his name.

While working, Payne decided to further his education and earned a Master’s degree from Rutgers University. He also enrolled in Rutgers’ doctoral program in the area of college admissions.

Payne’s hobbies were photography and sailing, and he worked to obtain his sailor’s license.  He gave regularly to such charities as the Disabled Veterans and the United Negro College Fund.  Payne died on November 25, 1982.

Nathaniel Parham, Sr. (“Spider”) was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 17, 1942.  He graduated from Catonsville High School in 1960 and then went to Morgan State College.  Parham’s reasons for participating in the founding of Groove Phi Groove were to form an organization that was inclusive, to develop friendships among the founders, and to help people get through the turbulent 1960s.

Parham graduated from Morgan State in May 1965 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education.  To further his formal education, Parham later attended Coppin State College and graduated in 1972 with a Master’s degree in Correctional Education.

Parham was a federal pretrial services officer for the Pretrial Services Agency in Baltimore from 1976 to 1996. An avid sports fan, Parham takes every opportunity to root for the Morgan State Bears. He enjoys reading books on African-American history, participating in community service activities, working out at the health club, and listening to gospel, jazz, blues, and old school R&B.

Parham and his wife Vivian Maria have four children, Lynn, Maria, Nina, and Nathaniel, Jr. Nathaniel, Jr. is also a Groove. Parham has several grandchildren and four great grandchildren.  He is an active member of the Fellowship and has been since its founding.

Parham’s fondest memories of Groove include: 1) being one of the founders; 2) winning the Herbie Mann Jazz Award for selling the most tickets on campus; 3) marching for the first time with the brothers into the refractory; 4) singing behind the female dorm; 5) electing the first Groove Queen (Connie McClure); 6) taking over the first line; 7) successfully endorsing an independent candidate (Reginald Kearney) for student government president; and (8) seeing the organization officially recognized on campus in 1964 after a protracted struggle.

Parham hopes in the future that Groove will continue to grow spiritually and financially and that it will assume its place alongside other prominent community service organizations.  His greatest desire is to continue to participate in the community service projects sponsored by the Fellowship.

David Nesbitt (“Cha Cha”) was born in New York City on August 18, 1941.  He graduated from Flushing High School in Flushing, New York, and then attended Morgan State College, where he was a two-sport athlete, playing both football and basketball.  Nesbitt served as Groove Phi Groove’s first secretary in 1962.  He helped to start the Fellowship because of the strong friendship that existed among the founders.

Nesbitt graduated from Morgan State in January 1965, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in English.  After graduating, Nesbitt completed language training for the Peace Corps at the University of Arizona and served in the Peace Corps in Venezuela.  After the Peace Corps, Nesbitt furthered his formal education by earning a Master’s degree in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.  He ran the Model Cities Program for the city of Springfield, Massachusetts.

Nesbitt returned to the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., area to work for the Rouse Company and its subsidiary, the American Cities Corporation, developers of the new town of Columbia, Maryland.  He also spent 15 years consulting with various localities around the country, assisting them with downtown development and affordable housing projects.  He is a partner with Senior Housing Partnership, developers of affordable tax credit senior housing.

Nesbitt is married to Laura Ann Conway. He has two children, Marc and Matthew, and three grandchildren, Liam, Shea, and Finn.

Nesbitt loves sports and takes an active role in helping to develop young athletes.  He has coached soccer at the high school and collegiate levels for over 25 years and works with the Soccer Association of Columbia, where he has coached over 150 players who have gone on to play at universities and in the professional ranks.  He also enjoys playing golf.

Nesbitt’s fondest Groove memory is of the founders themselves.  He hopes that, in the future, Groove will continue to be a viable alternative on college campuses.

Nathaniel Monroe (“Money”) was born on August 12, 1942 in Baltimore, Maryland.  A product of the Baltimore City school system, he graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in 1960.  A competitive athlete, Monroe was a member of both the tennis and swimming teams in high school.  He then attended Morgan State College where he was a member of the basketball team.

Monroe graduated from Morgan State with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education in 1965.  Since then, Monroe’s life has revolved around athletics, with a particular focus on young people.  He was a physical education teacher at Booker T. Washington Middle School from 1968 to 2008, when he retired after almost 40 years of service.

Monroe’s athletic activities have gone behind the walls of educational institutions.  He became a member of Board #290 of the Maryland State Board for Officiating for High School Basketball and was a referee for many years.  He also worked with the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks as a part-time recreation leader, a coordinator in the Aquatics Division, and a commissioner for Upton Pop-Warner Little League Tackle Football.

Monroe is a standing member of the National Youth Sports Coaches Association and enjoys weightlifting and officiating sports.  He has one daughter, Nathera C. Monroe.

Monroe participated in the founding of Groove Phi Groove because of the sincere brotherhood and closeness, the common interests, and the fellowship shared among the young men involved.  His fondest Groove memory is getting together with eleven of the founders for the organization’s annual boat ride.  Monroe’s hope for Groove’s future is that the organization continues to develop in the community.  He is also hopeful that both the graduate and undergraduate sectors will assist other organizations that help individuals in the inner cities.

Charlie Johnson was born on September 10, 1942 in Baltimore, Maryland.  Attending Dunbar Senior High School in Baltimore, he studied business and was a member of both the school’s band and baseball team. After graduating in 1960, he attended Morgan State University.

Upon graduation from Morgan State, Johnson became a combat medic with the United States Army. He was stationed in Germany with the 8th Infantry Division and held the rank of Special 4th Class before being discharged in 1967.

After serving in the army, Johnson returned to Baltimore and became an administrator and teacher. He taught Social Studies, Science, and English in Special Education classes at Robert Poole Middle School for 10 years. He also taught at the Rowland Park Elementary-Middle School for 17 years before becoming acting principal for 1 year. He served as assistant principal and department head for the Special Education Department as well. In addition, Johnson was a long-time employee of both Walbrook Senior High School in Baltimore, where he was the assistant principal, and the Northern High School in North East Baltimore.

Johnson married Arthuratte Johnson on September 23, 1973. They have two children—a son, Benjamin, and a daughter, Candre. They also have one grandchild, Alicia.

James L. Hill (“Hilly”) was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on August 6, 1941.  As a youth, Hill lived in several different places, including Richmond, Virginia, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before he settled in New Haven, Connecticut.  In 1959, he graduated from James Hillhouse High School in New Haven.  At Hillhouse, he was an outstanding athlete, excelling in basketball and track.  His prowess on the court earned him a basketball scholarship to Morgan State College in 1959.  While at Morgan State, Hill continued his outstanding athletic career, remaining in good academic standing at the same time.

Hill’s participation in the founding of Groove Phi Groove stemmed from his desire to break from the norm and experience the challenges of creating his own organization.  Hill has the distinction of being the first president of the Fellowship. His fondest Groove memory is the organization’s first official meeting in Banneker Hall, on campus, and escorting the First Queen into the refractory with everyone dressed in black and white.

Hill graduated from Morgan State in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a minor in Education.  Not long after graduating, Hill was drafted into the United States Army.  He attended finance school, earning a Certificate in Military Pay, and worked in that capacity.  He did a nine-month tour of duty in Vietnam, earning the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal.  Hill left the military in May 1967 with an honorable discharge and a Specialist Fifth Class Ranking.  From 1967 to 2000, he worked in New Haven, Connecticut, as a Neighborhood Supervisor of Recreation in community schools. He retired in 2000.

Hill has two daughters, Toya Clark and Yolanda McCray, and one grandson and namesake James L. Clark.  He enjoys jogging, table tennis, and youth development.  When not spending time with family and friends, Hill enjoys traveling the United States by train, especially to Savannah, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Hill’s hope for Groove’s future is that all of the organization’s goals and objectives are met in a timely manner.

Founder Barry H. Hampton currently serves as an Executive Board member and is the Board representative for Founders.  He also served as our sixth National past president.  His ongoing contributions to the Fellowship are unparalleled.

Barry H. Hampton was born on May 4, 1942, in Montclair, New Jersey. He went to Baltimore, Maryland, in the early 1960s where he attended Morgan State College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 1965.  He served as the president of the Baltimore Graduate Chapter of Groove Phi Groove in the late 1960s and as national president in the 1980s.

Hampton helped to establish Groove because of the camaraderie and fellowship among the founders, a camaraderie that still exists today.  His fondest Groove memories are networking and fellowshipping with the brothers.

In 1965, Hampton began work toward his Master of Science degree in Psychology at Howard University, while raising a family and working as a social worker for Baltimore City government. In that capacity, he worked on the street corners of East Baltimore for three years, helping at-risk youths who were beginning to leave school early and fall out of mainstream society.

In 1968, Hampton went to work in the Baltimore plant of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, serving as a supervisor of Testing, Training, and Affirmative Action in the Industrial Relations Department.  In 1975, he was transferred to the company’s home office in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and held several positions there, such as EEO Affirmative Action specialist, college relations recruiter, personnel assistant, and program supervisor. Among his accomplishments while at Bethlehem’s home office was the completion of an advanced program at the Harvard University School of Business.  He worked at the company until 1986.

In January of 1986, Hampton teamed up with others to help form STAR Associates, Inc., a human resources development and training consulting firm located in Baltimore’s downtown inner-harbor.  In addition to serving on the boards of the Greater Baltimore Black Chamber of Commerce (GBBCC) and SelfPride, Inc., he has served as the past president of the Business League of Baltimore, Inc.

Hampton is married to Dr. Theresa Mitchell-Hampton.  He has three children—Kathie, Barry, and John—five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.  He enjoys jogging, walking, traveling, and working around the house.

One of Hampton’s lifetime dreams is to utilize the skills he has learned over the years to conduct a retreat for the leaders and the members of Groove Phi Groove.

Walter Goodwin was born in 1941 at Harlem Hospital in New York City.  He later moved to New Jersey and graduated from high school in Plainfield in 1960.  He attended Morgan State College in the fall of 1960.

Goodwin graduated from Morgan State with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965.  He furthered his education beyond the undergraduate level by receiving a Master’s degree in Counseling and Student Personnel Services from Kean University in Union, New Jersey. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Minnesota in 1974.

Goodwin has been intimately involved in educational endeavors.  He served as a school principal from 1978 to 1986 and a school guidance counselor from 2001 to 2006.  On the collegiate level, he was an adjunct professor at Augsberg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Goodwin was married to Marilyn Goodwin (now deceased), who also held a doctorate degree.  He has two children, Brooke and Niles.

John Edward Conquest (“Johnnie C”), the youngest of nine children, was born on January 5, 1940 on Gallo’s Duck Farm in East Patchogue, New York.  He attended primary and secondary school in the Patchogue School District, graduating from high school in 1957.  An athlete, Conquest was accepted to Morgan State College on a football scholarship.  He proved to be competitive in several sports, including football, basketball, and wrestling.

In October 1962, Conquest was one of several young men who founded Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship, Inc., an alternative to the existing African-American fraternities.  Conquest was looking for an organization of brotherhood with members who had goals similar to his.  He was an early officer of the organization, serving as sergeant-at-arms.

Conquest’s love for the new organization ran deep, and he continually relates the following story. As he was walking around campus, the president of Morgan State saw him wearing a Groove hat.  Since Groove was not recognized as an official organization at the time (that would not happen until 1964), the president ordered Conquest to remove the hat. Conquest refused.  The president proceeded to knock the hat from Conquest’s head.  Silently, Conquest picked up the hat, placed it back on his head, and informed the president that he could knock Groove from his head, but could not remove it from his heart.

Conquest graduated from Morgan State in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology. From 1964 to1972, Conquest worked as a probation officer at the Baltimore Probation Department in Juvenile Services.  Later, he moved back to New York, received a Master of Arts degree in Education Administration, and took a position as assistant principal in the South County School District in Bellport, New York. Although he retired in 1995, he served as an administrative consultant until 2002.

Conquest retained his love for athletics after his days at Morgan State.  He was a varsity basketball coach for 30 years (coaching Randy Smith, who played professional basketball for 15 years) and a varsity football coach for 32 years, winning several county and state championships.  For his commitment and service, Conquest was inducted into the Bellport High School Football Hall of Fame in 2008.  He was also active in the community, serving as president of the Bellport Rotary Club in 2002.

Conquest is married to Claire Conquest.  He was formerly married to Connie Conquest (now deceased).  He has two children, Troy and Alicia, who were both scholarship recipients and outstanding high school and college athletes.  Troy played professional football in Germany, and Alicia was recently inducted into the Suffolk County Hall of Fame.  Conquest also has two grandchildren, Cheston, 8 and Analiese, 5.

For Conquest, Groove is truly a family affair.  His first wife, Connie, was his college sweetheart and the First Queen of the organization, once leading the young men into the cafeteria at the risk of expulsion.  Their son, Troy, became a Groove in 1995, and Conquest’s son-in-law, Cheston Bulgin, and godson, Vance Carroll, are also Grooves.

Glenn Brown was born on March 9, 1941 in Baltimore, Maryland.  He completed his primary and secondary education in Washington, D.C., graduating from Spingarn High School in 1959.  He entered Morgan State College in 1960.

Brown graduated from Morgan State with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology in 1965. He put his degree to good use, enjoying a long career in rehabilitative services, particularly with youth.  In 1965, Brown moved to Chicago to be a caseworker in the Cook County Department of Public Aid.  Later, he served as a probation officer for Cook Court Juvenile Court and as a parole agent for the Illinois Youth Commission.  Brown also gave his time to the Chicago Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America as an assistant district executive assigned to an inner city project.

Brown returned to the Washington, D.C., area to accept a position with the D.C. Department of Corrections as a correctional treatment specialist under the auspices of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.  He later transferred to the D.C. Youth Services Administration to work as a community youth counselor, supervising court-committed juvenile parolees.  Transferring again to the Oak Hill Youth Center for Incarcerated Youth, Brown began as an associate social worker but later became acting supervisor of Social Service and then superintendent.  Brown ended his professional career with the Office of Personnel Management of the U.S. Civil Service, retiring in 1997.  Brown enjoys golfing and canine training.

Brown participated in the founding of Groove Phi Groove because of the friendship, mutual interests, and fellowship among the founders.  His hopes for Groove’s future are that the organization continues to grow and to create a variety of human development programs

Lenwood William Harris, Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 1, 1944 to Dr. Lenwood W. Harris, Sr. and Gloria K. Harris.  He was the first of nine children.  Harris attended Overbrook High School in the Philadelphia area, where he lettered in both track and football before graduating in 1961.

In 1965, Harris became a general member of the Fellowship while attending North Carolina A&T.  He was a part of the charter line at North Carolina A&T, but his orientation took place at Winston-Salem State University.  Harris later attended Burlington County College, from which he earned an Associate of Arts degree in both Liberal Arts and Computer Programming, and Thomas Edison State College, from which he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts.

Nearly five years after the completion of his orientation period in 1969/1970, Harris became the Fellowship’s first National President.  He proved to be an effective leader.  When asked why he became a Groove, Harris said that it was the “only organization that answered my heart’s calls.”  Under his administration, the Fellowship developed guidelines to form a constitution and other bylaws regulating all Groove activities and its members.  The first national headquarters in Washington, D.C. was also established during Harris’ tenure.

In his professional career, Harris worked in various positions for a total of 30 years.  For the first 15 years, he was a teacher in adult education in Washington, D.C., and then worked for Scholastic Magazine & Book Services as a sales representative.  For the next 15 years, he was a software developer for companies in the publishing industry, including Taylor and Francis.  While there, Harris helped to revolutionize the publishing industry’s smart tracking sales software.

Harris was married to Melanie Harris (now deceased) and has three children: Kim, Monique, and Katherine.  He resides in Willingboro, New Jersey, and is still involved in Groove activities.   His brother Louis is also an active member of the Fellowship.

Roy Lee Southerland was born in Richlands, North Carolina, in 1942.  He attended J. T. Barber High School in New Bern, North Carolina, from which he graduated in May of 1960.  In September of the same year, Southerland attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, for one year, after which he joined the United States Navy.  He entered boot camp at North Island in San Diego, California, and was then assigned to the aircraft carriers USS Iwo Jima (for helicopters) and USS Constellation.  Southerland was also stationed in Bremerton, Washington.  Six months later, he was transferred to a naval air station in Lemoore, California.  There, he was assigned to air squadron VA 144 as an aviation jet engine mechanic.  Southerland is a veteran of the Vietnam War, and was  involved in the first naval air strike from the USS Constellation.  In February of 1965, he was discharged from the Navy.  A month later, he enrolled in classes at North Carolina A&T College in Greensboro, North Carolina.

In 1966, Southerland became a Groove.  He was a charter member of the Aggie Chapter and served as that chapter’s president for three years. Later, he became the second National President.  During his tenure, Groove soared to new heights, enjoying an increasing number of new members.

Southerland has had a successful professional career. He worked for several Fortune 500 companies, including General Electric, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Xerox Corporation, Investor’s Diversified Services, General Motor Corporation, and, most recently, Bausch & Lomb, from which he retired in 1999.

Southerland was married and has seven children: Yuri, Leora, Nia, Erica, Tyra, Ashley, and Dana.  In his free time, he enjoys traveling abroad and connecting with Groove members.

Eugene H. Clay was born on October 14, 1939 in Dublin, Georgia, to James and Auro Clay. He attended Abraham Clark High School in Roselle, New Jersey, where he was a three-year member of the varsity football team, a part of the school choir, and a member of the judicial board. He graduated in the spring of 1958.

Clay enrolled at Morgan State College in Baltimore, Maryland, in the fall of 1958, where he was a four-year member of the football team. After graduating in 1962, he returned to New Jersey to work. At that time, Founder Raymond Clark encouraged Clay to become a member of Groove Phi Groove. In 1964, Clay was on the very first graduate chapter line in Roselle, New Jersey.

In 1971, Clay was employed at ESSO Eastern (now Exxon Mobil) in Manhattan before relocating to Houston to work at the company’s headquarters. In 1972, Clay started EHCLAY Personnel Services, a company at which he served as Chief Executive Officer. The following year, Clay began working for Lockheed Corporation (now Lockheed Martin) at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

From 1973 to about 1975, Clay served as the third National President. Under his leadership, the Fellowship saw exponential growth, with the creation of new undergraduate chapters like Prairie View A&M University and Atlanta University (now Clark-Atlanta University).

In 1997, Clay retired from Lockheed Martin as the Director of Human Resources. Following his retirement, he participated in several community service collaborations with the mayor’s office. He also started Hardwick Vending Services and has been at the helm of that company for the last several years.
Clay was married to Shirley Clay (now deceased) and has three children: Kyle (deceased), Karen, and Sean. He resides in Houston and is an avid golfer.

Ronn Thomas was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 10, 1951 to James and Doris Thomas. In 1959, he and his family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, Thomas attended Olney High School, where he excelled at gymnastics, track and field, cross country, and football. He graduated in 1969.

In the fall of that year, Thomas enrolled at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) in Charlotte, North Carolina. He majored in both Political Science and History. Thomas was a student representative to the board of trustees (appointed by the Chairman of the Board), a cheerleader, and a member of the union program board at JCSU.

From 1972 to 1974, Thomas served as Assistant Atlantic Regional Director of Groove. In 1975, he graduated from JCSU and began a professional career of activism, mentorship, and fellowship, all of which he continued for over 30 years. Thomas was the fourth National President. During his administration, the Fellowship grew west of the Mississippi River, as did its membership.

Thomas has succeeded in both his professional career and personal life. In 1995, he was awarded a degree in restaurant management from the Restaurant School in Philadelphia. Since then, he has served as a French-trained chef/instructor and a certified barbeque judge in competitions in Memphis, Tennessee, and Kansas City, Missouri. Thomas has also worked as a Kindergarten and Special Education teacher. In addition, he was the president of the Sunbeam choir at the Union Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland; a chairman of the North Central Philadelphia Block Captains Association; and a 30-year member of both the Philadelphia Horticultural Society and the NAACP. Thomas is a member of the Board of Directors of the Brewerytown/Sharswood Civic Association. He is also a U.S. Track and Field official, with a specialty in the javelin.

Thomas is divorced and has two daughters: Marian Aurelia and Shinue Edna.

John East served as the fifth National President from 1981 to 1985.   John East also served as Chairman of The Taskforce from 1979 until his election as the fifth National President.  A full biographical summary for John East is currently unavailable.

Founder Barry H. Hampton currently serves as an Executive Board member and is the Board representative for Founders.  He also served as our sixth National past president.  His ongoing contributions to the Fellowship are unparalleled.

Barry H. Hampton was born on May 4, 1942, in Montclair, New Jersey. He went to Baltimore, Maryland, in the early 1960s where he attended Morgan State College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 1965.  He served as the president of the Baltimore Graduate Chapter of Groove Phi Groove in the late 1960s and as national president in the 1980s.

Hampton helped to establish Groove because of the camaraderie and fellowship among the founders, a camaraderie that still exists today.  His fondest Groove memories are networking and fellowshipping with the brothers.

In 1965, Hampton began work toward his Master of Science degree in Psychology at Howard University, while raising a family and working as a social worker for Baltimore City government. In that capacity, he worked on the street corners of East Baltimore for three years, helping at-risk youths who were beginning to leave school early and fall out of mainstream society.

In 1968, Hampton went to work in the Baltimore plant of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, serving as a supervisor of Testing, Training, and Affirmative Action in the Industrial Relations Department.  In 1975, he was transferred to the company’s home office in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and held several positions there, such as EEO Affirmative Action specialist, college relations recruiter, personnel assistant, and program supervisor. Among his accomplishments while at Bethlehem’s home office was the completion of an advanced program at the Harvard University School of Business.  He worked at the company until 1986.

In January of 1986, Hampton teamed up with others to help form STAR Associates, Inc., a human resources development and training consulting firm located in Baltimore’s downtown inner-harbor.  In addition to serving on the boards of the Greater Baltimore Black Chamber of Commerce (GBBCC) and SelfPride, Inc., he has served as the past president of the Business League of Baltimore, Inc.

Hampton is married to Dr. Theresa Mitchell-Hampton.  He has three children—Kathie, Barry, and John—five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.  He enjoys jogging, walking, traveling, and working around the house.

One of Hampton’s lifetime dreams is to utilize the skills he has learned over the years to conduct a retreat for the leaders and the members of Groove Phi Groove.

Christopher Joyner was born on January 20, 1954 in New Haven, Connecticut, to the late Claude Camel and Minnie Atkinson Joyner.  He is the fourth of six children.  Joyner graduated from James Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1971, where he was an active member of the marching and concert bands.

Joyner attended Houston Tillotson “HT” College in Austin, Texas, on a baseball scholarship for one semester.  He then transferred to Delaware State College in 1973 on a full music scholarship, participating in the marching and concert bands.  Joyner pledged in his first semester at Delaware State, going over on March 30, 1973.  While at Delaware State, he served as Hornet Chapter president and president of the Council of Independent Organizations, the governing body that oversees the non-Greek organizations on campus.  Joyner graduated from Delaware State in 1976 with a B.S. in Business Administration.

Upon graduating from college, Joyner’s first job was with Automatic Switch Company in Florham Park, New Jersey, where he was employed as a credit analyst.  During this time, he was an active member of the New Jersey Graduate Chapter.  Joyner then moved to the Washington, D.C., area and was employed by GAB Business Services as a field claims adjuster.  Five years later, he relocated to Wilmington, Delaware, where he opened a State Farm insurance agency in 1983. He was only the second African-American agent in the state.

Joyner was a founding member of the Wilmington Graduate Chapter and served as its first president.  He also served as the Assistant Regional Director in the North Atlantic Region from 1985 to 1986 and the Graduate Representative to the Executive Board of Directors from 1997 to 1999.  Joyner was elected National President in 1999 and served until 2003.  During his tenure, the process of revamping Groove’s National Constitution and Bylaws began. Also during his tenure, the first National Prayer Breakfast was held at the Conclave in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Joyner serves on the Executive Board of Directors as Past National President and is its vice chairman. His latest project is the organization of the Delaware State Alumni Chapter.

Joyner has served on and chaired many community boards in the Wilmington area, including Junior Achievement of Delaware, the People’s Settlement Association (the first African-American non-profit community center in Delaware), the Eighth Street Baptist Church, the Canaan Baptist Church, and the Wilmington Little League.

Joyner married his college sweetheart Yolanda Renee Bryant (“Renee”). They have three children: Shanisa, James, and Andrew.  Both Renee and Shanisa are members of Swing Phi Swing Social Fellowship, Inc

Victor Henderson was our tenth National President and first International President.  He served as a member of the Executive Board for several years.