Basileus Welcome
Nu Gamma Gamma Chapter, is nestled in the beautiful and culturally rich country referred to as the “Land between Two Seas”, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; at the “Cross Roads of the Americas” in Panama City, Panama. The Omega men in the Republic of Panama had been meeting for at least two years prior to receiving their charter. whereupon Brother Ernest M. Dilworth, a Captain in the U.S. Army wrote to the Fraternity’s National Headquarters to express the desire of the Brothers to establish a chapter in Central America. Via Grand Basileus Moses C. Norman, Sr. On December 7, 1985, the charter of Nu Gamma Gamma was approved by a vote of the Supreme Council lead by the International Chapter Liaison, Brother Richard H. Smith. The chapter consisted of men serving in the U.S. Military and U.S. Government services serving in Panama and throughout Central, South America and the Caribbean. Nu Gamma Gamma conducted its Charter initiation which inducted its inaugural Membership Intake with two candidates, Jerome (Duke) Haggins and Macio Hill on May 22th, 1987. In 1994 the Chapter had the distinct honor of welcoming the 34th Grand Basileus C. Tyrone Gilmore to visit the brothers of the Isthmus during the chapters 1994 Madi Gras fund raiser. The chapter continued building and developing a strong and visible presence throughout the region. The work being done by the chapter was far reaching and caught the attention of the U.S. Ambassador in Jamaica. The Ambassador sent a letter of interest to the chapter for information and process to become a member of the fraternity. The chapter secured approval from the International Headquarters and established a selection and membership intake program whereby the U. S. Ambassador to Jamaica, the Honorable Gary Jerome Cooper was successfully initiated into the chapter on July 21st 1995. The chapter was honored again when it welcomed the sitting Grand Basileus; the 35th Grand Basileus Dorsey Miller in February of 1996. The chapter conducted six additional membership intake programs while in Panama totaling 20 men who were serving in the region.
The Thirteenth International District was formerly approved by the Supreme Council at its meeting on December 3, 1993 in Cleveland, Ohio. At the first District meeting the “First Chapter of the Year Award” was presented to Nu Gamma Gamma.
The withdrawal of U.S. Military forces in Panama and the subsequent closure of all U.S. Military Bases in December 1999, Nu Gamma Gamma Chapter embarked on a journey across the Caribbean to Puerto Rico where the chapter initiated 5 new members in the year 2000. Unfortunately, U.S. military bases in Puerto Rico would also close, which forced Nu Gamma Gamma in an inactive status.
The military command then moved to San Antonio Texas thereby removing the chapter from the Thirteenth District.
In the summer of 2007, the District received a letter from Brother Kweku Winful in Canada. This letter led to the re-establishment of Nu Gamma Gamma presence in Canada. Nu Gamma Gamma chapter was transferred and reactivated in Ottawa, Canada in January 2008. In February 2008, Nu Gamma Gamma also established an undergraduate presence and were privileged to initiate eight young men from Carleton University. This inaugural line of the reactivated Nu Gamma Gamma Chapter in Canada was known as the OMEstad 8 and included:
The initiation took place in Toronto, Canada, and present were Brothers from Texas (9th District), Washington State (12th District), Buffalo, NY (2nd District), and Brothers from the 13th District.
Over this twenty-year journey, Nu Gamma Gamma yielded varying degrees of success as neither Puerto Rico nor Canada could sustain the Chapter. On March 30, 2020, the District
Representative. Dr. Trevor Hodge made a formal request to the Executive Director at the International Headquarters to reactivate Nu Gamma Gamma after several years of inactivity. In May 2020, however, with the consent and approval of the Thirteenth District Representative and the Supreme Council, Nu Gamma Gamma Chapter, like the proverbial “Phoenix” rising from the ashes, was re-established as a fully functional and financial Chapter of the 13th International District again in the Republic of Panama, original place of charter Panama City, Panama.
Yours in Omega
Brother Harry (“Harry T”) Turner
Basileus, Nu Gamma Gamma