Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

The first series, History and Administrative Records (1 linear foot), contains early records of the fraternity, including an audio tape interview with one of the early members of the fraternity (J. Leon Langhorne) and a minute book (1909-1927). There are also records of the activities of the fraternity, including parties, workshops, and community service. Administrative and organizational records are contained in this group as well, including organizational charts, officers' reports, minutes of meetings, and several versions of the constitution and bylaws of the chapter. This series also contains two editions of a book by Charles H. Wesley, The History of Alpha Phi Alpha: A Development in College Life, which is a general history of Alpha Phi Alpha from 1906 to 1979. Several references to the Epsilon Chapter and the University of Michigan are made in the book, many of which have been marked.

The Topical Files series (0.1 linear feet and oversize material) consists primarily of photographic and activities-related material. There is also some information from the Theta Zeta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, an alumni and Ann Arbor-based chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha that serves the Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and larger Metro Detroit area and is closely connected with the Epsilon chapter.

The J. Leon Langhorne Papers series (0.1 linear feet) contains material donated by J. Leon Langhorne, who became a member of the Epsilon Chapter in the 1920s. These materials include information about the early history of the Epsilon chapter, student life for African Americans at the University of Michigan in the 1920s, and some of the early members of Alpha Phi Alpha, including some of the founders of the fraternity. There are also a few photographs of Clarence W. Norris, whose writings about his experiences as an African American student at the University of Michigan (from 1923 to 1927) are contained in the Collected Papers folder of this series.