MILWAUKEE — Dr. George Koonce and Dr. Howard Fuller have officially joined the ranks of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., one of the nation’s most historic fraternities known for its commitment to community, service, and scholarship.
"I'm so thankful to become a Sigma," said Dr. Koonce.
"I just think you gotta do the best work that you can to help people for as long as you can," added Dr. Fuller.
Watch: Dr. Howard Fuller and Dr. George Koonce inducted into Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
The fraternity counts civil rights icon the late John Lewis, TV personality Al Roker, NFL legend Emmitt Smith, and Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffery Norman among its distinguished brothers.
Dr. Fuller, the former Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, is the founder of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University and the namesake of the Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy.
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
"It's really a humbling experience, and it's an honor to be brought into a fraternity with these men—and to know that I'm also in the same fraternity as John Lewis. That's a very important thing to me," said Fuller.
Dr. Koonce, a member of the Green Bay Packers Super Bowl XXXI team, now serves as Senior Vice President of University Relations at Marian University in Fond du Lac, WI.
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
"It means everything because I try to align myself with an organization that's all about the community, service, and scholarship—and that's what I've been doing in higher education for the last 21 years," said Koonce.
He added, "The chemistry and brotherhood that I feel for the blue and white is identical to what I felt in the locker room when trying to win a championship ring in Green Bay."
The program also included members of Zeta Phi Beta, the sister sorority of Phi Beta Sigma, who joined in celebrating the new brothers.
With their induction, Fuller and Koonce join a fraternity that blends history, service, and brotherhood, both locally and globally.
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