Lambda Kappa Omega History

Charter Members, circa 1976
The Lambda Kappa Omega Chapter was chartered on December 18, 1976 by 23 renowned women. Beatrice Harrington, Ora Lawson, and Thelma Calbert were driven by an unparalleled commitment to serve all mankind, and they undertook the challenge of contacting other Alpha Kappa Alpha women in the area with one goal in mind. They wanted to assess the level of interest in forming a local chapter. The process began in the summer of 1975 with phone calls and advertisements in the local papers. The response was resounding and an interest group was formed on January 18, 1976. In February, the women formed an interim organization and continued to meet monthly until December of the same year when the Lambda Kappa Omega pearl was added to the velvet strand of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated ®.

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, Janet Ballard, conducted the chartering ceremony at the home of Mrs. Estelle Gaymon, our first president who served during the years of 1976 and 1977. The chapter named a four-year scholarship in memory of Soror Gaymon. Since charter, Lambda Kappa Omega has grown from nineteen members to over 150 members and maintained its dedication to providing education, health, leadership development, economic security, human rights and social justice services to the residents of Fairfax County, Virginia. Our members include attorneys, physicians, computer scientists, educators, librarians, corporate and non-profit senior level executives, surgical nurses, counselors, accountants, realtors, and entrepreneurs who have been active at all levels of AKA.

Charter Members

Thelma N. Calbert
Carol Smith Carter
Ella Clark*
Estelle Gaymon*
Minnie Goodman*
Dianne S. Hardison
Beatrice Harrington*
Catherine Hudgins
Vanessa Chambers Jackson
Pearl Jones*
Ora R. Lawson*
Eula Marie Lovett
Blondell McKnight*
Barbara Merriweather*
Brenda Metze
Flodella Mitchell
Sylvia Mundy*
Maryann Rozzell
Lois Brent-Shaw
Kathleen Sullivan*
Laura Thomas
Ora Tolbert Washington*
Della Webb

Chapter Presidents

Estelle Gaymon,* 1976-1977
Virginia Simms, 1978-1979
Ora R. Lawson,* 1980-1981
Brenda Irons-LeCesne, 1982-1985
Bernice Tate,* 1986-1987
Dianne S. Hardison, 1988-1991
Thelma Calbert, 1992-1993
Bettye Maye, 1994-1995
Coralease Ruff, 1996-1999
Tracy Bunch, 2000-2002
LaVerne Buchanan,* 2003-2005
Brenda Welburn, 2006-2007
Michel Burris, 2007-2008
Karen Washington, 2009-2012
Renee Harrison, 2013-2014
Kimberly Highsmith, 2015-2018
Sanita Walker-Resper, 2019-2022
Marcia Morris, 2023-Present

* Ivy Beyond the Wall