“Linked by Blood, Bound by Service: “Phirst Family Ties"

“The Ivy, The Alpha, The Legacy: One Family’s Story” 

When people talk about Phirst Pham, they usually mean the bond between Alpha Phi Alpha and Alpha Kappa Alpha. But for Adele Jones, that legacy wasn’t just a saying — it was family.

Adele Jones , was not simply another name on the long roster of Alpha Kappa Alpha women. She was the daughter who grew up in the very shadow of Black Greek-letter history, hearing her father’s stories, watching her family weave legacy into everyday life. By the time she reached Howard, Adele carried both expectation and possibility — and she chose to meet that inheritance with action. 

Her father, Eugene Kinckle Jones Sr, was one of the Jewels of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and a central force behind the expansion of the fraternity, including the chartering of Beta Chapter at Howard University in December 1907. This was monumental: Alpha Phi Alpha became the first Black Greek-letter organization to expand to an HBCU.

At the very same time, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority was already in existence — officially approved in November 1907, making it the first Black Greek-letter sorority and the first BGL organization to create a chapter at an HBCU. Adele’s cousin, 2nd cousin from her father, Rosa Vassar, though too young to be a Founder, was among the earliest initiates and bore witness to these formative years of AKA’s life. It was her excitement and tales of the new organization that inspired Eugene to suggest Howard as the fraternity's choice for expansion.

Adele grew up steeped in this dual legacy: one side of her family building the expansion of Alpha, the other nurturing the birth of AKA.

But Adele did not rest in the shadow of history. After enrolling at the University of Michigan, she carried her own torch forward. She played a leading role in reestablishing its earlier Epsilon Chapter roots of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., into the current chapter Beta Eta, in June of 1933. This act ensured that A.K.A. had a stronghold in the Midwest.

Her leadership not only stretched the reach of Alpha Kappa Alpha but also cemented her as one of the sorority’s key expansion figures.

And Adele’s story sits within a family tree that reads like a blueprint of Black Greek life itself:

• Her father, Eugene Kinckle Jones Sr.– Jewel of Alpha Phi Alpha, architect of Beta Chapter.
  
  

• Her cousin, Rosa Vassar – among the earliest initiates & expansionists of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
  
  

• Her cousin, Gwendolyn – a proud Southern AKA.
  
  

• Her brother, Eugene Kinckle Jr. – member of Alpha Phi Alpha.
  
  

• Her second cousin, Vida – initiated into Alpha Chapter, AKA.
  
  

• Her second cousin, Lenora – member of both Alpha and Nu Chapters of AKA.
  
  

• Her husband, Herbert – an Alpha man at the University of Michigan.
  
  

 Adele’s life makes clear that Phirst Pham wasn’t just a phrase in her household — it was a living, breathing legacy. She was the bridge between Howard’s early sorority roots and the broader expansion of AKA across the nation.