Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Omicron Beta Sigma Chapter
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Omicron Beta Sigma Chapter
Omicron Beta Sigma History
2025 - 2027 Executive Board
Distinguished Service Chapter Brothers
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Honorable Arthur R. Thomas Esq.
31st International President
Arthur Ray Thomas was born 4th of 12 Children to Artellus Thomas, Jr & Ernestine Anderson Thomas on August 17, 1951 in Ville Platte, Louisiana; All Around Athlete at James Stephens High School with outstanding recognition in Basketball & Tennis; Inducted into Rho Chapter 11/13/1971 and Co-Founder of Elected as Louisiana 1st Vice State Director ; Gulf Coast Region Legal Counsel; Gulf Coast Region 1st Vice Regional Director; Gulf Coast Regional Director: PBS International Legal Counsel; PBS International First Vice President, PBS 31st International President, and Founder and President Emeritus of National Sigma Beta Club Foundation.
He is an accomplished attorney who has worked tirelessly on behalf of political and social issues affecting young African Americans, seniors and the disadvantaged. His work to provide assistance in securing affordable housing has helped many gain a foothold on the path to a better life. Thomas has also served as a staff member for U.S. Congressman Gillis Long and is a past president of the Southern University Law Center Alumni Association and the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society.
Thomas entered Southern University in Baton Rouge and after his junior year in 1971 joined the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Motivated by the prejudice he experienced growing up in a small town, he decided to pursue a law degree. "In a place like Ville Platte it's obvious," he said in an interview with Contemporary Black Biography (CBB). "Blacks lived on one side of the tracks, whites on the other. Doctors' offices had separate doors for the races and blacks had difficulty securing employment. All this was in the back of my mind. I wanted to go back and help."
His college years were a time of major social and political change in America; many colleges were experiencing campus unrest. Thomas worked along side fellow members of the Black Stone Society, a group of political science students seeking to improve conditions on campus. During Thomas' last year there activists seized the administration building to protest conditions. National guardsmen were called in and two students were killed. This early exposure to political activism and a desire to improve the lives of young people would become a persistent theme of Thomas' work during law school and in the coming decades. In 1972 Thomas received a bachelor's degree in political science and in 1976 he graduated from the Southern University Law Center.
Honorable Judge Luke A. LaVergne, Retired
Judge LaVergne is the 5th of 10 children born to Adam LaVergne, Jr. and Ida Nero LaVergne. He was reared in and around Lawtell/Opelousas Louisiana. After graduation from Plaisance High School, he joined the United States Air Force. While serving in the Air Force, he attended college on his off duty time. The Air Force sent him full time to the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he received his undergraduate degree in Business and Finance from the University of Nebraska in 1969, he obtained his Masters Degree in Guidance and Counseling in 1974, from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He served with the Air Force in Germany, Alaska and the Far East, and throughout the United States, As an enlisted man he was initially assigned to repair the RADAR systems on fighter aircraft.
After obtaining his undergraduate degree, he went to officer training school and was promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant and rose through the ranks. From 1970-73, He was the officer in charge of an Avionics Squadron at Travis AFB, Ca., and served on the Inspector General Team. From 1973-75, he served in the Directorate of Avionics, Headquarters Military Airlift Command where he was in charge of avionics on all aircraft in the command including Air Force. From 1975 to 1979, the last four years of his 23 1/2 year military career, he was assigned as an Assistant Professor of Aerospace studies to teach Air Force R.O.T.C. at LSU, Baton Rouge.
After retiring in 1979, with the rank of Captain, he entered LSU Law School graduating in 1982, and was admitted to the Bar to practice law in October 1982. He served as an assistant district attorney in East Baton Rouge Parish from 1982 to December 1984, was appointed several times to sit as Judge Pro Tempere of the Baton Rouge City Court from 1988 to 1992, and served as assistant Parish Attorney from 1990 to 1992. He also maintained a full time general law practice from 1982 to 1992 until he was elected to the Bench. He has been admitted to practice before all Louisiana courts, the Federal courts: Middle District of Louisiana, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Judge LaVergne has been very active in legal circles including the local, state and national bar associations, and was one of the more active and visible attorneys in Baton Rouge He has served on the boards of: The National Bar Association-Judicial Council, as Treasurer, and the Baton Rouge Bar Association; he was a Delegate to the Louisiana State Bar Association; served on the Board of The Louisiana Judicial College; and served two years as president of the Black Lawyer group, the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, which is an affiliate chapter of the National Bar Association. He is currently on the board of the Louisiana Judicial Council/NBA-treasurer; and serves on the Council of the Louisiana State Civil Law Institute.
He has also been a very active member of his community. He has served on the Boards of many community agencies and organizations, including Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, The Baton Rouge Symphony, The Boy Scouts of America Istrouma Council, and the YMCA. He currently serves on the Boards of: Our Lady of the Lake College, Louisiana men’s Health organization, St. Paul Community Outreach Foundation and Volunteer Health Corps of Baton Rouge. He was active with Metro Lions Club, the South Baton Rouge Kiwanis Club, and the Baton Rouge Rotary Club. He is a charter member of 100 Black Men of Baton Rouge, and a Life member Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. In 2003 at the National Conclave in Detroit, MI, he received his fraternity’s highest honor by his induction into the National Distinguished Service Chapter. He was only the 137th member to be inducted during the Fraternity’s 94 year history with now over 105,000 members.
Honorable Bro. Shirl Gilbert II
Brother Dr. Shirl Gilbert II is a celebrated educator, transformational leader, and lifelong advocate for equity in education. A National Distinguished Service Chapter Member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Bro. Dr. Gilbert has dedicated more than five decades to educational excellence, including over 20 years as a superintendent and Deputy Superintendent at the Louisiana State Department of Education.
His academic credentials reflect a lifelong commitment to learning and leadership. He holds a Post-Doctoral Certificate in Leadership from Harvard University, a Ph.D. in Educational Administration, Curriculum & Instruction, and Statistics from Purdue University, a Master’s degree in Educational Administration and Personnel Function from Southern Illinois University, and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a concentration in Science and Math from Harris Teachers College.
Dr. Gilbert’s professional journey spans school districts across the country, including leadership roles in Indianapolis, Philadelphia, East Baton Rouge, Lakewood (WA), Tacoma, Petersburg (VA), and East Chicago Heights (IL). He has served as Superintendent of Schools, Deputy Superintendent, Executive Director, and Principal, overseeing districts as large as 210,000 students. His experience also includes tenure as a university professor at Purdue University and CEO of Educational Solutions, Inc., a national consulting firm supporting school turnaround initiatives.
A respected voice in the education community, Dr. Gilbert has been an active member of major national organizations such as the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE), and the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) since the 1970s.
His many honors include:
- The Sagamore of the Wabash, Indiana’s highest civilian honor, awarded by Governor Evan Bayh
- The Achievement in Education Award from the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce
- The Community Service Award from the Marion County Bar Association
- Phi Delta Kappa’s Service to Education Award
- Recognition as Runner-Up for Indianapolis "Man of the Year" in 1993
- Beyond the classroom, Dr. Gilbert served on the Board of Directors of the Pacific Harbors Boy Scout Council, chaired the Lakes District, and was appointed by Illinois Governor James Thompson to the School Problems Commission in 2005.
A Legacy Life Member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Dr. Gilbert has held leadership positions at the national, regional, state, and local levels. His unwavering commitment to scholarship, service, and brotherhood continues to inspire generations of educators and community leaders.
