Alpha Phi Alpha’s Charles A. Hines Rose to Major General in the Army Before Becoming President of Prairie View A&M University

Did you know that a two-star Army general who went on to serve as president of Prairie View A&M University was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.? His name was Charles A. Hines, and his life of service spanned the battlefield, the classroom, and the highest ranks of both the military and higher education.

Charles A. Hines was born in 1935. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Howard University, the historically Black institution in Washington, D.C., where he was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. through the Beta Chapter. Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans, was founded in 1906 at Cornell University.

Hines went on to serve his country for more than 38 years in the United States Army. A Vietnam veteran, he rose through the ranks to become a Major General, one of the senior general ranks in the Army. Along the way, he continued his education, earning advanced degrees that included a Ph.D. in sociology from Johns Hopkins University.

After his distinguished military career, Hines answered a new calling in education. As the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education notes, in 1994 he was named the sixth president of Prairie View A&M University, one of the nation’s historically Black universities, a post he held until 2002. He later taught at Texas A&M University and in the Texas community college system, sharing his knowledge with a new generation.

Charles A. Hines died on July 4, 2013, at the age of 77. From the Beta Chapter at Howard University to the general’s stars and the university president’s office, he lived a life defined by service and leadership.

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