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From those humble but solid beginnings, it was impossible for these two new parents to ever imagine at that time, what significant contributions to Black history that their child would make for himself… and for that matter, the list of “firsts” that would be associated with him throughout his lifetime. Their son Marion grew up to serve two terms each as 1st Vice Grand Basileus of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, then Grand Basileus of the Fraternity, historic because Omega was the first Black fraternal organization founded on the campus of an historically Black college or university. Prior to that distinction, Garnett served as the Fraternity’s Grand Counselor when J. Franklin Spruill was elected at the Pittsburgh Grand Conclave to succeed him. These were three monumental achievements for the son and grandson of small town Baptist ministers, but only three from that long list of firsts previously mentioned.

Growing up in Jeffersonville, Marion attended public elementary and high schools. Just like other public schooling at the time, students in Jeffersonville were segregated and were taught at three different schools. White male students attended one school and White female students attended another school. However, every Black student, regardless of their gender, attended Taylor High School. After graduating from Taylor in 1935 along with a class of just seven students, Marion briefly attended Louisville Municipal College, working part-time in government jobs in the building construction industry as a Rock Mason. Not one to be satisfied and settle for the status quo, Garnett enlisted in the U.S. Navy after the outbreak of WWII, serving from October 1942 until he was Honorably Discharged on October 8, 1945 with the rank of QM2. While he was stationed in California, Marion met and married a Benton Harbor, Michigan co-ed named Juanita Oretta Nogest on April 29, 1944. From that union that lasted 51 years came two children – a son Marion Francis and a daughter Galda Irma. Today, son Marion Francis Garnett has a career in transportation, lives in Chicago, and has one daughter. Garnett’s daughter Galda Irma Garnett – who was called to the ministry and is now Rev. Galda McCants, is married to Omega man Rev. Bro. Gary McCants (Tau’69). The couple have four children – three girls and a boy – and reside in Springfield, IL.

Marion had always been a good student in school, evidenced by him completing high school by the time he was sixteen. With that desire to learn, plus his veteran benefits and a new wife, he moved back to Jeffersonville for a short time after his naval discharge, then moved to Chicago later in 1945 and enrolled at the prestigious University of Chicago, earning a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1947. Marion attributed a big part of his decision to attend the U of C to a wealthy uncle who owned a post office and allowed him to work there. Noteworthy too, is in the schools fifty-seven years of existence at that time, this was the largest graduating class in the history of the university with over 1,100 members that received undergraduate degrees along with Garnett. One of those receiving their degree was Betty Ann Colwell, the daughter of Dr. Ernest C. Colwell, the President of the University of Chicago. The graduate schools also bestowed the largest number of graduate degrees that year as well.

Garnett’s June 1947 degree was not his only accomplishment that year. On August 12th he began a life-long commitment to service to his fellow man when he crossed the burning sands and was initiated into the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity through the Iota Chapter in Chicago. In another “first” associated with Garnett, Iota Chapter – which was transferred to the campus of the University of Chicago as an undergraduate chapter on October 12, 1923 – was actually established in Atlantic City, NJ three years earlier as the first graduate Chapter of the Fraternity on August 17, 1920.

Continuing his studies, Garnett was accepted into the University of Chicago’s Law School from where he was awarded a Juris Doctor degree in 1950, passing the Illinois Bar exam that same year – before his graduation. This began his distinguished career as a jurist. During Garnett’s law school student years, he found time to serve as Basileus of Iota Chapter from 1949 to 1951. He later joined the Sigma Omega graduate chapter in Chicago, serving on several committees before serving as Vice Basileus of the chapter from 1956-1957 and Basileus of the chapter from 1958 to 1959. In continuing with Garnett’s association with “firsts” – Sigma Omega was the first graduate chapter of the Fraternity to be established in Chicago on October 1, 1923 – twelve days before the transfer of the Iota Chapter charter to the U of C from Atlantic City… but Sigma Omega Chapter was not the first chapter established in Chicago.

Garnett dove head first into the practice of law, and over a distinguished 44-year career, he was licensed to practice in all the courts from the lower level, up to and including the highest court in the land, specifically: United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois (1954), Supreme Court of the United States (1965) and the United States Court Appeals 7th Circuit(1968). As an attorney he was a Partner with the Chicago firms of Wilson & Garnett from 1950-1953 and Hunter, Wilson & Garnett from 1954-1964.

It was during his time in Sigma Omega that the desire to seek higher office in the Fraternity began to take hold. One of his mentors in the chapter was Leo. M. Zinn – who had been initiated into the Fraternity through the Sigma Omega chapter in 1936. Zinn had taken Garnett under his wing. In a 1980 interview, when asked what brought the two of them together in their special bond, Zinn said he saw “greatness” in Garnett. That mentoring led directly to Garnett’s election, first as Vice Basileus of Sigma Omega (1956-1957),then as Basileus of the chapter (1957-1959). It also didn’t hurt that Garnett was a Life Member of the Fraternity and an accomplished orator, blessed with the gift of gab, wrapped in a low-key but dynamic personality. The record will show, as Zinn ascended in the Fraternity, so did Garnett.

From there Garnett served the international body of the Fraternity as the national Chairman of several committees, including the Resolutions Committee (1959), the Constitution and Bylaws Committee (1960-1961) and the Recommendation Committee (1962-1964). Political relationships and associations aside, this “tag team” is what helped to engineer Garnet’s election as Grand Counselor at the 1964 Denver Conclave over Past Grand Counselor Carl A. Earles of the 12th District, in what was described as, “a heated race”. With his re-election, Garnett served in the capacity of Grand Counselor until 1970. History will also tell us that at this Denver Grand Conclave when Garnett was elected Grand Counselor, Dorsey W. Miller of the 7th District was elected 2nd Vice Grand Basileus by just 1 vote. Miller would go on to become Omega’s 35th Grand Basileus thirty years later in 1994 – one of two 2nd Vice Grand Basilei to also be elected Grand Basileus, with Miller being the first to do so.

One of Garnett’s clients included the International Association of Railroad Employees Inc., an all-Black union. In 1969 Garnett filed a lawsuit in behalf of the union members, charging the Illinois Central, the Order of Railway Conductors and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen with hiring Blacks as porters and mail handlers while refusing to employ them as conductors, engineers and yard switchmen. It was also during this time that he won a landmark case, Bowe v. Colgate-Palmolive on September 26, 1969.

The Bowe v. Colgate-Palmolive case is significant because many jobs that had been for men only were made available for women – so long as they could meet the physical requirements. The bona fide occupational qualification exception to Title VII – permitting discrimination where it is reasonably necessary to the job – therefore would no longer be used to exclude women from most job opportunities. Also, significant here, is that 98 percent of the women he represented in the case were White.

In 1971 Garnett’s firm merged as Rogers, Garnett, Harth, Vital & Stroger, where he remained until 1974. But a higher calling was in store for Garnett on two fronts… In 1970 at the Pittsburgh Grand Conclave, and again at the 1971 Houston Grand Conclave, Garnett was elected and re-elected 1st Vice Grand Basileus of the Fraternity. In 1973 at the St. Louis Grand Conclave, outgoing Grand Basileus James S. Avery passed the gavel to Garnett as the incoming Grand Basileus of the Fraternity, where he served until 1976.

The other members of the Supreme Council who were elected with Garnett during his first term included two future Grand Basilei: 1st Vice Grand Basileus Bro. Edward Braynon, Jr. (30^th) and Undergraduate Representative Bro. Warren G. Lee (38^th). In 1974 at the age of 55, Garnett became the Hon. Judge Marion W. Garnett when he was appointed to the bench as an Associate Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County in Chicago, and two years later on November 2, 1976 at the age of 57, he was elected to a full Judgeship of the Circuit Court of Cook County where he served until he retired from the bench in 1994 as a Supervising Judge of the Pre-Trial Section of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

During Judge Garnett’s tenure as Grand Basileus, “Encouragement to Participate” was the stated aim of his administration. He wanted every Chapter and District to observe all the Nationally Mandated Programs, he wanted all committees and commissions to function with efficiency and inspirational zeal, and he wanted the Officers and other leaders in the Fraternity, “to serve, not rule, and to lead in the further enhancement of the glory of Omega, not themselves”. In keeping with his theme of firsts, Grand Basileus Garnett appointed John Williams of the Nu Omega chapter in Detroit, Michigan as the first, official photographer of the Oracle. The Founders Memorial Monument was also dedicated under his administration on November 16, 1975 on the campus of Howard University in Washington, DC, and Eta Omega Chapter in Atlanta, GA hosted the largest Grand Conclave in the history of the Fraternity.

But there were also low points during Bro. Garnett’s term as Grand Basileus, including the deaths of Omega’s Dr. Percy L. Julian, Past Grand Basilei Julius S. McClain and George E. Mears and the passing of the Hon. Judge William H. Hastie, a jurist in arms. But the seminal event likely to be remembered by all members of the Fraternity during Grand Basileus Garnett’s time was also a sad one, and directly relating to the Founders Memorial Monument on the campus of Howard University, in the passing to Omega Chapter of the Fraternity’s last living Founder, the Hon. Bishop Edgar Amos Love on May 1, 1974.

Judge Garnett’s faith taught him to believe that the purpose of human existence is to love, worship, and serve God in thought, word, and deed, and, grounded in this relationship with God, to love and serve others. His politics say that Christians should engage the culture through discipleship and through participation in the democratic political process in order to fulfill the kingdom mandate taught in the Bible. Judge Garnett’s personal view was all Christians need to be familiar with the Bible, because it contains a wide variety of literature, including history, law, poetry, gospels, letters, polemic, stories and apocalyptic visions, and try to immerse themselves in it.

Garnett served on the Supreme Council for fifteen years in his service as Grand Counselor, First Vice Grand Basileus and Grand Basileus. During that time, he was a man with a warm demeanor and sense of humor and always prepared with a joke appropriate for any audience or to fit any occasion. With his signature cigar and an offer of advice to any smart enough to listen, he will forever be remembered as Judge Garnett… or simply, “Brother Grand”.