Alpha Kappa Alpha honors 105-year-old Bronx member for 80 years of sisterhood

Clad in hues of pink and green, the signature colors of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., women spanning generations gathered at RiverSpring Living to celebrate the life of its most devoted member, now 105 years old.

Irma Clement has been a Kappa for exactly eight decades, holding membership in three different states. Born on June 14, 1920, in Joliet, Illinois, she marked her 105th trip around the sun the same way she’s lived for 80 years, surrounded by sisterhood.

“I thought all I had to do was show up,” Clement said of her party with a laugh. “Then all these women came in. Women I’ve worked with, traveled with, grown with. I was over the moon.”

She was raised by her mother, a domestic worker, on the outskirts of Alcoa, Tennessee. By the time she was 14, Clement was working as a babysitter and doing odd jobs to help support the household. But education, she said, was always her goal. 

“As long as I can remember, I’ve worked,” she said. “But I decided early that I wanted to go to college, and I did.”

She graduated from Knoxville College in 1945 and joined Alpha Kappa Alpha the same night after months of pledging, inspired by the grace and intellect of the women she had come to admire on campus.

After college, she taught English and civics at Tuskegee Institute, then earned a master’s degree in library science from Atlanta University. Clement later moved to Detroit, where she spent more than 60 years working in the public school system as a librarian and educator.

In the summers, she often worked as a substitute teacher at local colleges. July, she said, was her vacation month and a time for travel.

After retiring, Clement moved to New York City to be near her daughter. But retirement didn’t mean slowing down.

She joined the Bronx chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, where she served as chaplain and remained active in meetings, installations and retreats well into her 90s, and occasionally even in her 100s. She was known for her handwritten notes, spiritual messages and refusal to accept senior discounts.

Clement’s dedication to the sisterhood has always been rooted in something deeper, service to others.

“What drew me in was how intelligent and purposeful those women were,” she said. “I wanted to be part of something that lifted people up.”

Over the decades, Clement helped organize fundraisers for civil rights causes, supported voter registration efforts and encouraged younger sorors to lead with integrity. 

“We weren’t always on the front lines,” she said, “but we supported those who were.”

Friends say Clement lives the values of the sisterhood every day, quietly, but with fierce consistency.

“She’s the definition of what a sister should be,” Claudia Schrader, a longtime member of the Bronx’s Eta Omega Omega chapter, said. “She sends encouragement. And she always has something thoughtful to say.”

Friends said Clement has a way of making people feel seen.

“She remembers everyone’s name,” one said. “She knows our birthdays, our children’s names. She never talks about herself, but she always lifts others up.”

Despite her age, Irma resists sentimentality. When asked how it feels to be 105, she shrugged.

“It’s just a phase,” she said. “I don’t feel any different — except physically, maybe. But I want to stay as long as I can. And I want to be viable.”

Clement said she believes the biggest misconception about aging is people think life winds down. In her view, it can be just the opposite.

“Sometimes life begins when the expectations ease and you have space to just live,” she said. “You don’t need to do anything big to help people. Sometimes a smile is enough. A kind word. Just being there. That’s what makes life worthwhile.”

This story was updated July 3, 2025.