Charles L. McRae was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on August 22, 1953 to the late John and Mildred McRae. He is the tenth child of his eleven siblings. He received his education in the Elizabeth public education system where he received his high school diploma in 1971. He attended Rutgers College of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey where he major in Africana Studies, and received his Bachelors of Arts Degree in 1975.

 

Brother McRae married the former Sylvia Orange on August 27, 1983 in Elizabeth N.J. They reside in Plainfield N.J. and have two children. He joined Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, on March 30, 1973 as a member of the Delta Eta Chapter, a City chapter in Philadelphia PA. On March 9, 1974, Brother McRae became a charter member of the Eta Epsilon Chapter at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.  Upon his graduation from Rutgers, he along with nine other Kappa Men chartered the New Brunswick Alumni Chapter on March 9, 1978.  

Brother McRae is synonymous with Kappa Alpha Psi in New Brunswick.  He has been ever present and dedicated to seeing the fraternity serve the local community and to see the bond of brotherhood as that of family.  He has served the New Brunswick Alumni Chapter in numerous capacities including Polemarch (President), Vice Polemarch (Vice President) and Chairman of numerous committees including the fundraising committee and toys for tots toy drive committee. It is only fitting that when the DIAMOND Foundation was created in 2003 that Brother McRae was unanimously selected as the foundation’s first chairman.  The New Brunswick Alumni Chapter established the Charles L. McRae Scholarship Award in 2010 in honor of Brother McRae tireless service to the fraternity.