The Ira Dorsey Scholarship Endowment Fund, Inc. is named in honor of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. member and Army Colonel Ira Dorsey. Colonel Dorsey graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1960 and was the only black graduate in the class of 498 graduates. He would go on to have a distinguished military career that included two combat tours in Vietnam, and Battalion Command.

Colonel Dorsey was also very active in the communities where he served. An ardent supporter of higher education, Colonel Dorsey worked tirelessly with young people to prepare them for college and find scholarships. Those who knew him – his family, his fraternity brothers, and others he served with in the military – all say that he was an inspiration, determined to be successful in his endeavors.