Remembering the first Black Deaf woman to graduate from Gallaudet

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Ida Gray Hampton graduated from Gallaudet College in 1957.

Some events in the life of Ida Gray Hampton:

Born Nov. 13, 1935 in Richmond, Virginia.
She had six brothers and sisters.
Her family moved to Conemaugh Township in Pennsylvania when she was three years old.
Hampton became deaf around the age of 14.
She attended Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Pittsburgh and graduated in 1952.
Later than year, she entered Gallaudet College (then known as Columbia Institution for the Deaf).
While at Gally, Hampton was a member of the Delta Epsilon sorority, worked at the student newspaper and the yearbook.
In 1956, she served as chairperson for the group that oversaw women students in the residence halls.
Hampton received her bachelor’s degree in Education with honors in May 1957.
She went on to teach at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind for 32 years.
Hampton passed away on May 19, 2026 in Kissimmee, Florida at the age of 90.