Irving L. Peddrew III, first Black student at Virginia Tech dies at 88
HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Civil rights pioneer and Hampton native Irving L. Peddrew III died May 11 at the age of 88.
Peddrew integrated Virginia Tech in 1953 and was the first Black student to be admitted to a historically white, four-year public university in any state formerly associated with the confederacy.
He enrolled at Virginia Tech, more than half-a-year before the Supreme Courts Brown v. Board decision and was forced to eat off campus.
Peddrew withdrew from the university before the beginning of his senior year, but he paved the way for the Black students who attended the school after him.
In 2016, he returned to Blacksburg to receive an honorary bachelor’s degree of engineering from the university. During the ceremony Virginia Tech President spoke about Peddrew’s character and the cruel treatment he endured while a student at the university.
“Mr. Peddrew endured unfair and oppressive treatment with dignity and strength, hoping to make a difference for those who would follow him — and he did,” Sands said. “It was an honor to know him and present him with the Virginia Tech degree he earned. He will be remembered as a leader among those who laid the foundation for our growth as a diverse and inclusive institution.”
Rector of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, Ed Baine called Peddrew an inspiring figure for generation of Hokies.
“It takes a special person to be a pioneer,” said Baine, a member of the Class of 1995. “I’m grateful to Irving Peddrew who opened the door for thousands of Black students who followed at Virginia Tech. As a student, he chose to leave after three years, but he came back to Virginia Tech, time-after-time, later in life, to help connect our community. He was a dear member of the Hokie family, and we extend our condolences to his family. We will all miss him.”
Peddrew continued his education at the University of Southern California and had a successful career in business that afforded him the ability to travel extensively.
He later returned to Hampton Roads where he worked at Newport News Shipbuilding and at Hampton University before retiring in 1994.
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