HAMPTON, Va. — Irving L. Peddrew III, a Hampton man who was the first African American to attend Virginia Tech, passed away Saturday, according to a statement from the school. He was 88.
Peddrew was the first to integrate Virginia Tech classrooms in 1953, and was forced to live and eat off campus, according to the school.
Peddrew is now the namesake of a residence hall that houses a Black culture-themed living/learning community
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The school said Peddrew was also the first Black student admitted to a four-year public institution in any of the 11 former states of the Confederacy.
Peddrew ultimately did not choose to graduate from Virginia Tech but the school named its Peddrew-Yates Hall after him and Charlie L. Yates, who was the first black graduate in 1958.
Peddrew received an honorary degree from Tech in 2016, making him the ninth person to do so.
“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,” said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands.
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“It was an honor to know him and present him with the Virginia Tech degree he earned," Sands added. "He will be remembered as a leader among those who laid the foundation for our growth as a diverse and inclusive institution.”
After Virginia Tech, Peddrew continued his education at the University of Southern California and went on to work in business out of San Francisco.
He eventually returned to Virginia and worked at Newport News Shipbuilding, then later at Hampton University.
Peddrew retired in 1994.
