Edward C. Merrill Jr. (January 29, 1920 – January 27, 1995) was the fourth President of

Gallaudet University Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first sc ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Under his administration from 1969 to 1983, the College made preparations for the expanded population of deaf students due to the

Rubella Rubella, also known as German measles or three-day measles, is an infection caused by the rubella virus. This disease is often mild, with half of people not realizing that they are infected. A rash may start around two weeks after exposure and ...

epidemic in the 1960s. This was called "The Rubella Bulge." Dr. Merrill also oversaw the era of the Stokoe Linguistics Lab, when the use of

American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual lang ...

as a natural human language acquired increasing acceptance in Deaf education. He obtained a bachelor's in English from the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

in 1942, a master's in Educational Administration and Supervision from the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

in 1948, and a Ph.D. Degree in Educational Administration from

George Peabody College for Teachers Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. ...

in 1954. He was awarded an honorary

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

degree by Gallaudet in 1969.Candid Interview With Dr. Merrill, ''Buff and Blue'', Vol. 91, No. 9
January 29, 1982
, p. 10

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merrill, Edward 1920 births 1995 deaths Presidents of Gallaudet University University of Tennessee alumni University of North Carolina alumni Peabody College alumni