Percival Hall (September 16, 1872 – November 7, 1953)
was the second president of Gallaudet University (then Gallaudet College) from 1910 until 1945. He was a strong advocate of the use of

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...

in the

education of the deaf Deaf education is the education of students with any degree of hearing loss or deafness. This may involve, but does not always, individually-planned, systematically-monitored teaching methods, adaptive materials, accessible settings, and othe ...

, and also an advocate for deaf rights to vote, work, participate in sports, marry, and drive automobiles.

Early life and education

The son of astronomer

Asaph Hall Asaph Hall III (October 15, 1829 – November 22, 1907) was an American astronomer who is best known for having discovered the two moons of Mars, Deimos and Phobos, in 1877. He determined the orbits of satellites of other planets and of double s ...

, III (1829–1907) and

Angeline Stickney Hall Chloe Angeline Stickney Hall (November 1, 1830 – July 3, 1892) was an American mathematician and suffragist who was the wife of astronomer Asaph Hall. Stickney Hall was an active participant in her husband's search for the moons of Mars, perfo ...

(1830–1892), he was born in Georgetown, Washington, DC, the youngest of four brothers. His eldest brother was Asaph Hall, Jr. Percival Hall took a degree in mathematics at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1892. While still a student, he worked as an architectural surveyor for the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) railroad, making drawings of existing structures with plans for improving bridges, as well as plans for proposed structures in the expansion of the railroad. The work was hard, as much of the time was spent in wild areas that required him to camp; hunting and cooking his own food. He observed that he saw few older people in this employment and that the work took a heavy toll on his colleagues.From a personal collection of letters. S.A. Hall A friend and roommate from Harvard, Allen Bradshaw Fay, whose father, Edward Allen Fay, was the Vice President of Gallaudet College, suggested that he teach the deaf. Initially his family tried to dissuade him, as they felt that, with his adventurous spirit, he would soon be bored with life as a teacher. But, Hall felt that he could make a contribution to the developing field of deaf education.

Gallaudet

Hall entered Gallaudet's Normal School, graduating with an MA in

deaf education Deaf education is the education of students with any degree of hearing loss or deafness. This may involve, but does not always, individually-planned, systematically-monitored teaching methods, adaptive materials, accessible settings, and othe ...

in 1893. Following his graduation, he taught at the

New York School for the Deaf The New York School for the Deaf is a private school for the deaf in Greenburgh, New York, in Westchester County just north of New York City, United States. History The New York School for the Deaf was chartered in 1817 as the New York Insti ...

for two years before teaching mathematics and Latin at Gallaudet. He became president after the retirement of President

Edward Miner Gallaudet Edward Miner Gallaudet (February 5, 1837 – September 26, 1917), son of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Sophia Fowler Gallaudet, was the first president of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. (then known as the Columbia Institution for th ...

in 1910. In 1935, President Hall was given an Honorary Doctorate (L.H.D.) by the college. He felt that, given the opportunity of higher education, there were many fields in which deaf people could excel. He published many articles on the education of the deaf. He retired from the Gallaudet presidency in 1945.

Family life

Hall married Carolyn L. Clarke in June 1895, but she later died of illness in January 1896. In June 1900, he marrie
Ethel Zoe Taylor
who had been a deaf student at Gallaudet, shortly after she earned her BA. They had three children, Percival Hall, Jr. (1901 – 1968), professor of mathematics and astronomy at Gallaudet; Marion Hall Fisher, a writer (1905 – deceased, April 4, 1983); an
Jonathan Hall
(1912 – 2008), professor of natural science at Gallaudet. Jonathan was born in "House One," on campus, on February 6, 1912."An Engaging Teacher, Whether In the Classroom or With Pets," Matt Schudel, ''The Washington Post,'' March 16, 2008 p. C8

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Percival 1872 births 1953 deaths Presidents of Gallaudet University Harvard University alumni Academics from Washington, D.C. Mathematics educators Gallaudet University alumni