In March, Virginia Tech students honored Irving Peddrew, the first African American student to attend Virginia Tech, by dedicating the 2023 Ring Dance to him. A group of Black alumni were on hand to witness this living legend receive his accolades.
Peddrew was as an electrical engineering major and member of the Corps of Cadets in 1953. He studied three years at Virginia Tech before moving to California to work and did not complete his degree program. In 2016, Peddrew was presented with an honorary bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
The next time you're on campus be sure to visit Peddrew-Yates Residence Hall, the first building at Virginia Tech named in honor of Peddrew and Charlie L. Yates, Virginia Tech’s first black graduate. The building was dedicated in April 2003.
Yates, received a B.S. in Mechanical engineering in 1958, was a member of the corps of cadets and later a member of the College of Engineering faculty. He died in 2010 died after a long battle with leukemia.
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