Melville Ballard 11 inch by 14 inch oil on canvas $200 see enlarge image

This is Melville Ballard holding his degree. (1839-1912) He died at age 73. In 1866, he became the first undergraduate student to receive a degree from Gallaudet College. Ballard was a teacher in the Primary Department, known as the Kendall School for more than 50 years. Melville Ballard was born in Fryeburg, Maine. He became Deaf at few months old. He went to American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut.
He graduated from ASD at age eleven. He was hired to teach young children at ASD. In 1860, Edward Miner Gallaudet persuaded Ballard to move to Washington, D.C. to teach in the Primary Department. Ballard wanted to pursue higher education and he urged Edward Miner Gallaudet to establish the collegiate programs. In 1864, Ballard was the first person to apply to the new college for admission. He was accepted and began a two-year course of study in September 1864. At that time there had been only one other student accept to the college who ultimately did not attend. There were six students enrolled in preparatory classes who were not officially considered admitted at the college. Ballard graduated on June 27, 1866 with a Bachelor of Science degree,
and returned to teaching at the Kendall School where he remained until his death. In 1870, he went on to receive a Master of Science degree from Gallaudet. Ballard taught sign language to hearing graduate students in the Normal School in 1891. He was a storyteller at his many lectures in Chapel Hall. In 1871, Ballard and several other men formed the first literary magazine for Deaf people, The Silent World. The magazine only lasted five years. Ballard was the first president of the Gallaudet College Alumni Association.