Dr. Isaac O. Agboola

 *** NOTE: For the Guestbook, you MUST write in your message. Do NOT copy and paste your message, it will appear blank ***Dr. Isaac Agboola was born on July 6, 1956 and was the first child of his family. He became deaf as a result of spinal meningitis when he was 10, just a few weeks after he completed elementary school. His parents were unsure of what to do and how to educate him further given his deafness, but luckily found the former Ibadan Mission School for the Deaf, now Christian Mission School for the Deaf, where he was admitted in 1971. There, was forced to repeat the sixth grade because the school didn’t have higher levels of education, and he learned to communicate in sign. At this school, he met Dr. Andrew Foster, who would have such a profound impact on his life and that of many other deaf Africans. Because of his young age, he didn’t have many options for continuing his education after repeating the sixth grade, but Dr. Foster saw the promise in him and hired him as a typist while he waited to meet the age range to apply to a vocational school.. Dr. Foster offered him the job even though at the time he was hired, he couldn’t type, but he believed in Isaac, and his belief was vindicated as Isaac quickly learned to type. He then worked with Dr. Foster for about a year before enrolling in vocational school to learn to become a painter. Isaac never did attend high school because at the time, mainstream high schools in Nigeria did not allow deaf students to enroll and there were no high schools specifically for deaf students. After graduation, he worked for a while as a painter while studying on his own to pass the high school courses that were not open to him due to his deafness. His persistence paid off as he was able to apply to Gallaudet and easily passed the entrance exams. He worked hard to earn bachelor, masters and doctoral degrees, becoming the first person from Andrew Foster’s schools in Africa to earn a Ph.D.. Consequently he was the first Black Deaf person to become a professor, chairperson of an academic department, and then dean at Gallaudet University.Isaac was renowned for his generosity to individuals and his involvement and giving to many community initiatives. He served as a mentor to generations of Gallaudet students, and always had an open door policy even while he was dean. He raised significant funds for the Christian Mission for the Deaf Church in Lagos, Nigeria, and worked to advance the education of deaf people in that country. The governor of his home state invited him to give lectures about advancing deaf education in the region and Isaac served on several boards including that of the National Black Deaf Advocates, the Gallaudet University Alumni Association, and the American School for the Deaf, the first school for deaf children in the United States.Isaac was happily married to his teenage sweetheart Jumoke Agboola, for 34 years. Together, they have four daughters: Julie, Elizabeth, Michelle and Linda.Isaac is survived by his mother, Comfort; his brothers Wole, Thomas, Morakin, and Sunday, and his sister Omololu. in addition to many other extended family members both in the United States and Nigeria, including his uncle Dr. Moses Omole, who was instrumental in introducing him to Andrew Foster and his uncle Dr. Julius Omole who supported him in his endeavors in the United States.