Brother Dr. Robert Davila, 50th Congregation
A native of California, Brother Dr. Robert Davila graduated from the California School for the Deaf, Berkeley. He attended Gallaudet College from 1948 to 1953 and was admitted to the Kappa Gamma Fraternity in February of 1950. He received his Ph.D in Educational Technology from Syracuse University. He served as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the U.S. Department of Education from 1989 to 1993 during the administration of President George H.W. Bush. This is the highest government position ever held by a Deaf individual in the history of the United States. After his stint in the U.S. government, Brother Dr. Davila served as the CEO of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York until his retirement in 2006. After the ‘Unity For Gallaudet’ protests in 2006 left Gallaudet University with no President, Brother Dr. Davila was called upon to become the 9th President of the University. During his term in office, he rejuvenated Gallaudet and instilled a higher sense of scholastic rigor to the academic culture of the university. On December 31, 2009, at the ripe age of 77, Brother Dr. Davila retired for good and left Gallaudet in good hands. He will be always remembered as one of the greatest deaf soldiers to ever grace the Earth.
