Elizabeth DeLong School of the Deaf

Elizabeth DeLong
School of the Deaf

Written by Jodi Becker Kinner

Published in 2019
Updated in 2020
Updated again in 2023

Elizabeth DeLong. FamilySearch.org

History of the Naming of the School

After seeing the biography of Elizabeth DeLong, a renowned Deaf Utahn, posted on the Better Days 2020 website (authored by Jodi Becker Kinner), the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) administrators recommended that the new Deaf school in Springville, Utah, be named after her.

Michelle Tanner @ Twitter

The Utah School for the Deaf announced the opening of a new deaf school in Springville, Utah, named the "Elizabeth DeLong School of the Deaf," in honor of Elizabeth DeLong, in October 2019 after receiving approval from the Utah State Board of Education and the USDB Advisory Council. (USDB website). On January 6, 2020, the school began operations. It is an excellent way to carry on her legacy. Libbie was likely motivated to pursue her academic, political, and spiritual aspirations by the early Utah suffrage campaign. She has many firsts and is also the UAD's first female president, making her a significant trailblazer. She speaks for the Deaf community in Utah, which is privileged to have her as a leader.

Thanks to Michelle Tanner, USD Associate Superintendent, for compiling information on Elizabeth DeLong and presenting it to the State Board and Advisory Council for approval.

A Short Biography of Elizabeth DeLong

Here is a brief biography of Elizabeth DeLong
in case you're curious about who she is and what she's accomplished

The Utah Deaf community is honored to recognize Elizabeth DeLong, also known as "Libbie," with a long list of firsts. She was the first to achieve many of her ambitions and continues to inspire people today. She is also the first female president of the Utah Association of the Deaf, making her a noteworthy trailblazer. She advocated for the Deaf community's causes in Utah, which is privileged to have her as our leader. Libbie was the first Deaf student from Utah to attend Gallaudet College in 1897 and the first Deaf woman from Utah to obtain a bachelor's degree in 1902. She was also the first person in her family to graduate from college. She was the first Deaf female superintendent of the Sunday School of the Ogden Branch of the Deaf and the first Deaf teacher with a degree to teach at the Utah School for the Deaf. Libbie became the first Deaf female president of the Utah Association of the Deaf in 1909, defeating two Deaf male candidates—this was before the 19th Amendment became law in 1920 and before Deaf women were allowed to vote in the National Association of the Deaf election in 1965. Finally, she was the first deaf woman to serve as president of a state chapter of the National Association of the Deaf in the United States.

In 1915, at the end of her second term as president, Libbie delivered a speech to the UAD Convention advocating for women's suffrage. Her Gallaudet's O.W.L.S. presidential election in 1901, a secret society for women and Utah's early suffrage movement, most likely inspired her to run for and win the position of the first female president of the Utah Association of the Deaf in 1909 and to pursue her education, politics, and religious aspirations.

Elizabeth DeLong at a young age @ FamiilySearch

Elizabeth DeLong, a student at Gallaudet College, about 1902. The Delong Family Saga

Libbie gave a speech advocating women's suffrage at the UAD Convention in 1915 after serving a second term as president. It is believed that Libbie was inspired by the early Utah suffrage movement to achieve her academic, political, and spiritual goals.

In retrospect, Libbie was the first to achieve many of her ambitions and continues to inspire people today. Utah is fortunate to have her in a leadership role for our Utah Deaf community.