Tag: Virgil Lott

DeMetris Sampson ’80, a longtime lawyer and community leader in Dallas, has been named the winner of the Virgil C. Lott Medal for 2023. She will be honored at a ceremony at the School of Law on February 16. Dean Bobby Chesney made the announcement. “The Virgil C. Lott Medal is named after the first […]

Many in the Texas Law community are familiar with Virgil C. Lott’s story. In 1953, Lott became the first African American to graduate from The University of Texas Law School and was the first African American to sit on the bench of an Austin court. Today the law school honors Lott’s achievements and memory by […]

During Black History Month we are recognizing excellence and the pioneering spirit of Texas Law alumni who changed the world and made history. Read on to meet some of the first African-American graduates of Texas Law. You can learn about their lives and accomplishments in more detail here.   The case of Sweatt v. Painter […]

Gary Bledsoe ’76 has been named the winner of the 2019 Virgil C. Lott Medal, an honor presented every two years by the School of Law to recognize those who uphold the values of Virgil Lott ’53, the school’s first African-American graduate. Bledsoe, the longtime president of the NAACP’s Texas chapter, and currently the Dean […]

Gary Bledsoe ’76 has been named the winner of the 2019 Virgil C. Lott Medal, an honor presented every two years by the School of Law to recognize those who uphold the values of Virgil Lott ’53, the school’s first African-American graduate. Mr. Bledsoe will be honored at a gala dinner on February 7, 2019, […]