O'Kelly, Roger Demosthenes

Born at Raleigh, NC; at age 9, became blind from scarlet fever; about a year later, he slowly regained his vision in one eye but then began losing his hearing, which took about another year to become total. Attended the North Carolina School for Colored Deaf and Blind. Worked a few years as a stable hand, then studied at and graduated Shaw University (Raleigh, NC) with a B.L. degree. Licensed to practice law in North Carolina, 1908. In 1910, worked as a laborer on a tunnel-drilling project in New York. He then studied law at Yale University 1910-1912, becoming only the second deaf person, of any race, to graduate from Yale University. During his 1911 summer break, labored on another tunnel-digging project in New York City, then after finishing Yale worked on another tunnel project in Montreal, Canada. Taught at the Raleigh school for deaf blacks 1918-1919. Had a private law practice in Raleigh beginning 1920, working chiefly in domestic relations, real estate transactions, incorporations, and preparing title abstracts.