1. Home
  2. Information For
  3. Alumni
  4. Photo Essay: Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher

Photo Essay: Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher

Ada Lois Sipuel FisherAda Lois Sipuel Fisher was a leading activist, attorney and educator who fought to become the first African American student admitted to the OU College of Law in 1949. Her landmark case opened higher education to African American students in the state of Oklahoma and paved the way for national desegregation.

“I thrive on adversity … If you tell me I can’t do that, I’m going to do it. Was it worth it? Most certainly yes. Would I do it again? Yes.” –Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, February 1995


Image sources: the OU Western History Collections, the Oklahoma Historical Society, the Oklahoman, Sooner Magazine, Professor Cheryl Wattley, the Fisher Family, and the OU College of Law.
 

 

Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher childhood photo
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher was born Feb. 8, 1924, in Chickasha, Oklahoma. Her parents moved here from Tulsa after surviving the 1921 Race Massacre.

 

 

Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher high school graduation
In 1941, Fisher graduated from Chickasha’s Lincoln High School. She was valedictorian of her class.

 

 

It’s unsettling but historically important to note that at this time, the Oklahoma Constitution defined “white” and “colored” and ordered the racial segregation of schools. Like many areas of the country at the time, Oklahoma was thoroughly segregated.
It’s unsettling but historically important to note that at this time, the Oklahoma Constitution defined “white” and “colored” and ordered the racial segregation of schools. Like many areas of the country at the time, Oklahoma was thoroughly segregated.

 

 

Fisher graduated from Langston University in 1945. Langston did not have a law school, so black Oklahomans had no option to attend law school in the state. With the support of the NAACP, Fisher agreed to seek admission to OU’s law school to challenge Oklahoma’s segregation laws.
Fisher graduated from Langston University in 1945. Langston did not have a law school, so black Oklahomans had no option to attend law school in the state. With the support of the NAACP, Fisher agreed to seek admission to OU’s law school to challenge Oklahoma’s segregation laws.

 

 

Jan. 14, 1946: Fisher applies for admission to the OU College of Law. Accompanying her were NAACP Regional Director Dr. W.A.J. Bullock and Oklahoma NAACP leader/editor of the Black Dispatch Roscoe Dunjee.
January 14, 1946: Fisher applies for admission to the OU College of Law. Accompanying her were NAACP Regional Director Dr. W.A.J. Bullock and Oklahoma NAACP leader/editor of the Black Dispatch Roscoe Dunjee.

 

 

The three met with OU President George Lynn Cross. After reviewing her transcript, Cross said there was no academic reason to reject her application, but Oklahoma statutes prohibited whites and blacks from attending classes together.
The three met with OU President George Lynn Cross. After reviewing her transcript, President Cross said there was no academic reason to reject her application, but Oklahoma statutes prohibited whites and blacks from attending classes together.

State law also made it a misdemeanor to instruct or attend classes comprised of mixed races. The university would have been fined up to $500 a day, instructors up to $50 a day, and the white students who attended class with her would have been fined up to $20 a day.

 

 

President Cross was empathetic and wrote a letter explicitly stating Fisher was well qualified to enter OU’s law school, but cited state statutes as the basis for her rejection. He was well aware of the fuel this would provide for a legal battle. Fisher saw President Cross as an ally.
President Cross was empathetic and wrote a letter explicitly stating Fisher was well qualified to enter OU’s law school, but cited state statutes as the basis for her rejection. He was well aware of the fuel this would provide for a legal battle. Fisher saw President Cross as an ally.

 

 

Reflecting years later on Fisher’s initial rejection, President Cross would write, “I remember thinking it was just a damn shame that a person like that had to go through what she went through before she got what she was entitled to.” Cross and Fisher, ca. 1992.
Reflecting years later on Fisher’s initial rejection, President Cross would write, “I remember thinking it was just a damn shame that a person like that had to go through what she went through before she got what she was entitled to.” (Cross and Fisher, ca. 1992.)

 

 

April 1946-April 1947: Fisher files a writ of mandamus in Cleveland County District Court. The judge denies the writ and motion for a retrial, setting up an appeal to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which upholds the district court ruling.
April 1946-April 1947: Fisher files a writ of mandamus in Cleveland County District Court. The judge denies the writ and motion for a retrial, setting up an appeal to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which upholds the district court ruling.

 

 

Sept. 24, 1947: Fisher’s attorneys, Amos Hall and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari. The Court grants the petition for certiorari, and oral arguments are set for January.
September 24, 1947: Fisher’s attorneys, Amos Hall and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari. The Court grants the petition for certiorari, and oral arguments are set for January.

 

 

January 1948: the U.S. Supreme Court issues a per curium decision in Sipuel v. Board of Regents, stating that the state must provide Fisher with the same opportunities for a legal education as it provided to other citizens. The case is remanded to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
January 1948: the U.S. Supreme Court issues a per curium decision in Sipuel v. Board of Regents, stating that the state must provide Fisher with the same opportunities for a legal education as it provided to other citizens. The case is remanded to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

 

Fisher with her mother, Mrs. M.B. Sipuel.
Fisher with her mother, Mrs. M.B. Sipuel.

 

Telegram from Thurgood Marshall to Amos Hall - Supreme Court reverses Sipuel Decision.

 

 

Rather than admit Fisher to OU, the Attorney General orders the State Regents to create the Langston University School of Law, which was thrown together in five days and was set up in the State Capitol.
Rather than admit Fisher to OU, the Attorney General orders the State Regents to create the Langston University School of Law, which was thrown together in five days and was set up in the State Capitol.

 

 

Fisher refuses this option and reapplies to OU. She is again rejected. Here are photos of Fisher at the time of her second application to OU with President George Lynn Cross, lawyers Amos Hall, Thurgood Marshall, H.W. Williamston, and Dean of Admissions J.E. Fellows.

Fisher refuses this option and reapplies to OU. She is again rejected. Here are photos of Fisher at the time of her second application to OU with President George Lynn Cross, lawyers Amos Hall, Thurgood Marshall, H.W. Williamston, and Dean of Admissions J.E. Fellows.

Fisher refuses this option and reapplies to OU. She is again rejected. Here are photos of Fisher at the time of her second application to OU with President George Lynn Cross, lawyers Amos Hall, Thurgood Marshall, H.W. Williamston, and Dean of Admissions J.E. Fellows.
Fisher refuses this option and reapplies to OU. She is again rejected.

Here are photos of Fisher at the time of her second application to OU with President George Lynn Cross, lawyers Amos Hall, Thurgood Marshall, H.W. Williamston, and Dean of Admissions J.E. Fellows.

 

 

January 29, 1948: Over 1,000 university students rally on the North Oval to support Fisher. At the protest they read, and then burned, a copy of the 14th Amendment.

Fisher’s lawyers file new suits in Cleveland County, contending that Langston’s law school did not afford the same opportunities as OU. The court ruled against her; the Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld the finding; and Fisher’s lawyers announced their intent to again appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

 

 

In the meantime, George McLaurin had been fighting his own legal battle against OU. Fisher’s original lawsuit paved the way for his to ultimately be successful. On Oct. 13, 1948, McLaurin becomes the first African American to attend the University of Oklahoma.
In the meantime, George McLaurin had been fighting his own legal battle against OU. Fisher’s original lawsuit paved the way for his to ultimately be successful. On October 13, 1948, McLaurin becomes the first African American to attend the University of Oklahoma.

 

 

Seeing the potential for yet another Supreme Court battle, on June 17, 1948, the university allows Fisher to enroll.
Seeing the potential for yet another Supreme Court battle, on June 17, 1948, the university allows Fisher to enroll.

 

 

June 18, 1948: Fisher finally enters Monnet Hall as a law student. In that summer session, she took contracts and torts.
June 18, 1948: Fisher finally enters Monnet Hall as a law student. In that summer session, she took contracts and torts.

 

 

The moment she had fought for had arrived, but other barriers still existed. She had never before gone to school with white students, and most of them had little experience with African Americans. Fisher had to sit at the back of the class in a roped-off chair marked “colored.”
The moment she had fought for had arrived, but other barriers still existed. She had never before gone to school with white students, and most of them had little experience with African Americans. Fisher had to sit at the back of the class in a roped-off chair marked “colored.”

 

 

Still, Fisher wrote in her memoir: “Even on that first day, most of my fellow students made me feel right at home.” Within days, her classmates took down the rope, and in one classroom, the sign was thrown out the window.
Still, Fisher wrote in her memoir: “Even on that first day, most of my fellow students made me feel right at home.” Within days, her classmates took down the rope, and in one classroom, the sign was thrown out the window.

 

 

In 1950, as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents that it was unconstitutional to require segregation in the classroom, Fisher joined her classmates in regular seating.
In 1950, as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents that it was unconstitutional to require segregation in the classroom, Fisher joined her classmates in regular seating.

 

 

August 6, 1951: Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher graduates from the OU College of Law. As she walked across the stage during the ceremony at Owen Field, President Cross stood waiting to hand her the diploma.
August 6, 1951: Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher graduates from the OU College of Law. As she walked across the stage during the ceremony at Owen Field, President Cross stood waiting to hand her the diploma.

 

 

After graduating, Fisher sat for the Oklahoma bar exam. In 1952, she took the oath as an attorney.
After graduating, Fisher sat for the Oklahoma bar exam. In 1952, she took the oath as an attorney.

 

 

Fisher practiced law in Chickasha, earned a master’s in history from OU, joined the faculty of Langston University in 1957 and served as chair of the Department of Social Sciences. She retired in December 1987 as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Fisher practiced law in Chickasha, earned a master’s in history from OU, joined the faculty of Langston University in 1957 and served as chair of the Department of Social Sciences. She retired in December 1987 as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs.

 

 

In May 1991, OU awarded Fisher an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. Here, she is pictured on that day with OU President Richard Van Horn, former U.S. Speaker of the House Carl Albert, Helen Walton, and former OU President George Lynn Cross.
In May 1991, OU awarded Fisher an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. Here, she is pictured on that day with OU President Richard Van Horn, former U.S. Speaker of the House Carl Albert, Helen Walton, and former OU President George Lynn Cross.

 

 

In April 1992, Gov. David Walters appointed Fisher to the OU Board of Regents – the very group that had once rejected her. Gov. Walters said during the ceremony it was a “completed cycle.”
In April 1992, Gov. David Walters appointed Fisher to the OU Board of Regents – the very group that had once rejected her. Gov. Walters said during the ceremony it was a “completed cycle.”

 

 

Fisher was the second black woman to be appointed to the OU Board of Regents, after Sylvia Lewis in 1986.
Fisher was the second black woman to be appointed to the OU Board of Regents, after Sylvia Lewis in 1986.

 

 

Fisher with her former student and fellow OU Regent, Melvin Hall.
Fisher with her former student and fellow OU Regent, Melvin Hall.

 

 

Fisher passed away Oct. 18, 1995, at the age of 71. In her honor, the university dedicated the Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Garden on the Norman campus. The garden’s fountain is made from rocks from all 77 counties in Oklahoma. At the bottom of the plaque commemorating Fisher's contributions, an inscription reads, “In Psalm 118, the psalmist speaks of how the stone that the builders once rejected becomes the cornerstone.”
Fisher passed away Oct. 18, 1995, at the age of 71. In her honor, the university dedicated the Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Garden on the Norman campus. The garden’s fountain is made from rocks from all 77 counties in Oklahoma.

At the bottom of the plaque commemorating Fisher's contributions, an inscription reads, “In Psalm 118, the psalmist speaks of how the stone that the builders once rejected becomes the cornerstone.”

 

 

2019: Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of Her Law School Admission
 

To mark the 70th anniversary of her admission to OU Law, in September 2019 the university held a weeklong series of events honoring Fisher and other civil rights leaders, with acknowledgment of the ongoing pursuit of equality. At a Sept. 25 discussion at OU Law, Interim Dean Katheleen Guzman and second-year law student Chanel Glasper moderated a question-and-answer session with Fisher’s children, Charlene Factory and Bruce Fisher, who shared memories of their mother, including when they first learned about her legal case.
To mark the 70th anniversary of her admission to OU Law, in September 2019 the university held a weeklong series of events honoring Fisher and other civil rights leaders, with acknowledgment of the ongoing pursuit of equality.
 
At a Sept. 25, 2019, discussion at OU Law, Interim Dean Katheleen Guzman and second-year law student Chanel Glasper moderated a question-and-answer session with Fisher’s children, Charlene Factory and Bruce Fisher, who shared memories of their mother, including when they first learned about her legal case.

Read more about the discussion with Fisher's children.

 

 

In a ceremony held that week in front of Monnet Hall, the location of the College of Law until 1976, the OU community honored Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher’s journey and lasting impact.
In a ceremony held that week in front of Monnet Hall, the location of the College of Law until 1976, the OU community honored Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher’s journey and lasting impact.

 

 

A historical display now hangs in the entrance of Monnet Hall to serve as a permanent reminder of her courageous fight to gain equality for herself and for future generations.
A historical display now hangs in the entrance of Monnet Hall to serve as a permanent reminder of her courageous fight to gain equality for herself and for future generations.

 

 

OU Interim President Joseph Harroz Jr. presented a framed replica of the Monnet Hall display to Fisher’s children, Charlene Factory and Bruce Fisher.
OU Interim President Joseph Harroz Jr. presented a framed replica of the Monnet Hall display to Fisher’s children, Charlene Factory and Bruce Fisher.

 

 

A reception in the Conoco Leadership Courtyard at the Oklahoma Memorial Union followed the dedication. During the reception, members of OU Law’s Black Law Students Association (Modupe Adamolekun, Kadijah Almarales, Cameron Burleson, Wyatt McGuire and Eric Strocen) performed a reading of the play, “Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Reflections,” inspired by her experiences. The reading was adapted from a full-length play written by former OU Law Professor Cheryl Wattley.
A reception in the Conoco Leadership Courtyard at the Oklahoma Memorial Union followed the dedication. During the reception, members of OU Law’s Black Law Students Association (Modupe Adamolekun, Kadijah Almarales, Cameron Burleson, Wyatt McGuire and Eric Strocen) performed a reading of the play, “Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Reflections,” inspired by her experiences. The reading was adapted from a full-length play written by former OU Law Professor Cheryl Wattley.

 

 

As part of the celebration of Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher’s life and enduring impact on OU Law and civil rights, the college announced an award named in her honor, furthering the legal study of civil rights, race and justice. The announcement of the Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Fund endowment was made during the Sept. 25 discussion in the Dick Bell Courtroom with Fisher’s children.
As part of the celebration of Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher’s life and enduring impact on OU Law and civil rights, the college announced an award named in her honor, furthering the legal study of civil rights, race and justice. The announcement of the Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Fund endowment was made during the Sept. 25 discussion in the Dick Bell Courtroom with Fisher’s children.

Read more about the fund
Contribute to the Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Fund

 

Thank you for your interest in applying to OU Law

Please select your program of interest to learn more about the application process.

J.D. ProgramM.L.S. ProgramLL.M. ProgramLegal Assistant Education Not sure? Learn more about admissions at OU Law

Request information on applying to OU Law

J.D. ProgramM.L.S. ProgramLL.M. ProgramLegal Assistant Education Not sure? Learn more about OU Law