Deaconess Laurabelle Elizabeth Hope

Deaconess Laurabelle Elizabeth Loper Hope, affectionately known as Laura, was born on January 27, 1939, in Elk Neck, MD to Rosay Loper and Malcolm Ford. Laurabelle spent her formative years in Ambler, PA, and Charlestown, MD. After graduating from George Washington Carver High School in Elkton, MD, she matriculated at Morgan State College and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Education followed by a Master of Business Administration after the College became Morgan State University (MSU).

Laura worked at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Perry Point, MD, and then at the Headquarters of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM) at Aberdeen Proving Ground until her retirement. Laura made history as the first GM-15 woman in TECOM and the first African American woman at that grade in Civilian Personnel Administration, Army-wide when she was promoted to Chief of TECOM's Civilian Personnel Programs and Policy Division.

Family, church, and community were extremely important to Laura. In 1962, she became the founding member and secretary for the Cecil County NAACP. She helped to provide scholarships and assisted youth as a Charter Member and Assistant Secretary of Aberdeen-based, Xi Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.