He was a trailblazer whose legacy is still being felt on the Mississippi State University campus today.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)-
He was a trailblazer whose legacy is still being felt on the Mississippi State University campus today.
But, Dr. Richard Holmes really just wanted a good education at a top notch school that happened to be in his hometown.
That led him to be the first African American student to enroll and be accepted in Mississippi State University in 1965.
Tuesday, family, friends, university administrators, faculty, and staff came together for a memorial service honoring his life and legacy.
Holmes’ enrollment was quiet compared to what confronted James Meredith at Ole Miss just three years earlier, but it was just as historically significant.
Holmes earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Mississippi State before going to medical school at Michigan State.
He would return to his alma mater in 2003 as a staff physician at the Student Health Center.
Tuesday, he was remembered as being courageous, thoughtful, and kind.
“He was a very humble person. This great trailblazer, this monumental figure for the history of this university, and all that he meant to this school, but he never sought recognition or fame or acclaim. He was very humble in his approach to life, very thoughtful and considerate of others. I think that his humility and courage again transformed this university, and we’re so very grateful for that.”
Dr. Holmes didn’t seek the spotlight, but sometimes it found him. In 1991 the Richard E, Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, now the Holmes Center for Student Success, was named after him, and this year the area between the Colvard Student Union and the YMCA building was christened Holmes Plaza.
Dr. Holmes passed away last month at the age of 82.
