Mississippi State to honor Dr. Richard Holmes at Nov. 3 memorial
The university will hold a service for the late physician and 1965 integrator, who died Oct. 16 at age 82.
By Luana Sato ·
Mississippi State University will hold a memorial service for Dr. Richard Holmes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 10 a.m. The ceremony will take place in the Cleveland Gallery at The Mill. Holmes, the university's first Black student, died on Oct. 16 at the age of 82.
Holmes integrated the campus when he enrolled on July 15, 1965. A Starkville native, he completed his undergraduate studies in liberal arts and his master's degree in microbiology at Mississippi State. He later earned his medical degree from Michigan State University and practiced emergency medicine in Birmingham, Alabama.
In 2003, Holmes returned to his alma mater to work as a staff physician at the Longest Student Health Center. The university awarded him an honorary Doctor of Science degree for his contributions. In 1991, Mississippi State named its cultural diversity center in his honor. Holmes and his wife, Judie, also established a minority scholarship fund that bears his name.
Presidential and religious leaders will address the crowd on Nov. 3. Mississippi State President Dr. Mark Keenum will speak alongside Rev. Guy Thompson, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church in Starkville. Vice Presidents Rasheeda Forbes and Sid Salter will also deliver remarks. The Black Voices gospel choir and the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity will provide musical and spoken tributes.
The university dedicated the Dr. Richard E. Holmes Plaza in August of this year. Keenum described the space as a location for community and conversation. Holmes was named the 2006 National Alumnus of the Year, a title that recognized his medical career and long-standing support for the university.
