Richard E. Holmes, the first African American student at Mississippi State University, passed away on October 16. He was 82 years old.
Dr. Holmes was a native of Starkville, home to Mississippi State’s flagship campus. He received both his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and his master’s degree in microbiology from the university. After earning his medical degree from Michigan State University, Dr. Holmes worked as an emergency room physician in Birmingham, Alabama. In 2003, Dr. Holmes joined Mississippi State University’s Longest Student Health Center, where he worked as a staff physician.
Throughout the past several decades, Dr. Holmes’ alma mater honored has honored him on several occasions. In 1991, Mississippi State renamed its cultural diversity center after him. In August of this year, the university opened the Dr. Richard E. Holmes Plaza.
