Mississippi State to Honor Dr. Richard Holmes Nov. 3

A memorial service for the university's first Black undergraduate student and longtime campus physician is set for Nov. 3 in the Cleveland Gallery at The Mill.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in African-American

Screen-print poster illustration of a red-brick campus building beneath an amber oak in warm late-afternoon light, evoking a place honoring its history. — Mississippi State University will hold a memorial service on Nov. 3 for Dr. Richard Holmes, who integrated the university in 1965 and later served as a longtime campus physician. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Mississippi State University will hold a memorial service for Dr. Richard Holmes on Nov. 3, 2026, at 10 a.m. Holmes died Oct. 16 at age 82, having integrated the university when he enrolled July 15, 1965.

Why it matters

Holmes' enrollment broke a racial barrier at Mississippi State, and his later work as a campus physician and the naming of a cultural diversity center in his honor reflect his lasting presence in Starkville. The service gives the university community a formal occasion to recognize his contributions.

Holmes enrolled at Mississippi State on July 15, 1965, and later joined Longest Student Health Center as a staff physician in 2003. The memorial is scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 3 in the Cleveland Gallery at The Mill.

The players

Mississippi State University

A public land-grant university in Starkville, Mississippi, founded in 1878, which is hosting the memorial service and previously named its cultural diversity center after Holmes.

Dr. Mark Keenum

The president of Mississippi State University, who is among the speakers at the memorial service for Holmes.

The details

Speakers at the service include Mississippi State President Dr. Mark Keenum, Rev. Guy Thompson, Rasheeda Forbes, and Sid Salter, with Holmes' fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi delivering a tribute and the Black Voices gospel choir performing. Holmes earned undergraduate and master's degrees at Mississippi State and a medical degree at Michigan State University, and he and his wife, Judie, endowed a minority scholarship fund bearing his name.

July 15, 1965: Holmes enrolls and integrates Mississippi State University.
1991: The university names its cultural diversity center in Holmes' honor.
2003: Holmes joins Longest Student Health Center as a staff physician.
Oct. 16, 2026: Holmes dies at age 82.
Nov. 3, 2026: Memorial service held at 10 a.m. in the Cleveland Gallery at The Mill.

Legacy

Holmes enrolled at Mississippi State in 1965, three years after James Meredith's 1962 enrollment at the University of Mississippi forced the state's flagship institution to admit Black students. His memorial reflects how integration of Mississippi's public campuses unfolded over the following decade.

Starkville residents and Mississippi State community members can attend the 10 a.m. memorial service Nov. 3 in the Cleveland Gallery at The Mill. The service offers a public opportunity to honor Holmes' role in campus integration and his decades of service.

The takeaway

Holmes' career shows how one student's enrollment can open a campus to broader participation over decades. Readers interested in the university's history can look to the institutions and endowments that continue to carry his name.