STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) — Mississippi State University announced the death of Richard Holmes, the institution’s first African American student. The 82-year-old died Friday. The Starkville native enrolled at the university on July 19, 1965, during the Civil Rights Era.“I did not come here for fanfare or publicity,” Holmes said in a letter to administrators and read to members of the press on July 19, 1965, “As a lifelong Mississippian, I am here to study and learn at a high-rated Mississippi University, which happens to be in my hometown.” “There were no catcalls, no racial slurs,” he later recalled during a university speech. “It was quiet and serene. Nothing happened; there was just curiosity and disbelief.”He graduated from MSU with two degrees. He later earned a medical degree from Michigan State University. Open this link to read the university’s announcement.Copyright 2026 WTVA. All rights reserved.