Dedication planned for Dr. Richard L. Price Auditorium

[Guest abovetherim]

9/3/2008 Lamar University will honor a long-time beloved professor at 3 p.m. Sept. 9 by dedicating the 250-seat auditorium at the John Gray Center as the Dr. Richard L. Price Auditorium.

Price served as an associate professor of mathematics at Lamar University from 1970 until his retirement in 2006. He continues to teach part time at Beaumont’s Ozen High School and as a volunteer preparing young students in Southeast Texas for academic competitions.

During his tenure at LU, Price became a mentor to hundreds of students who remember him as a devoted but challenging teacher. Price helped expand the diversity of the LU College of Engineering as director of minority recruiting and retention. He also served as advisor to the campus chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and had a prominent role in the national organization, which honored him with its Golden Torch Award for lifetime achievement in academia.

Long-time friend Annie Carter, who will speak at the dedication ceremony, called Price an icon throughout Southeast Texas and in engineering circles around the country. “Folks just kind of know immediately who he is. Those kind of folks are rare,†Carter said.

Also scheduled to speak at the dedication ceremony are Lamar University President James Simmons and former student Dr. Tamerla Chavis, a Beaumont neurosurgeon and 1983 Lamar alumna.

A Beaumont native, Price was one of six sons and six daughters reared by a father who served as a high school principal and church pastor. After graduating from Hebert High School in 1949, Price enrolled at Morehouse College in Atlanta until being drafted into the U.S. Army. He served 13 months of combat duty in Korea, and then returned to his education, earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Prairie View A&M University. Price earned his master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Texas and his doctorate from Ohio State University.

Price joined the Lamar faculty at the invitation of Lloyd Cherry, then dean of the LU College of Engineering. Early in his Lamar career, Price requested and received a one-year leave of absence for additional studies. He earned a master’s degree in religion at the Yale Divinity School at the age of 40, his self-imposed deadline for formal education. Price said he continues to learn on his own, reading a minimum of three hours a day on varied topics and working on mathematical problems.

Price previously was honored with the creation of the Richard L. Price Endowed Scholarship for Engineering Students at Lamar University to mark his 70th birthday. The scholarship was made possible by donations from friends and former students. Now 76, Price continues to keep in touch with former students and to enjoy celebrating their successes. “It has been a run of faith, a dedication to helping students realize their academic objectives and a focus on commitment to excellence,†he said. 

 

http://www.lamar.edu/newsevents/news/207_6878.htm