LU to host reception in honor of former professor Richard Price’s 90th birthday

The LU Office of University Advancement and the family of former LU professor Richard Price, Ph.D., will host a reception on Saturday, Dec. 4 in honor of his 90th birthday. Price’s closest family, friends and former students will gather in Richard L. Price Auditorium to celebrate his milestone birthday and honor his impact on Lamar University. The event will start with a reception in the foyer followed by a program in the auditorium.

Richard L. “Doc” Price, I, Ph.D., was an associate professor of mathematics at Lamar University since August of 1970. He served as the College of Engineering’s director of Minority Recruitment and Retention and, for more than 30 years, he devoted himself to recruiting, educating and mentoring black students in the College of Engineering.  

“Dr. Richard Price’s influence on Lamar University students in his classrooms for more than 30 years was dramatic, impactful, and transformational,” said Juan Zabala, vice president of university advancement. “Alumni of LU tell stories of ‘Doc’ Price engaging students in conversation on campus and building from that encounter life-long mentoring and support relationships.”

Price also helped his engineering students found a chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and served as chapter advisor. He served on the National Advisory Board of the NSBE for 20 years and in 2004, he received the Golden Torch Award for Lifetime Achievement in Academia from the NSBE. Price retired from LU in 2006 and in 2008, he was honored for his commitment to students of color and underrepresented groups when the university named the 250-seat auditorium in the John Gray Center after him.

“He dedicated enormous amounts of energy and time to recruit students to LU and to ensure that they were successful in their educational goals. The Golden Torch Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Black Engineers is indicative of the respect and admiration that ‘Doc’ Price gained in all areas of higher education,” Zabala said. “It is impossible to imagine a single individual who had a greater impact on student success at Lamar University than ‘Doc’ Richard Price.”