The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) remembers alum and former Morgan State University President Earl S. Richardson, who recently died. He was 81.
A viewing for Dr. Richardson will take place on Friday, Sept. 26, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Ella Fitzgerald Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of UMES, followed by funeral services at the same location on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 11 a.m. Internment will take place at Green Acres Memorial Park in Salisbury following the funeral.
“The UMES community is deeply saddened by the loss of Dr. Earl Richardson,” said UMES President Heidi M. Anderson. “His passion for learning and his tireless energy in advocating for Maryland HBCUs and their students truly exemplifies what being a Hawk is about.”
Richardson, a Westover, Maryland native, graduated from what was then Maryland State College in 1965, receiving a B.A. degree in social science. He was the first of his family to go to and graduate from college.
He would return to what is now known as UMES following a four-year service in the United States Air Force. At UMES, he served in several roles, including director of career planning and placement, acting director of admissions and registration, and executive assistant to UMES Chancellor William P. Hytche. He was also a part-time lecturer.
Following his time at UMES, Richardson was named assistant to the president of the University of Maryland system in 1982 before serving as Morgan State University’s president from 1984 to his retirement in 2010.
While his impact at Morgan State was significant for that institution, he also served as a driving force in a $577 million settlement between the state of Maryland and its four Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The ruling stemmed from a 15-year federal lawsuit that challenged the fundamental history of how the state supported its public institutions of higher education.
Richardson attended Somerset Junior-Senior High School before attending Maryland State College and earned his M.S. and Ed.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in 1973 and 1976, respectively.
Richardson is survived by his wife Sheila, a son, a grandson, and his sister. He also leaves behind a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
