Howard Richard

Early Life

Baton Rouge, Louisiana native Dr. Howard Marks Simon Richard was born on June 16th, 1934. He graduated from McKinley High school as the Valedictorian of his high school class. He sought higher education at Southern University where he pledged Alpha Phi Alpha just before he graduated.

Professional Life

After graduating from Southern University, Dr.Richards decided to pursue a Doctoral degree through Graduate school at The Ohio State University. He graduated from The Ohio State University in 1971. Dr.Richard was then recruited to manage a computer center in Virginia at the Norfolk State College in 1972. Shortly after, Dr.Richard decided to transition into a full-time mathematics position.

He returned to McKinley High School as a teacher and left to join the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant at Ft. Eustis in Virginia. In deciding to return to continue further through his mathematical journey, Dr.Richard made his way back to Southern University as an Assitant Professor of Mathematics and eventually became both a Research and Teacher Associate in the Department of Mathematics at The Ohio State University. Dr.Richard continued to dive deeper into the studies of Mathematical education and soon would return to Norfolk State College where he would retire in 2003.

Impact

Dr.Howard Marks Simon Richard left his mark on the evolution of mathematics education by helping aid in the new opportunities that are provided through the various careers within mathematics. Dr.Richard’s work in creating a concept-centered course on computer utilization for adults with an interest in that field helped open new doors to ultimately revolutionize the math industry.

As Dr.Richard once stated, “The technological revolution produced many new media of potential use to the teacher in the classroom and society in general. It would appear to be the responsibility of the mathematics educator to find valid ways to utilize the results of this technological revolution in improving mathematical instruction”. Dr.Richard continued to focus on targeting the dynamic approaches to the ever so evolving American educational system. He wants to leave a positive impact on his family, career, and communities that he’d been a part of. In being a part of organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, the Ryan Club of Norfolk, the Knights of Peter Claver, and the Epsilon Pi chapter of Alpha Phi, Dr.Richard sought to better himself and the world through the hard work and dedication that he put into mathematics.

Dr. Richard’s contributions to the studies in Algebra, Complex Analysis, Number Theory, and Computer Programming helped pave the way for many of the innovations in math that we see today in education, science, and even in the advancement of our technology. Dr.Richard is an
inspirational figure as a leader, community activist, professor, counselor, and is one of the many key individuals to the progression of mathematics which is why his story needs to continue to be shared.