Founder of Wake Forest University Political Science Department dies in Winston-Salem at age 84

A memorial service will be held in Winston-Salem on Dec. 23 at 2 p.m. at First Christian Church on Country Club Road where he was a member since 1979. The service is open to the public.

Richards earned his bachelor’s degree at Texas Christian University, and master’s and doctoral degrees at Duke University. His research specialty was constitutional law with a focus on religious freedom.

Richards began teaching at Wake Forest in 1952, when the university was in the town of Wake Forest. At that time, he was a professor in the social science department that incorporated the government and history faculties. In 1957, Richards became the founding chairman of the new political science department on the university’s new Winston-Salem campus.

In 1969, Richards stepped down as department chairman, said Jack Fleer, who succeeded Richards as department chair that year. Richards taught courses in American politics and constitutional law until he retired in 1985.

“When he retired, we gave him a plaque with the inscription, ‘And gladly teach,’ because that was who he was at Wake Forest – someone who was thrilled to teach,” Fleer said. “He devoted a lot of time to the preparation of each lecture, and an enormous amount of time working with students, because that was what he felt was most important.”

Walter Beeker, a 1981 Wake Forest graduate, remembers Richards as a caring professor and mentor.

“He was greatly shaped by the Great Depression,” Beeker, a Davidson County resident, said. “He was a Roosevelt Democrat, and he wasn’t shy about that. You always knew where he stood, and I admired him for that. He was a great man.”

Steve Berlin, a Winston-Salem attorney and former student, said, “Dr. Richards was a dedicated, caring teacher who followed the successes of his students with great interest and pride. He was always supportive and became like a second father to me in the years following my graduation from Wake Forest. I valued his advice which was derived from a wealth of experience. He became an important part of my family and we will all miss him.”
Berlin earned a bachelor’s degree in 1981 and a law degree in 1984 at Wake Forest.

Richards’ main interest outside politics was sacred music. He was an active member of First Christian Church where he sang in the choir, often giving solo performances. He loved sacred music because he believed that it enhanced the worship experience, not only for those performing it, but also for the congregation listening to it, said Mary Lou Capp-Peeples, music minister at First Christian.

“He was thoughtful, supportive and kind, and it was a delight to listen to him sing,” Capp-Peeples said. “He was also generous. He donated a harpsichord to the church music program, and that was a very important gift for us.”

Richards also devoted the free time he did not spend with his church choir to the Shepherd’s Center in Winston-Salem, an interfaith resource ministry for older adults. He held several leadership positions there, including vice president of the board of directors and instructor.

Richards also enjoyed traveling to attend sacred music performances across the country, and collected sacred music recordings. He often was invited to sing in the community, and was known to sing as he took his daily three- to four-mile walks across the university campus.

“Whenever we had our birthday parties in our department, he always led the chorus in the singing,” Fleer said. “It was a greatly improved celebration when he was there. Teaching and singing made him happy, and that joy was contagious.”