OXFORD, Miss. – Joseph Howard Meredith, 39, son of James
Meredith, who integrated the University of Mississippi in
1962, lost his battle with lupus Friday (Feb. 8). He died
at the Laredo Medical Center in Laredo, Texas.
Funeral services are set for 11 a.m. Feb. 16 at the Farish
Street Baptist Church, 619 North Farish St., in Jackson.
Collins Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Meredith was an assistant professor of finance in the
College of Business Administration, Division of
International Banking and Finance Studies at Texas A&M
International University in Laredo.
He received a doctorate from the University of Mississippi
in business administration in 2002, earning the Outstanding
Doctoral Student Achievement Award. His doctoral
dissertation, “Corporate Use of Derivatives to Hedge Energy
Price Risk” was the basis of original research that he
presented to the Eastern Finance Association.
“Our hearts go out to the Meredith family,” said Gloria
Kellum, UM vice chancellor for university relations. “We
often speak of the spirit that binds our graduates in the
Ole Miss family. The Meredith family, James and Joseph,
will forever be linked to this university.”
Faculty members remembered Meredith as a talented student
and researcher. Robert Edmister, former UM professor of
finance and banking, was Meredith’s doctoral adviser when
he earned his Ph.D. “Joseph Meredith did a very fine job in
conducting research,” said Edmister, now on the faculty at
Bowling Green State University. “This is a grave loss to
have an up-and-coming researcher passing. I’ll never forget
the heartwarming honor of hooding Joseph with his proud
father James seated in the audience at Ole Miss.”
Meredith earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Harvard
University and an MBA at Millsaps College, then worked in
portfolio management for Deposit Guaranty National Bank and
as an oil and gas industry analyst for Morgan Keegan & Co.
before earning his doctorate at Ole Miss.
Meredith’s father was the first black student admitted to
UM in 1962. Joseph Meredith maintained a low profile
during his studies. Many of his classmates remained unaware
of his relationship to the man who broke the color barrier
at the university 40 years earlier.
He is survived by his father, his stepmother Judy Alsobrook
Meredith, his daughter Jasmine Victoria, brothers James and
John Meredith, sister Jessica Meredith Knight and
stepbrother Kip Naylor. He was preceded in death by his
mother Mary June Wiggins Meredith.