For Richard Meek, the opportunity to be a part of the university community for so long has always been a direct result of the people.

It was people as much as music that brought Richard Meek to Texas Tech University just over 60 years ago, and both have kept him here throughout those six decades.

Texas Tech legend Gene Hemmle and longtime faculty member Robert Deahl were the primary reasons Richard gravitated to West Texas shortly after completing his master’s degree work at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

“I knew from a young age that I wanted to be involved in music,” Richard said. “I grew up in a family of six kids, and we were all required to play an instrument. It seemed logical to me.”

More like inevitable.

There were musical influences all around him. His mother was an accomplished band director and cornet player, his father a violinist, composer and conductor. One grandfather was a physician whose hobby was crafting violins, and he made an instrument for each family member.

No wonder Richard grew up performing on the bassoon, violin and viola.

Richard earned his bachelor’s degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Then, once he finished his master’s, Richard had plenty of options, including opportunities to play with the U.S. Marine Corps Band or the Dallas Symphony, but he chose the chance to teach.

Hemmle, who chaired the Music Department in what is now part of the J.T. & Margaret Talkington School of Visual & Performing Arts from 1949-73, invited Richard to join the small cadre of faculty members in 1965.

It wasn’t long after that when he connected with Deahl, who had two stints with Texas Tech, culminating as professor of trombone from 1966-94 and who also had earned two degrees from Oberlin. In fact, the two men originally met when Richard was studying at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.

Richard was sold on Texas Tech’s commitment to him as a faculty member, and he’s never looked back. 

Somehow, 61 years have rocketed past during the interim. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he has played with all symphonies across west Texas and northern New Mexico, including more than 40 years as principal bassoonist with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra (1970-2014).

“For me, one of the things I love about music is you are working with people who, by nature and decision, are cooperating,” he said. “You’re making music together. You listen, and you help each other.”

Richard has enjoyed teaching and performing. He is a professor of bassoon and music theory. He regularly travels to New Mexico to play with the Roswell Symphony Orchestra, of which he has been a member since 1968.

“I have never wanted to play the game as far as going to another university or something like that,” he said. “I had an opportunity once to leave, but ultimately, I decided to stay here, and later the provost wrote me a letter that said, ‘You made a wise decision.’”

Texas Tech has long felt like home to Richard, partly because of the way he has been treated by the university, partly because of colleagues and partly because of the students with whom he interacts.

“Texas Tech has been so agreeable,” he said. “The (students) are great, and there is an amazing family feel here.”

After accepting the job, Richard remembers attending his first faculty meeting, where he looked around and saw about a dozen people. The number has increased over the years to more than 70 at his most recent faculty meeting.

Richard still teaches several classes each semester, including a double reeds course and counterpoint one on Renaissance vocal style and one on Baroque style. His classes challenge students to think critically and emerge as more accomplished musicians with a deeper appreciation for the craft.

“I have several really lovely kids right now,” he said. “One of them is working on her doctorate, and she is scheduled to graduate in May 2027, so in my mind, I’d like to stick around another year to help her finish.”

He remains grateful to Texas Tech for the opportunity it provided and the continuing doors it opened for him while his teaching and musicianship reputation steadily grew. Richard has consistently given back to Texas Tech, serving as president of the Faculty Senate for two years, and the Lubbock community.

He helped found the International Double Reed Society, which meets every summer. He was also host for the 1981 meeting at Texas Tech and for the inaugural International Gillet Double Reed Competition that continues to this day. He has served 60 years as an adjudicator/clinician for the Texas Music Educators Association.

For several years, Richard also organized the new music symposium, inviting contemporary composers like Lukas Foss to rehearse and conduct his works in performance with the orchestra, band and choir. When the founding conductor of the Youth Orchestra retired, Richard stepped in to continue the organization and ensure young people had an opportunity to perform and learn orchestral repertoire.

“Texas Tech put me in a position where I could stay active with my community,” he said. “I got the chance to attend a number of conferences through the years and travel around the world.”