Mississippi State University has a statue dedicated to its first university president and confederate general Stephen D. Lee that should be replaced with one of Dr. Richard Holmes. Dr. Holmes is a history worth remembering and centralizing for MSU. He was MSU's first black student; he transferred from a university in Texas. Dr. Holmes earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts and a master's degree in microbiology and nutrition. He earned an MD at Michigan State University and worked for several years as an ER doctor. Dr. Holmes also worked as a teacher and served in the military. Lee was a Confederate General that led and fought in numerous battles against union soldiers. Lee is responsible for countless deaths of black people and union soldiers in America. After losing the war Lee remained an active member of the United Confederate Veteran's Society that had annual meetings to "celebrate" their heritage. Lee was an open racist and was allowed to become the president of an all white university and, ironically enough, president of the Mississippi Historical Society and trustee of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Lee was allowed to lead Confederate troops into battle against the rest of America and was then allowed to lead the state and university. Lee is not a history worth memorializing and celebrating even if he was a university president.