Paul E Meacham

Dr. Paul Elritt Meacham, a 38-year resident of Las Vegas, Nevada made his transition from us on Saturday, December 7, 2019 at the age of 83.

Dr. Meacham was born on June 4, 1936 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Luther Meacham and Carrie Meacham-Montgomery. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Gertrude Meacham, his sons Marcus Meacham and Elliot Meacham, his brother William Montgomery and sister Miranda Montgomery, his grandsons Alexander Paul Meacham and Theodore James Meacham, along with numerous other relatives and friends.

Dr. Meacham earned his undergraduate degree in music from Tennessee State University. He earned his Masters in Music from the University of Michigan and went on to earn his Doctorate of Philosophy in Education from the University of Texas, the first African-American to do so at that university.

He’s since held several positions in higher education including Dean at both Richland Community College in Dallas, Texas and at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, culminating as serving for 11 years as the President of the College of Southern Nevada. Again, he was the first African-American to serve at that latter position.

Dr. Meacham was an accomplished musician, mastering the trumpet and the piano and nightly provided us with live improvisational jazz and jazz standards. There was no need for a radio in our house.

Dr. Meacham was an active member of the Presbyterian church and tightly followed the precepts of the church and was the prime example of the righteous and dedicated behavior of a religious man.

He had a great sense of humor. He was not just able to delight anyone he met with his humor, but also with his charisma, wisdom, and intelligence. He was a direct man with a keen sense of problem-solving yet with an expert ability to work in tandem with people of varying talents in order to realize a vision that we all could be proud of.

Dr. Meacham was also an active member of the Buffalo Soldiers and served in several of their community events. For four years, he published a successful calendar for the Buffalo Soldiers that called out the birthdays of both local and nationally famous jazz musicians.

And, as a chronicle of his life in education and in music, he published a wonderful biography “Been There, Done That,” which is still available from Amazon.

The family will hold a viewing of Dr. Meacham on Sunday, December 15, 2019 at the Davis Memorial Home on 6200 Eastern in Las Vegas from 3 pm to 7 pm.

The family will subsequently hold a memorial celebration on Thursday, December 19 at the Mountain View Presbyterian Church at 8601 Del Webb Boulevard at 11 am.

Please call the family or Davis Memorial home for any other details.

My father was a wonderful man. We could not have been gifted a better example, provider, and man. He leaves a legacy that will not be broken by time or strife. The name “Meacham” is a powerful and honorable name thanks to him. We love you, Paul. May you grace the place you’ve gone to with the glory you’ve graced us with. We will meet again.