Alumni Spotlight: Richard Foster ’71

When Richard Foster left his home in New Jersey for Dickinson State College (DSC) in the fall of 1966, he wasn’t sure what to expect. Except, perhaps, a glimpse of “where the buffaloes roamed,” he jokes. Drawn to campus by the affordability and the adventure of the West, he joined four classmates and hit the road for North Dakota.

“I came to Dickinson because it was much less expensive than eastern schools, and I wanted to see a ‘western’ state,” he says. “It sounded exciting!”

College life, however, didn’t come easy at first. Like many students who travel far for their education, adjusting to life away from home proved to be a challenge. “I didn’t adapt well and struggled my freshman year,” he recalls. “Hence the five-year plan.”

What turned things around was the support of one faculty member: Professor William Eastwood, who taught in the science program. “He pretty much saved me from failing out of college during my freshman year,” Foster remembers. “He became a good friend.”

Eastwood’s mentorship inspired Foster to change his major to earth science and geography, with a minor in math. “He was the biggest reason I wanted to become a teacher,” he says.

After graduating with his bachelor’s in education, Foster returned to New Jersey, where he taught math for 30 years. Over time, the relationships he built with students became the most rewarding part of his career. “I’m still in touch with many of them today,” he says.

After retiring from teaching, Foster found a second career that blended his love of horses and numbers in the horse racing industry. He began working part time as a teller and cashier at the newly rebuilt Garden State Park in New Jersey in the early 1980s, later continuing at Philadelphia Park (now Parx Racing) and Delaware Park Racetrack until his retirement.

Looking back, he credits Dickinson State with setting everything in motion. “I honestly believe that all I’ve accomplished in life, all the big and little twists and turns along the way, would never have come about had I not enrolled at DSC in the fall of 1966,” he says. “I owe everything to my college education there.”

His advice for today’s students is simple: “Take responsibility. Do your job. Help others. Be satisfied with your accomplishments but keep working hard. No hot-dogging! And try your best to enjoy life. It’s a short trip, and there’s always someone who has it worse.”

________

By Alician Parks – DSU HF Student Writer