Former CCSU President and Local Civic Leader Dr. Richard L. Judd Passes Away at 89
Dr. Richard L. Judd, a longtime prominent member of the New Britain community who served as the 11th president of Central Connecticut State University, has passed away at the age of 89.
Throughout his life, Dr. Judd lent his leadership to numerous vital municipal and community organizations. According to his obituary, his vast local leadership spanned roles as Chairman of the Board of Police Commissioners, President of United Community Services of New Britain, and Director of the New Britain General Hospital. He also served as a Justice of the Peace, Secretary and Trustee of the Mooreland Hill School, and Vice President and Director of CCARC.
His extraordinary dedication to the city earned him the New Britain Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Community Service Award in 2000 and the United Way of New Britain Volunteer of the Year in 2001. His obituary notes that he was a Trustee and former Chairman of the New Britain Museum of American Art, a board member for the Hartford Chorale, and served on the board of the New Britain Symphony Orchestra, where his passion for classical music even led him to take the podium as a guest conductor. Additionally, he was an active corporate member of the Hospital for Special Care and the YMCA, served on the Education Advisory Committee of United Technologies Corporation, and maintained deep roots in the city as a decades-long member of the New Britain Saturday Night Club.
While deeply rooted in local civic life, Dr. Judd’s legacy is equally defined by his 40-year career at CCSU—culminating in his appointment as the university’s first alumnus president. As president, he pioneered the “Town-Gown” concept, intentionally bridging the gap between the university and the surrounding New Britain neighborhoods. According to his obituary, his administrative tenure was marked by the establishment of the CCSU Foundation, the introduction of the university system’s inaugural doctoral program—an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership—and the creation of multiple esteemed endowed chairs. A devoted educator who also served as national President of the Kappa Delta Pi honor society, Dr. Judd oversaw a massive $310 million capital improvement plan that thoroughly modernized the campus.
“We owe Dr. Judd an immeasurable debt of gratitude for a lifetime spent building, teaching, and giving back to the community he cherished more than anything else,” current CCSU President Zulma R. Toro said in a statement to the campus community. “Those who knew him remember a man of boundless energy and fierce, unwavering loyalty to our students. He believed deeply that higher education should lift people up, and as president, he worked tirelessly to not only push for a massive physical transformation of the campus and classrooms, but to put Central on a global stage.”
Beyond his administrative and local civic roles, Dr. Judd was a globally recognized authority and prolific author in emergency medical sciences, according to his obituary, authoring a number of pioneering emergency medical texts. He served as Dean of the state’s EMS Instructor Training Program. His obituary details his high-level advisory work, noting that he served as National Education Faculty for the American College of Surgeons ATLS program, consulted for the Yale New Haven Health Office of Emergency Preparedness, and chaired the Connecticut EMS Advisory Board. His profound impact on the field prompted the state to name its lifetime EMS achievement award in his honor.
His spirit of service continued well into his retirement. A Master Emergency Medicine Instructor, he regularly returned to CCSU to teach emergency medical technology up until 2021, quietly donating his entire teaching salary back to the CCSU Foundation, according to CCSU, to ensure students had the support they needed.
Dr. Judd is survived by his wife of 63 years, Nancy Fox Judd, his children, Jonathan Judd and Sarah Judd and her wife, Lee Ann Havard, and his grandchildren, Claire Branscombe, Julia Branscombe, Haley Havard, and Conor Havard. According to his obituary, details regarding a celebration of life will be provided at a later date, and the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Richard L. & Nancy F. Judd Scholarship Fund at CCSU.
Editor’s note: The cover photo is courtesy of CCSU.
