Professor Richard Stamps, who is planning to retire next year, has been teaching at Oakland University since 1974.

Born and raised in California, Stamps received his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and later went on to get his master’s from Michigan State University.

For Stamps, speaking the Chinese language is something he can do well. After spending several years in the country, he became fluent.

“In Chinese culture it is considered arrogant and self-boasting for me to flaunt my ability to speak their language, so I am humble about it,” he said.

Also trained to be a field archeologist, Stamps knows how to survive in the field while out digging.

Outside of the classroom, Stamps is involved in the local historic preservation movement where he and the rest of the committee work to save historic buildings and homes. He is also a member of the Rochester Hills Historic Committee and the Sequel Centennial Civil War.

In his free time, Stamps spends a lot of time with his family. Recently, he went to North Carolina to watch his one of his grandsons perform in a play and another get baptized.

However, what sets Stamps apart from some other professors is his ability to make his students feel like his family, too.

Stamps recently travelled with students to Tulsa, Okla., to watch some of his students play in the NCAA Tournament.

Stamps feels like learning more about his students will allow him to create his activities in class to be more suitable to who his students are.

“Professor Stamps is a very supportive professor,” said Stacey Farrell, a 2010 OU alumna. “As a former member of the OU women’s basketball team, we could always count on him to be at our games, which meant a lot to us.”

Stamps enjoys his job and is always willing to do things for students.

“If you love your work it’s not work,” Stamps said. “Grading papers, that’s work.”