Tribute: Richard W. Freeman Jr.

Richard W. Freeman Jr. (B ’60), whose family name has been synonymous with business education at Tulane for more than four decades, died June 10, 2026, in New Orleans. He was 88.

Freeman was a business executive, civic leader, philanthropist and lifelong supporter of Tulane known for an unwavering commitment to his community and generosity of spirit. Along with his father, Richard W. Freeman Sr. (B ’34), his brother Louis M. Freeman (B ’63) and his sister, Tina Freeman, he played an instrumental role in the 1984 endowment and naming of Tulane’s business school for his grandfather, New Orleans businessman and civic leader A. B. Freeman.

“Richard Freeman’s leadership in the naming of the school is the most visible example, but his contributions to the university went far beyond that, spanning everything from service on boards, councils and committees to funding major initiatives including the A. B. Freeman Chair in Finance, the R.W. Freeman Distinguished Lecture Series and the Freeman Center for Doctoral Studies and Research,” said Paulo Goes, dean of the A. B. Freeman School of Business.

Born in Chicago, Freeman attended Isidore Newman School, Culver Military Academy and Tulane University, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1960.

In 1971, he succeeded his father as president of the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co. and served in that role until the family sold the business to the Coca-Cola Co. in 1986.

Freeman next turned his attention to a different pursuit while maintaining his characteristic drive for excellence. He founded Oak Hill Ranch and was credited as a pioneer of Danish Warmblood horse breeding in the U.S., eventually cofounding the North American Danish Warmblood Association as his horses garnered national acclaim. He operated the ranch until it was sold in 2021.

Freeman was a member of both the Business School Council, serving as chair in 1989-90, and the Board of Tulane from 1995-2009. In 1988, he was named the Freeman School’s Outstanding Alumnus. He served as an Administrator Emeritus from 2009 until his passing.

Throughout his life, Freeman remained active in the community. Among the organizations to which he devoted his time were The Chamber/New Orleans and the River Region, the Ella West Freeman Foundation, the RosaMary Foundation, the Vieux Carre Commission, United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area, the Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation and Hibernia National Bank. One of Freeman’s most treasured honors was his reign as Rex in 2003, when his position atop a float gave him a once-in-a-lifetime view of the community spirit of New Orleans.

“Richard is among the very small number of people whose impact on business education at Tulane can truly be called transformative,” Goes said.