Dr. Hugh Raymond Primas Jr. passed on Aug. 25, at the age of 90.
He was the first of two children born to Dr. Hugh Raymond Primas Sr. and Mary Belle Jacobs.
He graduated from Oliver High School and initially went on to Howard University. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree. He continued his studies at Pitt, graduating with a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree the following year.
He married Joyce Nadine Watson in 1950 and was blessed with three children.
Primas Jr. was a member of Bidwell Presbyterian Church where he was named an Elder in the church. He continued to remain faithful to the church even after he relocated to Scottsdale, Ariz.
Primas Jr. served his country as an Air Force Captain during the Korean War. Upon returning to civilian life, he built upon the proud legacy of his father by forging a distinguished and lengthy career in dentistry in the Manchester area of the city, having begun his practice in Aliquippa, in a corner store front that served as the location of his first private practice.
Primas Jr. served as president to the National Dental Association from 1965–66. In 2007, he was honored as a Legacy Laureate by the University of Pittsburgh as an alumni who exemplified the best in leadership qualities and commitment to the greater good of their profession, community and society as a whole.
Primas Jr.’s primary intention had always been to help people in need and his interests eventually led to public health and organizing aid for developing countries in Africa. He was recognized as an expert on Africa and was later sent to inventory and distribute supplies from two mobile units in Benin, Africa.
He later returned to the University to obtain a master’s degree in Public Health in 1969. He became a professor in the Graduate School of Public Health and directed a health education program between 1970 and 1975, which provided technical personnel to the African nations of Cameroon, Central African Republic and Chad.
He was seen as a mentor by both family members and friends, in particular National Geographic Photographer Ken Love, who to this day feels that Primas Jr. was the catalyst that helped him grow in his craft which ultimately led to his receiving an Emmy.
He relocated from Pittsburgh to Scottsdale, Ariz., and married Phyllis Janet Krause. He retired from his full-time dental practice in 1995, but remained active in his craft by volunteering his skill at local clinics for the uninsured through St. Vincent DePaul.
Primas Jr. pledged the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and was also a lifetime member of the NAACP and a member of the FROGs.
He is survived by his children, Hugh Raymond III, Greensboro, N.C.; Nicole “Nikki” Primas Gaines (Toby), Pittsburgh, Leisha Primas Humphrey, Palm Harbor, Fla.; his five grandchildren; his four great-grandchildren; and many cousins, friends and extended family from Pittsburgh to California.
Arrangements were entrusted to White Memorial Chapel and a service was held Sept. 28 at Bidwell Presbyterian Church.
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