He was educated at the Virginia Military Institute, where he received a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1934, his master's degree in 1937 and a Ph.D. in 1939 from Columbia University. He began his career as an industrial chemist, then taught at Columbia from 1935 to 1940. He moved to what is now the University at Albany in 1940, first as professor of chemistry and then as chairman of the department. From 1952 to 1961, he served as dean of the College at Albany.
For several years, he also served as director of an Atomic Energy Commission research project dealing with the concentration of naturally occurring isotopes, especially Nitrogen 15. He was the author of many research articles and of a well-known chemistry textbook published by McGraw Hill in 1955 and, in revised edition, in 1959.
While serving as Dean, he recruited Vincent Schafer and authored the proposal to establish SUNY's Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, of which he became the first director. He also identified a large Adirondack parcel of land, Camp Dippikill, which was purchased and is still owned by the University at Albany Student Association.
He became president of the State University College at Fredonia in 1961 at the time when the State University was embarking on a major expansion, both in physical facilities and in programs, moving from a group of teacher preparation colleges to multipurpose four-year schools of arts and sciences.
For the next 10 years, he presided over construction of an entire new campus at Fredonia, with the design done by the award-winning firm of I.M. Pei. He also built a distinguished faculty, continuing to emphasize the school's strengths of music and education, but also putting new emphasis on physical and social sciences. He left Fredonia in 1970 to take a temporary assignment as chairman of a committee to assess the future of SUNY.
In 1971, he became SUNY vice chancellor for campus development and director of the construction fund. In that position, he managed hundreds of millions of dollars of construction at campuses across the state. One of these projects was the restoration of the nearly derelict Delaware and Hudson Building in downtown Albany. These became headquarters for SUNY Central Administration.
In recent years, he became a familiar figure at board meetings for the town of Schodack. He was a founding member of the Schodack Valley Association, a community group concerned with future development and preservation of agriculture in the town.
He is survived by his wife, Esther Arroe Lanford; three sons: Oscar E. Lanford III of Zurich, Henry C.S. Lanford of Bass Harbor, Maine, and William A. Lanford of Maldern Bridge; two daughters: Caroline L. Eastman of Cambridge and Virginia L. Hemani of Ipswich, Mass.; 13 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. today in the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel, Troy.
Arrangements were by the Ray Funeral Home, Castleton.
Memorials may be made to the Lanford Presidential Prize scholarship fund at State University College at Fredonia, Fredonia College Foundation, State University College at Fredonia, Fredonia, New York, 14063; or to The American Farmland Trust, 1200 18th Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20036. http://www.fredonia.edu/news/ArchivesSearch/tabid/1101/ctl/ArticleView/mid/1878/articleId/5377/Lanford_Prize_to_be_awarded_to_Antonio_Regulier.aspx Monday, May 11, 2015 Lanford Prize to be awarded to Antonio Regulier Antonio Regulier with Esther Lanford, holding a photo of former President Oscar Lanford. Antonio Regulier is the recipient of the 2015 Lanford Presidential Prize from the Oscar and Esther Lanford Endowment of the Fredonia College Foundation. The award will be presented at the afternoon Commencement ceremony on May 16. The award, generously created and endowed by the late President Emeritus Oscar E. Lanford and Mrs. Lanford, recognizes a member of the graduating class who has exhibited balanced achievement and exemplifies Fredonia’s ideals. Mr. Regulier, a Haitian native from Roosevelt, N.Y., is completing concurrent degrees with majors in Social Work and English, as well as minors in Leadership Studies, American Studies, Public Health, Sociology and African American Studies. He was also a participant in the Honors program and Leadership Development Program while at Fredonia. His leadership and campus and community activities are extensive, including serving as president of the Student Association and the Fredonia Chapter of Amnesty International; vice president of Brother to Brother Club; chair of Diversity Relations Committee; a member of the Fredonia Mock Trial team, Undergraduate Alumni Council, Golden Key International Honour Society, events chair for the Black Student Union, a Student Ambassador, Summer Orientation Leader and student manager in the Office of Campus Life; and a tutor with the Upward Bound Program at Dunkirk High School. Also a Keeper of the Dream Scholar at Fredonia, Regulier has received many honors and awards, including the SUNY Association of Council Members and College Trustees Excellence and Student Initiative Scholarship, Robert E. Coon Recognition Award, 100 Black Men of America Future Leader Scholarship, L. Michael Dimitri Scholarship, and the Mamie and Ira Jordan Minority Scholastic Achievement Award. He has been inducted into the honor societies of Sigma Tau Delta, Alpha Kappa Delta, Phi Alpha Theta and Alpha Lambda Delta, and the Alma Mater Society, and was selected by the Fredonia Rotary chapter to participate in a regional Rotary Youth Leadership Awards camp. With Dr. Rolanda Ward, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work and Criminal Justice, Regulier has conducted collaborative research on child welfare in New York State. He serves as a student representative to the National Association of Social Workers of New York State Chapter Board of Directors. After graduation, Regulier plans to pursue an advanced standing Master of Social Work degree and a Juris Doctor in International Law.