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Archiver > NCDUPLIN > 2007-01 > 1168105327


From: "Mike & Diane" <>
Subject: Re: [NCDUPLIN] Dr. Dallas Herring - Wilmington Morning Star, Jan 6,2006
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2007 11:42:07 -0600 (Central Standard Time)
References: <000801c731a3$f55d6f40$6101a8c0@Pearsall>


I am so sorry to hear about Dr Dallas Herring! Here is the full article from
the Wilmington Star which I will be placing on the web site:

Education visionary Harris dies at 90
Helped start N.C. 2-year colleges

By Mark Schreiner
Raleigh Bureau Chief

Raleigh | W. Dallas Herring, the scholarly businessman who led the state
school board for two decades and is credited as the father of the state's
community college system, died Friday at Pender Memorial Hospital.

He was 90. The cause was complications from kidney failure, said Robert
Herring, his brother.

Dallas Herring, while not a professional educator, was long an elder
statesman of North Carolina public education and was prominent in statewide
and local efforts to improve schools, establish post-high school educational
opportunities and preserve local and family history.

But his greatest achievement was the creation of a system of industrial
schools that would grow into the N.C. Community College System.

"Dallas Herring was a marvelous example of selfless public service, in the
best sense of the word," said former Gov. Jim Holshouser. "There is no
question of his place in history as the father of the North Carolina
Community College System. While many were involved in the development of
community colleges in the state, no one had more impact than Dallas Herring.


In the 1950s, state leaders felt a need for education beyond high school,
according to a biography of Herring prepared by the community college system


When Herring joined the N.C. State Board of Education in 1957, Gov. Luther
Hodges asked him to develop a plan.

That year, the N.C. General Assembly adopted Herring's plan to create a
statewide system of industrial education centers. That same year, the
General Assembly also created the state's first community college.

By 1961, there were five colleges and seven industrial education centers.

The need to coordinate the two systems was apparent to Herring and then-Gov.
Terry Sanford, who succeeded in persuading lawmakers to establish the
unified N.C. Community College System in 1963.

The system grew quickly. By 1966, there were 43 institutions and 28,250
students. Three years later, 54 community colleges were educating nearly 60
000 students.

Today, there are 58 campuses, including institutions in New Hanover,
Brunswick, Columbus and Duplin counties. Last year, those schools served 779
228 students.

The system has been credited with improving educational opportunity in the
state and aiding in North Carolina's fast industrial and commercial growth
in the past four decades by providing a trained work force.

"Dallas Herring's foresight gave us an unparalleled community college system
that today provides opportunities for citizens to meet the demands of the
global economy," said Gov. Mike Easley.

Others said that his vision of an educational system rooted in the community
and open to all influenced two generations of North Carolina educators.

"Dr. Dallas Herring is probably the person I quote most frequently because
he was such a visionary. His philosophy has undergirded the community
colleges in North Carolina since their inception," said system President
Martin Lancaster. "North Carolina would not have a community college system
- certainly it would not have one that embraces all the good things higher
education represents - if not for Dr. Herring."

State Sen. Charlie Albertson, D-Duplin, said Herring's vision was
particularly progressive, coming as it did during the desegregation
struggles of the 1950s, '60s and '70s.

"It was because of people like him that we were able to move through that
period and move forward as a state," Albertson said. "He was someone who
cared deeply about the worth and dignity of the common man."

Herring was born in 1916 in Rose Hill, a Duplin County town about 45 miles
north of Wilmington. He graduated from Rose Hill High in 1933 and with
honors in 1938 from Davidson College, where he studied English and economics
He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

After graduation, he went to work for the family business, Atlantic Coffin
and Casket Co.

In 1939, the residents of Rose Hill made him one of the youngest town mayors
in the nation. He held the job until 1951, when he joined the Duplin County
school board.

In 1957, he became chairman of the N.C. State Board of Education. He held
that position until 1977.

Near the end of his tenure, he met a new board member - the state's young
lieutenant governor, Jim Hunt.

"He was a very determined person who was not afraid to take on one and all
when it came to establishing and improving schools," said Hunt, who became
the state's longest-serving governor and a national leader in education
policy. "He was a bulldog when it came to providing for the schools."

After his time in Raleigh, he continued as president of the family business.
Education leaders would make the trek to Rose Hill for consultations. He put
his energies toward improvements at James Sprunt Community College in Duplin
County, where he was a trustee between 1971 and 1986.

In 2003, on the 40th anniversary of the community college system, system
leaders held a testimonial dinner for him and gave his name to the system's
leadership development institute. He was granted four honorary doctorates in
recognition of his leadership in education policy.

At home, he pursued his passionate interests in local history and genealogy.

He converted the front rooms of his home into a library, which he opened to
all seeking information about the county's history or information about
their ancestors.

He typically opened the library, which is now the headquarters of the Duplin
County Historical Society Foundation, to visitors between noon and midnight.

"It is the happy hunting ground for genealogists," said Bill Holt, a
Wilmington retiree who struck up a friendship with Herring five years ago
when his wife decided to research the family tree.

Herring, a lifelong bachelor, is survived by two brothers and a sister.

A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Monday at Mount Zion Presbyterian
Church, 129 E. Main St., Rose Hill.

Mark Schreiner: (919) 835-1434




Diane

http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncduplin/duplin.htm
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncjones/jones.htm
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncnewhan/nh.htm
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncpender/pender.htm
http://www.tribalpages.com/tribes/garebel

-------Original Message-------

From: StephenPearsall
Date: 1/6/2007 9:05:03 AM
To:
Subject: [NCDUPLIN] Dr. Dallas Herring - Wilmington Morning Star, Jan 6,
2006

Dr. Dallas Herring, the scholarly businessman who led the state school board
for two decades and is credited as the father of the state's community
college system, died Friday at Pender Memorial Hospital in Burgaw.

Dr. Herring was also known for his passionate interests in local history and
genealogy.

He had converted the front rooms of his home into a library, which he opened
to all seeking information about the county's history or information about
their ancestors.

He typically opened the library, which is now the headquarters of the Duplin
County Historical Society Foundation, to visitors between noon and midnight.

A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Monday at Mount Zion Presbyterian
Church, 129 E. Main St., Rose Hill.






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