Duplin County, NC - Obituary of Dallas Herring, 2007

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Schools pioneer Herring dies at 90
He was praised as 'citizen educator'
 
Herring was a key force behind community colleges. 
 
Todd Silberman and Jane Stancill, Staff Writers

Dallas Herring's life led him from a rural hamlet in southeastern North 
Carolina to lead the State Board of Education during two decades of dramatic 
and turbulent change that spanned the advent of kindergarten classes, 
integration and the creation of community colleges.

Herring died Friday at Pender Memorial Hospital in Burgaw, not far from the 
home in Rose Hill where he was born and still lived. He was 90 years old and 
died of natural causes, The Associated Press reported.

Even 30 years after stepping down from the state board, Herring was known as 
a visionary leader who helped lay the foundation for key improvements in 
public education statewide.

"Dallas Herring was just one of the education greats of the state of North 
Carolina," said former Gov. Jim Hunt, who as lieutenant governor in the 1970s 
served on the state board while Herring was chairman. "He was a man who 
believed deeply in the importance of public education. He believed that 
everybody ought to get a good education and that the public ought to provide 
it and pay for it."

Herring's greatest legacy remains the state's community colleges, which began 
in 1959 with a system of industrial training centers that he persuaded Gov. 
Luther Hodges to open. Four years later, in 1963, he helped persuade Gov. 
Terry Sanford to create the community college system.

Herring believed as much in strong public schools as in creating opportunities 
for high school graduates through vocational training.

"His philosophy has undergirded the community colleges in North Carolina since 
their inception," said Martin Lancaster, president of the community college 
system. "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."

Herring, a bachelor, never strayed far from Rose Hill, 80 miles southeast of 
Raleigh. After graduating from Davidson College, he returned to manage his 
family's casket-making company. At 23, he was elected the town's mayor and 
later served as chairman of the Duplin County school board before being named 
to the state board in 1955.

Education was his lifelong passion. At Davidson, he spent long hours in the 
library. Late in life, he read Thucydides, in Greek.

He began collecting books when he was in high school, and his home library of 
4,000 volumes fills five rooms. His papers filled 680 boxes, now part of the 
library at N.C. State University, said friend Joseph Wescott.

Dudley Flood, a member of the UNC board of governors, was an administrator in 
the Department of Public Instruction during much of Herring's last decade as 
board chairman. Flood recalled accompanying Herring from his home to attend 
board meetings in Raleigh.

"I was never in a conversation with him when he wasn't talking about education," 
Flood said.

But his knowledge was wide-ranging, said Reeves McGlohon, superintendent of 
Gaston County schools who began his career as an intern at the Department of 
Public Instruction.

"He knew a lot about classical music and contemporary music," McGlohon said. 
"He was well-read and had varied interests. He never failed to amaze me with 
what he knew about the world."

In public, Herring had a commanding presence.

"He was eloquent," Flood said. "He could express himself in ways that made you 
proud of being part of the administration. ... He contributed what I think was 
credibility for education that may not exist today."

Craig Phillips, a longtime state superintendent who often clashed with Herring, 
said Herring's contribution can't be ignored.

"Dallas Herring was an unusual 'citizen educator,' " Phillips said. "He helped 
us create an interest and focus on improving public education."

The funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at Mount Zion Presbyterian 
Church, Rose Hill.

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