Johnston Community College unveiled a portrait of the late Dr. W. Dallas Herring March 7.

The portrait was commissioned as part of the North Carolina Community College System’s 50th anniversary.

Herring, a Duplin County native, was instrumental in the creation of the state’s community college system in 1963 while serving as chair of the State Board of Education. He may best be known for his belief that education should be available to all and that community colleges should “…take people from where they are, as far as they can go.”

Duplin Winery and the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation commissioned the portrait, which will hang in the Pines Conference Room. This is the room where the trustees normally meet.

The State Board of Community Colleges also recently passed a resolution, naming its regular meeting room the Dr. W. Dallas Herring State Board Room.

Herring died in 2007 at the age of 90.