Ms. Harriet Herring, formerly of Kinston, was the apple of her father’s eye and she felt the very same about him. A devoted daughter, she saw first-hand her father’s generosity to others. William I. Herring, Sr. is described by a friend, as “a model for fair dealing in business, for building and sustaining his community, and for his quiet support for those in need.” These are lessons he taught his children.

Carrying on her father’s legacy, Ms. Herring, who now lives in Chapel Hill, has endowed three scholarships through the Lenoir Community College Foundation and most recently, through a generous donation, the culinary dining area in the Waller Building is now named after her father, the William I. Herring, Sr. Culinary Arts Center.

“We are so appreciative of Ms. Herring and what she has and continues to do to help students attend college,” LCC President Dr. Rusty Hunt said. “She has a genuine love of her community and for helping others, and our students are very fortunate because of her generosity and love of education.”

LCC Foundation Executive Director Jeanne Kennedy said to know Ms. Herring is to love her. “She has helped many students throughout the years and we appreciate her support and her commitment to the College and our students.”

Ms. Herring said she feels very fortunate that she can help others the way her father did. “My father would have loved knowing that he was still helping others,” Ms. Herring said. “He helped people and he was the most honest person.”

Hayes McNeill, a friend of the family, wrote about Ms. Herring’s father saying like many in his day, he didn’t have much schooling, but he was “a bright boy,” with “a lot of native intelligence.” After finishing the fourth grade, he worked fulltime at the farm. When he turned 18, he turned to agricultural and business enterprises that led to acquiring other farms, selling farm equipment and tractors, operating Herring Gas, and, for four decades, managing his Central and New Central tobacco warehouses that benefited many Kinston area growers, large and small.  He was unpretentious. His daughter also remembers “No office. He didn’t have that kind of personality.”

McNeill said he always identified himself a farmer. The Herrings had a large presence here for as long as anyone could remember, “as far back as the Indians,” as one relative put it.  His grandfather’s farm was on what is now on Highway 70 W.  His father farmed north of Kinston, where he and his school-teacher wife raised their three children. 

Throughout his life, he was quietly generous, using his financial success quietly and efficiently. He supported charities, sheltered workshops, and colleges—Chowan and Campbell among them—and was a sustaining supporter of the Salvation Army in Kinston. He was proud to serve as deacon in his church.

For recreation, Herring “loved floundering” from his skiff.  It was daughter Harriet’s job “to stand behind him and catch the crabs in the crab net.”  W. I. took under his wing Marshall Happer, a fledgling UNC student who became a tennis great and a lawyer. “I’ve never met a finer person than W. I.,” who “gave me a job for a dollar an hour (double what I was worth), so I’d have spending money at school,” Happer said.

Like many in a vanished breed, he was a man who bought and sold with a handshake, who cared about his community, and who used his good fortune to benefit those in need, whether he knew them or not.

Recently, a luncheon, catered by the LCC Culinary Arts students, was held in the newly named center to celebrate the naming of the center and three scholarship recipients, Roaxann Reaves, Asia Roberson, and Junie Robles, who are beneficiaries of scholarships endowed by Ms. Herring. It was a time to share stories about Ms. Herring’s father, her passion of education and the importance of giving back to a community she continues to hold dear. 

She told the students that it was never too late to follow their educational dreams. A graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, Ms. Herring decided to go back to a community college later in life to pursue a nursing degree. “The community college gave me a chance to get my life together to pursue something I really wanted to do. It’s important to get the education you want.”

Reaves of New Bern received the Harriet Taylor Herring LPN Scholarship. Married with one child, she is a member of the Lamplighters Club. She received a National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Army Achievement Medal. She is a certified nursing assistant in a long-term care facility since 2009. She plans to graduate as a practical nurse. She said her grandmother was a nurse and her grandmother’s passion to help others is her inspiration.

Roberson of Pink Hill also received the Harriet Taylor Herring LPN Scholarship and is a member of the Lamplighters Club. She volunteers for Abundant Life Miracle Center, assists afterschool with homework assignments, and helps distribute food with the Foodbank. She received the Youth Volunteer Award at Carolina East Medical Center and completed 91 hours of volunteer service in the summer of 2018. She is pursuing the LPN program because she believes in impacting the lives of others through her work. After completed the program, she plans to apply to the bridge program for the Associate Degree Nursing and later pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing. 

Robles of Trenton received the William I. Herring, Sr. Memorial Scholarship. A graduate of Jones Senior High School, he loves horticulture. He works part-time at Driver Heating and Cooling in Trenton and hopes to open his own business in the future. He plans to attend the University of Mount Olive to pursue a four-year degree in horticulture.
For more information on the LCC Foundation, contact Jeanne Kennedy, Executive Director, at (252) 233-6812 or email at jmkennedy48@lenoircc.edu.