John Augustus Herring, III, former director of Newcomb Hall, assistant dean and significant donor to the University's LGBTQ communities, passed away Friday at the age of 82.
Herring was a Virginia Military Institute graduate and U.S. Air Force veteran who moved to Charlottesville in 1958.
Bob Elkins, a 1979 College graduate and Serpentine Society Board of Directors member, said Herring "really gave birth to the queer movement at the University."
Elkins said Herring contributed significantly to the members of the University community affected by the AIDS epidemic of the 1970s and 1980s. At the time, many students who had AIDS were disowned by their parents, he said, and during the course of 15 years "John personally made over 20 trips to care for current and former University students dying of AIDS."
When Student Council withheld funding from the Gay Student Union in the 1970s because the University was not open to the union's viewpoints, Herring permitted the group to hold biweekly dances in Newcomb Ballroom, which allowed members to fundraise, Elkins said.
Vice President for Development Wayne Cozart said Herring not only supported the fledgling LGBTQ communities, but also helped develop all aspects of student life.
"He was instrumental in building traditional union structure for the University," Cozart said. "Prior to that, all student activities resided in fraternities. He worked very hard to build [a] student activities base outside the fraternities."
Alexander "Sandy" Gilliam, the University's protocol and history officer, said once Newcomb Hall was built, Herring helped to expand the activities and functions of student programs.
"He had a very positive influence on the workings of Newcomb Hall," Gilliam said. "When Newcomb Hall was opened [student activities] moved over to Newcomb [and] they were able to do lots more interesting things."
Cozart said Herring was a strident advocate for students and was known to help students financially to ensure they could stay in school. He said his favorite story about Herring arose from Herring's decision to write a student a letter of recommendation for admission to the University's Law School. When the Law School denied the student's admission, Herring allegedly stormed into the Dean of the Law School's office and slammed the door so hard the glass window shattered.
Herring's generosity continued after he retired from the University in 1989. In the early 2000s, Herring donated $50,000 to the University's Serpentine Society to the John Herring Scholarship for Social Awareness. The scholarship awards $5,000 to "a current undergraduate or graduate student ... who demonstrates leadership, citizenship, and fellowship and has actively supported, through volunteerism and advocacy, the LGBT Resource Center at the University of Virginia," according to the organization's website.
The Cavalier Daily Alumni Association annually awards a $1,000 scholarship in Herring's name "to supplement an unpaid or low-paid internship in a media-related field," according to the organization's website.
Elkins said Herring was a "very jovial and interesting person," and both Cozart and Elkins said he enjoyed fine arts and antiques, donating sculptures and pieces of art to the University Art Museum later in his life. Herring supported and attended numerous other kinds of performing arts at the University.
"John was interested in and passionate about the arts," Cozart said. "In those days he was a lone voice [for] building a more cultural experience than ever before ... He really was part of the heart of the institution for 30 years."
Herring is survived by his nephew John Harman and wife, Patricia, as well as their daughters, Mary and Elizabeth.
"Compassionate really just scratches the surface," Elkins said of Herring.
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