It is hard to imagine anyone more respected and loved than Dr. Dora Herring, and the MSU accounting family deeply feels her loss of May 2.

She was in many respects a pioneer, with a career of firsts: first female accounting student at MSU, first female faculty member in the College of Business, first person in the state to receive both a CPA and a doctorate in accounting, first female President of the Mississippi Society of CPAs. During her 30-year career at Mississippi State, she was involved in key events from the planning of McCool Hall to the transition from a department into a school of accountancy. She became Director of the School in 1988.

She achieved much of this while raising three sons with husband Ward, including current ASAC faculty member Dr. Clyde Herring. She had seven grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

Even after retirement, Dora Herring continued to touch the lives of students, faculty and staff. She remained an active advocate for the Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy, for MSU and especially for students. She could often be seen on campus, as recently as the Spring Banquet in April where she congratulated the newest recipient of the Dora Herring Graduate Assistantship. She maintained relationships with many former students as well.

Dr. Dora Herring, the first woman to teach in the College of Business, was esteemed by colleagues and students.

“I was blessed to have had a group of outstanding accounting professors when I was a student in the School of Accountancy at Mississippi State. Dora Herring was a trailblazer as a woman in the then male-dominated world of accounting,” recalls School namesake and alumnus Richard Adkerson. “As students, we saw Dr. Herring as a highly qualified, demanding, caring professor. She challenged us to learn and work hard to succeed in our careers. After I graduated, we developed a warm friendship that lasted throughout her life. When I returned to Starkville over the years, we would visit, recall memories from years past and swap stories about Mississippi State, my work, our families, her church and the Starkville community. She lived a full life until her last day.”

He continues, “I am grateful to have been a part of her life and will miss her each time I visit the School of Accountancy at Mississippi State. Thank God we have her son, Clyde, on our faculty to remind us of his mother and to help us all carry forward her legacy.”

Pioneer, leader, teacher, mentor, encourager, friend. Dr. Dora Herring’s impact on Mississippi State accounting is undeniable, and it will endure.

The Adkerson School of Accountancy office suite will be renovated and named in Dr. Herring’s honor.  To pay tribute with a gift to the Dr. Dora Herring Memorial Fund, contact Zack Harrington or Jana Berkery at 662-325-1888.