John Tart dies at 87
By From staff reports
Published in News on April 12, 2015 1:50 AM
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John Tart
John Tart, a Wayne County farm boy who rose by his own talents to become a community college president, county commissioner and legislator, died Saturday morning.
He was 87.
Tart served as a representative from Wayne County in the state House for four terms and was a member of the Wayne County Board of Commissioners for two terms. He also served on the state Board of Education for eight years.
Tart never outgrew his farming roots, however, and was a die-hard supporter of Wayne County agriculture. He was a familiar figure at the ringside of junior livestock shows, encouraging young people with an interest in agriculture.
"He was a joy to work with," said former County Manager Will Sullivan. "He grew up on a farm and I don't think he ever got that out of his system.
"He did a little bit of everything," Sullivan said, "and he did a good job of whatever he did."
Tart graduated from North Carolina State University and was a teacher and later president of Johnston Community College for three decades.
He was a member of the Grantham Grange, the Grantham Volunteer Fire Department and Mill Creek Masonic Lodge No. 125 in Newton Grove.
A man of deep faith, Tart was a lifelong member of Selah Christian Church, where he served as a Sunday school teacher for over 65 years.
He was presented with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Gov. Jim Hunt and earned the Lifetime Achievement award from the North Carolina State Future Farmers of America Foundation in 2014.
As a youth he served two terms as state president of the North Carolina FFA.
Milton Ingram, former director of the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair, remembered Tart as being very dedicated to all he did, and especially to those in the Grantham community. Tart had many interests but always kept those of the community first, he said.
"He wore many, many hats throughout the years," he said.
Dr. Herman Porter, former president of Wayne Community College, echoed the sentiments.
"John Tart had an outstanding career and he raised an outstanding family, the grandkids have done well. John Tart had it all," he said. "He started out as an outstanding FFA member in high school, was a state public speaking winner and state officer.
"Then he was an outstanding ag teacher and he was a founding president of Johnston Community College."
In the latter role, building a community college "from the ground floor," at that time called a technical college, Porter observed Tart to be a good administrator and success story.
"I have a lot of admiration for someone who has achieved that much in his lifetime -- a teacher, a leader of a college, a legislator, a county commissioner and a state board member -- some very important positions in our state."