Dallas Foster, Sr

Dallas Foster, Sr., a long-time resident of Raleigh, NC, was a native of Franklin County.  He is the son of a Baptist preacher, the late Rev. F. F. Foster; and a devout Christian mother, the late Mrs. Hazel Pulley Foster.  His parents passed while he was a minor, forcing him to become self-responsible and self-supporting at a very early age.  He worked his way through Garner High School and Shaw University while employed as an Orderly at Rex Hospital eight hours for nightly.

Mr. Foster, who graduated with a B.S. degree in History and Sociology from Shaw University in 1964, and who received a M. S. degree in Guidance and Counseling from Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT, in 1972, pursued post-graduate studies at a host of other schools.  He completed the eight-year internationally recognized Bible Study Fellowship program, missing only one class.

He was employed, prior to his retirement in 2012, as an Advisor for all Business programs at Wake Technical Community College for 39 years.  He had a wide variety of employment experiences.  In addition to working in the Wake County School System as a Social Studies teacher, he served as Director of New Careers in a local anti-poverty program; Career Placement Counselor at Shaw University; Director of Career Counseling and Placement at Central Connecticut State University; and as a Ford Foundation Intern at Saint Lawrence University in Canton, New York.

Community-service oriented, he was a former member of the following Boards and groups:  Chairman of the Study Commission for the State Laymen League; Co –Chairman of the Church Liaison Committee for the Raleigh/Wake Citizens Association; Vice-President for the Raleigh/Wake Pan-Hellenic Council; former President and Chaplain for the Eta Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.; Enloe High School Advisory Council; the Advisory and Executive Boards of the Raleigh Rescue Mission.  He was very active at First Baptist Church in Raleigh where he was Deacon Emeritus, he co-taught the C.E. Askew Sunday school class.  Deacon Foster taught the Deacons’ class in both the Unions of the Wake Baptist Association and the Johnston Baptist District Association.  He held a life membership in the NAACP and State Layman of the Year plaque for 1999. 

Widely known as the “Preaching Deacon”, Mr. Foster was in constant demand as a teacher, and as a workshop leader.  He appeared on TV channels 10 and 22.  In his retirement, he enjoyed working as a contributing writer for the Carolinian Newspaper.

He is survived by his wife Paula Dunston Foster of Raleigh, NC; Sons, Dallas Foster, Jr. (Lisa) of Raleigh, NC and Derrick Foster of Winston Salem, NC; Sisters, Myrtle Johnson of New York City, Thelma Fogg and Irene Hill, both of Raleigh, NC, and Bertha McKnight of Aberdeen, NC; Grandchildren, Nina Oteria Foster of Durham, NC, Eli Dallas Foster, US Army enlisted, Kaiserslautern, Germany, Nathan Isaiah Foster of Raleigh, NC, Faithe Davis of Raleigh, NC; Great-Granddaughter, Zoe Davis.

Funeral Service:  12:00 PM, Saturday, November 16, 2019 at First Baptist Church, 101 S. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC.

Visitation:  11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, preceding the funeral service at the church.

Interment:  Montlawn Memorial Park, Raleigh, NC.

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