Dr. Clarence A. Porter has served Montgomery College with dedication and distinction for 20 years and retired from the College as of December 31, 2004. During those years, he served as Instructional Dean at Takoma Park Campus from 1985 to 2000 and also served as Vice President and Provost from 2000 to 2004. During this time, he played a pivotal role in the growth of the health sciences programs, in part, resulting in the creation of a new state-of-the-art Health Sciences Center which officially opened in January 2004; and when serving as an instructional dean, Dr. Porter was the first convener of the deans collegewide, developing a model of collaborative work among the deans that continues to this day. Dr. Porter was a strong advocate for student academic support centers, fostering the development of the Math/Science Center at Takoma Park and working toward the expansion of such centers, including the opening of an 80-seat open computer laboratory for students without access to technology, all with the goal of providing more out-of-class academic assistance to students. Dr. Porter served as a member of the American Red Cross Life Board; and was extremely active in the National Council of Black American Affairs (of the American Association of Community Colleges), for which he was president of the Northeast Region.