GEORGE DONALD SHERMAN (1904-1973) Dr. Sherman was born on a farm in Ulen, Minnesota in 1904. He entered a B.S. degree program at the University of Minnesota at the age of 27 and completed B.S. and M.S. degree programs at that institution. He completed his Ph.D. in Soil Science at Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in 1940 and worked at the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station from 1942-44.

Dr. Sherman arrived in Hawaii in 1944 and served as chairman of the Department of Agriculture Chemistry and Soils, University of Hawaii from 1944 to 1956 and chaired the newly formed Department of Agronomy and Soil Science from 1955-62. He was chairman of the Food Processing Laboratory and the Industrial Research Advisory Council from 1950-59. During his 30 years at the University of Hawaii, Dr. Sherman published 111 articles on various aspects of soil science. His publications on the food value and preparation of tropical fruits formed the basis of Hawaii's modern guava and passion fruit industries. In 1956, the University of Hawaii awarded Dr. Sherman the title "Senior Professor of Soil Science" for his outstanding research, teaching and service.

Dr. Sherman was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society of Agronomy in recognition of his outstanding research on chemical weathering of tropical soils. Dr. Sherman was Associate Director of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station from 1952(??)-1967(??) and he played a key role in the establishment of experiment stations at Hamakua, Kula, Mealani and Volcano. His international assignments included stays in Egypt, Libya, the Sudan, Tunisia and Australia, the latter funded by a Fullbright Fellowship. The president of the University of Minnesota personally visited Dr. Sherman during a two-year stay at the University of Beirut and awarded him with a solid gold "Alumni of the Year" medal.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to agriculture in Hawaii, the Agricultural Sciences Building completed in 1984 was unanimously named by the UH Board of Regents as the G. Donald Sherman Laboratory.

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* The above is paraphrased from a plaque in the foyer of G. Donald Sherman Laboratory.
* See also: "A Short History of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, 1901-1982"By Beatrice H. Krauss http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/acad/AboutUs/Krauss_History/khistory.html