OBITUARY Richard Beatty Sherman November 16, 1929 – September 22, 2018 Richard B. Sherman, Pullen Professor of History Emeritus at the College of William and Mary, died on September 22, 2018 at the age of 88. Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Sherman spent his early years in the Boston Area. He studied at Harvard University, from which he was awarded his bachelor’s degree with high honors in 1951.
A year later he earned an M.A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania and, in 1959, a Ph.D. in History from Harvard. From 1952 to 1954 he was on active duty in the United States Army. Sherman began his teaching career in 1957 as an Instructor in History at Pennsylvania State University.
In 1960 he was appointed Assistant Professor of History at the College of William and Mary, which remained his academic home until his retirement in 1994. Promoted to full professor in 1970, he was named Chancellor Professor of History in 1987 and William E. Pullen Professor of History in 1992. During the 1966-1967 academic year he was a Fulbright Professor at the University of Stockholm in Sweden.
In 1975 he was elected an honorary member of the Alpha of Virginia Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. As a teacher at William and Mary, Sherman was well known for his wry humor and exacting standards, as well as for his Yankee perspective and Boston accent. His research, writing and teaching focused primarily on late nineteenth and twentieth century American history.
He published numerous scholarly articles and a number of books. The latter included The Negro and the City, The Republican Party and Black America from McKinley to Hoover, 1896 to 1933, and The Case of Odell Waller and Virginia Justice, 1940-1942. He was also a co-author of The College of William and Mary, A History, which was published in 1993 to commemorate the College’s tercentenary.
During his years at William and Mary, Sherman served on a large number of elected and appointed committees. He was also acting chairman of the Department of History from 1969 to 1972 and director of the department’s graduate program from 1972 to 1976. He was particularly proud of his efforts to develop a library for the Department of History, and he served as its librarian for some twenty-five years until his retirement.
Sherman had several special interests beyond academe. For relaxation at home the most important was music. Despite his long residence in the conservative state of Virginia, he remained a liberal Democrat and an unapologetic defender of liberal causes.
He was especially committed to the conservation and preservation of our natural res, an interest that grew out of his love of hiking. Never abandoning his New England roots, he retained a particular affection for the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire, which he and his wife visited at every possible opportunity. He was a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Appalachian Trail Conference, and the Sierra Club.
Sherman married Hanni (Fechenbach) Fey in 1952. They had met while working as summer camp counselors in Putney, Vermont. He is survived by his loving wife of 66 years; children Linda Kimel (Sam) of Rockford, IL and Alan Sherman (Pam Steele) of Washington, DC; grandchildren: Greg, Chris and Steven Kimel, William Sherman, Julie Sherman-Steele; 3 great-grandchildren; and sister Elizabeth Sherman Swing of Concord, MA.
A memorial service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3051 Ironbound Rd. , Williamsburg, VA on Sunday, October 7th at 4:00pm. In lieu of flowers contributions may be sent to the Friends of the Williamsburg Regional Library, 515 Scotland St., Williamsburg, VA 23185.
Condolences may be offered at www. nelsenwilliamsburg.com.
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