Russel H. Herman

RUSSEL H. HERMAN known as Russ, died on Sept. 13 at Greenwich Hospital. He would have been 78 on Oct. 6. He grew up in Alexandria, VA and graduated in 1951 as head of his Chemical Engineering class at Pennsylvania State University. He was a member of the Alpha Chi Sigma fraternity. He began his career with Exxon Corp. shortly after graduation and held a variety of positions including President and CEO of Esso Eastern, Exxon's company in charge of their business in the Asia-Pacific area. He retired as Executive Vice President of Esso Europe based in London. After retirement he and two former Exxon colleagues formed an energy consulting company, and he served on the board of the Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp. His work for local non-profits has included the Greenwich Land Trust and the United Way of Greenwich. When he died, he was a Stephen minister at the First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich. And while he had resigned from the national board of Recording for the Blind and Dyslectic and from the board of the Leonard Center for Engineering Education at Penn State because of health limitations, he continued to be on committees for RFB & D through conference calls and kept up on activities in the Engineering Department at Penn State. In 1981 he was chosen by PSU as an Honor Engineering Alumnus and was named an Alumni Fellow in 1996. Over the years he set up two scholarships for engineering, one in his father's name and one in his and his wife's name. He was a life long learner with an interest in history, literature, poetry, science, music and art as well as current events both business and political. Another passion was football. Those who knew him would never bother him when Penn State football was being televised. His is survived by his wife, Sandra R. Herman and six children whom he loved and who in turn loved him. The oldest of the five by his first wife, Linda Hillman, are Cynthia Nolte of Charleston, SC, Melissa Novalis of Morristown, NJ, Christina Stagich of Easton, PA, R. H. Herman III of Mendham, NJ and Tammy Martone of Pompton Plains, NJ. The youngest Douglas Herman of Stamford, CT is the son of Sandra Herman. There are also 17 grandchildren and a step brother Charles Story of Barnstable, MA. A memorial service will be held on Friday, September 26 at 2 pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich, 1 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to: The Russ Herman Memorial Fund, First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich, 1 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830 or to The Russel H. Herman and Sandra R. Herman Trustee Scholarship, The Pennsylvania State University, Director of Development, College of Engineering, 101 Hammond Building, University Park, PA 16802 or to Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, Attn: Financial Development In honor of Russ Herman's long service, 20 Roszel Road, Princeton, NJ Arrangements entrusted to the Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home 31 Arch Street, Greenwich, CT.