Sherwood Berg

Sherwood O. Berg

Sherwood O. Berg, 94, died Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014, at the United Living Community in Brookings. Memorial services will be 2:00 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, at First Presbyterian Church. Visitations will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, at the McCrory Gardens Visitor and Education Center. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the SDSU Foundation, Running Strong for American Indian Youth, Special Olympics, or charity of the donor's choice.

Sherwood O. Berg was born May 17, 1919, at Hendrum, MN. He graduated from Hendrum High School and attended the University of Minnesota's School of Agriculture. He enrolled at South Dakota State College where he received his B.S. degree in 1947. He earned his M.S. degree at Cornell University in 1948 and his Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of Minnesota in 1951.

Woody enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943, served in the Battle of the Bulge, and was involved in the funeral service for General George Patton. From June 1945 to August 1946 he was food and agricultural officer, at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. Upon his return to South Dakota State, he became a member of the 44 Kings—an organization of World War II veterans.

From 1957 to 1963, he served as professor and head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Minnesota. In 1963 he was appointed dean of the Institute of Agriculture at the U. of M. From 1973 to 1975 he served as resident director in Indonesia on a higher agricultural education project of MUCIA. In 1975, Dr. Berg became president of South Dakota State University, where he served until 1984.

On August 12, 1944, Woody married Elizabeth Hall Berg, who survives him. He is also survived by two children: Mary Elizabeth of St. Paul, MN, and Bradley Joseph(Nina) of Singapore; two grandchildren: Joseph of Minneapolis and Monica of Singapore; and a brother, Spencer (Phyllis) Berg of Chevy Chase, MD.