Robert Dunton Herman (1928 – April 9, 2021) was an American
urban sociologist. He taught at
Pomona College for four decades, and became known as an advocate for
downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...
.
Early life and education
Herman was born in
Champaign, Illinois, and raised in
Hillsdale, Michigan. During his childhood, he lived in
Tucson, Arizona, and
Redlands, California
Redlands ( ) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 73,168, up from 68,747 at the 2010 census. The city is located approximately west of Palm Springs and east of Lo ...
. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from
Pomona College in 1951 and a PhD in sociology from the
University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Career
Herman served as an electrical specialist in the
United States Navy for two years. After earning his PhD, Herman taught at
Iowa State University. He returned to
Claremont, California
Claremont () is a suburban city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. It is in the Pomona Valley, at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 census it had a popul ...
, in 1960 and began teaching at
Pomona College. He remained at the school for several decades and also served a chair of the Pomona College Sociology Department.
References
American sociologists
Urban sociologists
People from Claremont, California
Pomona College alumni
Pomona College faculty
1928 births
2021 deaths
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
Iowa State University faculty
Her
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People from Champaign, Illinois
People from Hillsdale, Michigan