Dr. Lee Pierce Herrington 1952, U.S. Army

Dr. Lee Pierce Herrington 1952 served two years in the U.S. Army 8057th Transportation Corps during the Korean Conflict.

 

Prior to his service, Lee had been attending the University of Maine. He continued his studies upon his return stateside and obtained his bachelor's degree in forestry. Lee also obtained both a master's degree in tree physiology and a Ph.D. in forest meteorology from Yale University.

 

After his honorable discharge from the Army, Lee married his high school sweetheart, Nancy Tripp, whom he met at Hamden Hall and attended the Senior Prom with in 1952. The couple married on Dec. 16, 1955.

 

Starting in 1965, Lee worked in the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at SUNY - The State University of New York - as a professor of information resources management and director of the Laboratory for Applied Geographic Information Systems. Ultimately, Lee was named a Distinguished Teaching Professor at SUNY.

Lee was a pioneer in GIS technology and was one of the founders of the New York State Geographic Information Systems conference. He was also the creator of a wind-measuring device called the driven anemometer, for which he earned a patent.

The couple resided in Syracuse for 55 years. Their getaway was in the Adirondacks, where they built their vacation home called “Pieces” in Indian Lake. Lee and Nancy literally built the A-Frame residence from a kit as Lee was a skilled craftsman. Both Lee and Nancy enjoyed skiing, whitewater rafting, canoeing, sailing, and Syracuse basketball games. Lee was a Ham radio buff while Nancy was an avid crossword puzzler and wordsmith.

Lee and Nancy passed away within seven months of one another in 2021 – Nancy in February and Lee in September. Both had remained connected with their alma mater and classmates over the years. Nancy served as a reunion chair for her classes’ 50th reunion in 2002, which both Nancy and Lee attended.

Upon their passing, their children established The Lee and Nancy Herrington 1952 Scholarship Fund, which provides financial support to students who otherwise would not be able to afford a Hamden Hall education. According to their children, both Nancy and Lee were “grateful recipients of a scholarship” while enrolled at Hamden Hall.

 

Lee and Nancy are survived by sons Matthew, and wife Shannon; Bradford, and wife Debbie; and daughter Susan and her husband Dominic. They also leave behind seven grandchildren and were predeceased in 2013 by their son Wayne.