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Frederick Herman died May 3, 2002, in the company of his devoted family. Born a native of Vienna, Austria, in 1924, he lived in Norfolk for almost 50 years and contributed broadly to community affairs.
Following service in the United States Army during World War II, Dr. Herman attended the College of William and Mary where he completed his undergraduate studies in two years and received Phi Beta Kappa. As a student at William and Mary, he met Lucy Spigel, whom he would marry in 1947. He then enrolled in the Fletcher School of International Law at Tufts University where he earned his doctorate in International Law and Diplomacy. Subsequently, he returned to military service and then moved into the architectural practice of Bernard B. Spigel before becoming a partner in the firm of Spigel, Carter, Zinkel and Herman. His designs comprehend a variety of public and private commissions including numerous Norfolk branch libraries such as those at Little Creek and Larchmont. In addition to his architectural practice, Dr. Herman taught courses at Old Dominion University and the College of William and Mary. As a first lieutenant in Military Intelligence attached to the Seventh Armored Division deployed in the European Theater in World War II, Dr. Herman fought at the Battle of the Bulge and later worked in military intelligence. His valor in combat earned him the Bronze Star. Following the Allied victory, he was charged with establishing and supervising military governments in multiple German counties and municipalities.
Dr. Herman's contributions to the cultural and civic life of his adopted city and state were extensive. As a long-term member and chairman of the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission through the 1970s, he was in the vanguard of those who sought to preserve the state's architectural heritage. Undaunted by controversy, he held true to the principle that the history of the past is reflected in the objects of the everyday landscapes we share. He was also a member of the Norfolk Design Review Committee, Norfolk Historical Society Preservation Committee, and the American Institute of Architects.
Together with his wife, Lucy Spigel Herman, Dr. Herman actively supported the arts throughout his life. Their legacy includes support for student scholarships and gifts to the permanent collections of the Muscarelle Museum at the College of William and Mary, the University Gallery at the University of Delaware, the Bailey Art Museum at the University of Virginia and the Chrysler Museum of Art. Equally important was his longtime association with and support for artists in the greater Norfolk community.
Frederick Herman lived according to his beliefs that we are all obligated to make the world a better place for having lived in it, that selfishness is the greatest sin, and that art and beauty are inseparable from life. Those values continue to shape the lifeworks of his family and benefit his community in innumerable ways.
He is survived by his widow; two children, Dr. Lucy Fredrika Jacobs and her husband, Paul, of Richmond and Dr. Bernard Lania Herman and his wife, Rebecca, of Newark, Del.; and two grandchildren, Jessica Elizabeth Jacobs and Lania Rebecca Herman.
A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, in the Norfolk Chapel of H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts., by Rabbi Michael Joseph and Cantor Jenifer Bern-Vogel. The family will receive friends in the chapel following the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104.
May 9, 2002
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