The Herman A . Estrin Collection
Herman "Doc" Estrin of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, was born on June 2, 1915. He lived his entire life in the Plainfield/Scotch Plains sections of New Jersey. Doc Estrin was an emeritus professor of English at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and an educator for over sixty years. He was eighty-three years old when he died on May 7, 1999. Herman Estrin jointed NJIT (when it was call the Newark College of Engineering) as an instructor in English in 1946. For more than a half-century, Doc touched the lives of NCE and NJIT students. Until his retirement in 1981, he was the advisor for almost every student publication at the university, including the school newspaper, yearbook, literary magazine, and technical magazines. As a scholar, Dr. Estrin authored over 400 articles and 14 books. He lectured and made presentations internationally. He served as president of the New Jersey Council of Teachers of English. He established the Estrin Scholarship Program for students in extracurricular activities at NJIT. He founded the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. Among his many awards Herman Estrin was the first recipient of NJIT's Van Houten Excellence in Teaching Award; he was given the Distinguished Teaching Award by the the New Jersey Council of Teachers; he was decorated with a Silver Medal from the Mayor of Paris for teaching chemical engineering graduate students at the University of Paris; and he was honored by the New Jersey Scholastic Press Assocation and The Wall Street Journal as an outstanding faculty advisor. This sketch of Doc Estrin's life scarcely suggests the accomplishments of this man who devoted his life to the worship of knowledge and who inspired thousands of students and innumerable colleagues to share his passion. After his death, his family donated his papers to the Van Houten Library, thus establishing this Estrin Collection. Digital highlights of the collection | Preliminary finding aid |