Herman
"Doc" Estrin, NJCPA Founder,
Died in 1999
 Dr. Herman Estrin, of Scotch
Plains, N.J., an emeritus professor of
English at New Jersey Institute of
Technology and an educator for more than
60 years, died Friday, May 7, 1999, in
Westfield, N.J., after a short illness.
Born June 2, 1915, he was 83.
Estrin, who founded the
New Jersey Collegiate Press Association
in 1952, began his teaching career at the
Grant School in South Plainfield, in
1938, and recently concluded 50 years of
teaching at NJIT. He is a 1933 graduate
of North Plainfield High School and a
1937 graduate of Drew University, where
he received an honorary degree in 1998.
He received his master's degree from
Columbia University in 1942 and his
doctorate from Columbia in 1954.
Dr. Estrin served in
the U.S. Army during World War II, from
1942-1946, attaining the rank of captain.
Estrin joined NJIT, then Newark College
of Engineering, as an instructor of
English, in 1946. He touched the lives of
NCE and NJIT students for more than five
decades. Until his retirement in 1981, he
was adviser for almost every student
publication at the university, including
the school newspaper, yearbook, literary
magazine and technical magazine. He is
founder of the "The Log," the
student handbook.
"Doc Estrin by a
wide margin was the most asked for
professor whenever I visited alumni
groups throughout the nation and
world," said NJIT President Saul K.
Fenster. "Doc taught students to
"have an appreciation for arts and
humanities, communications, and to have a
regard for their fellow human
beings." He was a wonderful teacher
and friend to students. Doc will be
missed by everyone at NJIT. He had a
profound impact on the university."
For 30 years, the
Estrin Scholarships have been given to
NJIT students showing leadership in
extracurricular activities. He was the
first recipient of NJIT's Robert Van
Houten Excellence in Teaching Award in
1970, and was given the 1971 Western
Electric Fund Award for excellence in the
instruction of engineering students, and
the Distinguished Teaching Award by the
New Jersey Council of Teachers of
English.
Organizations such as
the National Council of College
Publication Advisers, which gave him the
Distinguished Newspaper Adviser Award;
the Columbia Scholastic Press
Association, which gave him the Gold Key
Award; the New Jersey Scholastic Press
Association; and The Wall Street
Journal have recognized Estrin as an
outstanding faculty adviser.
Estrin, who has
authored numerous publications and has
lectured and made presentations
internationally, served as president of
the New Jersey Council of Teachers of
English; the New Jersey College English
Association; Pi Delta Upsilon, the
collegiate journalism society; and the
National Council of College Publications.
Estrin received the
Silver Medal from the mayor of Paris for
teaching chemical engineering graduate
students at the University of Paris. In
1976, he initiated the New Jersey
Literary Hall of Fame at NJIT, which
includes the most prestigious writers
from the Garden State.
"He's an
icon," said Mary Higgins Clark, who
has written numerous best-selling
suspense novels and is a member of the
Hall of Fame. In 1995, Estrin was
inducted as a charter member of the North
Plainfield High School Alumni Hall of
Fame. Estrin is survived by his wife,
Pearl, and son, Robert, and daughter,
Cari.
In lieu of flowers, the
family has asked that contributions be
made to the Estrin Scholarships through
NJIT's Office of University Advancement,
(973) 596-3400.
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Thomas E. Engleman