Biography Adapted from his obituary, which can be found here: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/annapolis-md/frank-sherwood-8837580.
Frank P. Sherwood, a distinguished scholar and professor in the field of public administration and the founding director of the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, died on August 28, 2019 at his home in Annapolis, Maryland.
In 1950, Dr. Sherwood received a Master’s of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. In 1951, he began his academic career as an Assistant Professor in Public Administration, obtaining his Ph.D. in Political Science from USC shortly afterwards. He taught at USC until 1968, becoming the Director of the USC School of Public Administration. While at USC, he and his family lived in Rio de Janeiro, where he ran USC’s academic program in Brazil. He also taught USC courses in Pakistan and Iran.
In 1981, he accepted an appointment as the Chairman of the Department of Public Administration at Florida State University in Tallahassee. The University subsequently named him as the first Jerry Collins Eminent Scholar in Public Administration. He served as Management Advisor to the Honorable Robert Graham, Governor of Florida. He retired from FSU in 1995.
Dr. Sherwood received many awards during his academic and professional career, including the National Newswriting Champion in High Schools (1937), Rufus Choate Scholar (Dartmouth), Class of 1926 Fellow (Dartmouth), and election to Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Sigma Alpha. Most recently he received FEI’s First Honorary Service Award in 2018. In 1973-74, he served as National President of the American Society for Public Administration. He was elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration in 1969 and chaired various NAPA committees during his career. He served on the Board of Editors for numerous publications, including Public Administration Review and the International Journal of Public Administration.
One of Dr. Sherwood’s most significant achievements was his enduring relationship with many of his students, especially the doctoral students at USC and FSU. He served on more than 50 doctoral committees, chairing a majority of them. On this subject, he wrote “I think one’s scholarly activity involves the great pleasure of working with doctoral students on their dissertations.” Many of these students became his closest friends and strongest supporters. They have always been part of his family.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations may be made to: Alzheimers Drug Discovery Foundation (www.alzdiscovery.org) or Center for Science in the Public Interest (cspinet.org)