On Wilkinson St., across from the main campus square, lies Herty Hall, the abode of biologists, chemists, physicists and astronomers. The college had long needed a science building and, under the leadership of President Henry King Stanford, the "Science Building" was opened in 1954. In May, 1956, it was named in honor of the renowned chemist, Charles H. Herty. A major enlargement of Herty Hall was completed in 1972, and a second expansion was completed in 2011 to add new laboratories, a rooftop greenhouse and observatory.
Charles Herty (1867-1938) was born in a house located on what is now our front campus. After receiving his doctorate from Johns Hopkins, he taught chemistry at the University of Georgia from 1891 until 1902. Herty was known for developing the cup and gutter system which made it easier to extract gum from pine trees for turpentine (a system which extended the life of the trees) and, in later life, he headed a laboratory which developed a process for using southern pine instead of northern spruce for newspaper print. Herty also developed the athletic program at UGA, organizing its first football team in the 1890s (there is still a Herty Field on the campus).
By Dr. Bob Wilson, University Historian
