Obituary of Herman Cohen

Herman Cohen, 88, of State College, died Sunday, December 22, 2013, at Nazareth Hospital, Philadelphia. Born December 29, 1924, in Superior, Nebraska, he was the son of the late Morris and Dora Shvartsman Cohen. In 1947, he married Marlee Hollander who survives in State College. He is also survived by two children, Bob Cohen and his wife, Regina, of Medford, NJ, Matthew Cohen, of Santa Clarita, CA, a brother, Edward Cohen and his wife, Phyllis, of Ocala, FL and four grandchildren, Bobby, Sara, Kristina and Jennifer Cohen. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Abraham and Casey Cohen. He was a 1942 graduate of Rock Island (IL) High School. He graduated with a Bachelor's, Master's and PhD degrees in Speech Communication from the University of Iowa. During WWII Herman served in the United States Army in the European and Asian Theatre. He was a Professor of Speech Communications at the University of Oregon, the University of Massachusetts and the Pennsylvania State University. He retired with Professor Emeritus status from Penn State College of Liberal Arts and was formerly head of the Speech Communication department at Penn State. He was active in the Speech Communication Association and served as president of this organization in 1975. Herman published extensively on the history of rhetorical theory in American and European books and journals. He lectured and gave presentations in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Finland. He published various books, including The History of Speech Communication: The Emergence of a Discipline, 1914-1945, which won the Everett Lee Hunt award. Herman enjoyed traveling, politics, reading and sports. He especially enjoyed traveling through Europe with his wife, keeping tabs on any upcoming elections and following Penn State Athletics. Visitation will be 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., Friday, December 27, 2013 at Koch Funeral Home, 2401 S. Atherton St., State College. Memorial service will follow at 2:00 p.m., Friday, December 27, 2013 at the funeral home with Jackie Hook, Life -Cycle Celebrant, officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association at 810 River Avenue, Suite 140, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com.