Celebrating Women in Science: Althea Sherman

February 11, 2022

On today's International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we would like to highlight a fascinating Oberlin College alumna.

Althea Rosina Sherman received the A.B. degree in 1875 and the A.M. degree in 1882 from Oberlin College, both degrees in art. She went on to teach art at Carleton College and was later supervisor of art in the Tacoma, Washington school district.

While Sherman majored in and started her career in art, she was a self-taught ornithologist and later made the study of birds her main career path after she turned fifty. Oberlin College professor Lynds Jones created the first formal ornithology course at Oberlin in 1895 at Sherman's urging.

After Sherman's parents died, she began taking detailed notes of birds on her farm, eventually filling 60 notebooks with observations and drawings. She was a member of 15 scientific societies, and wrote for many scientific journals. Despite having no formal training, Althea Sherman became a leading ornithologist in her time.

The Oberlin College Archives holds a former student file in the alumni records for Althea Sherman which contains articles, biographical information, and even some correspondence from Sherman herself.