Leonard Sherr Memorial Scholarship

Dr. Leonard Sherr was born on January 1, 1923, in Mishkino, Russia, where his father practiced medicine. Amid the political turmoil after the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, the family estate was confiscated by the Russian government, and the family walked and took trains across Europe for six months. When they reached France, they caught a cattle boat to America. During the voyage, the U.S. Immigration Law of 1924 took effect, and they were barred from entering the U.S. While awaiting an American visa, Dr. Sherr and his family initially moved to Mexico City and then later adapted well to Tijuana. His father, Evsei, a Talmudic scholar, overcame the initial language barrier and applied his pharmaceutical training to open La Botica Sherr, one of Tijuana’s first drug stores, on Avenida Constitucion. “Leonard would not have given up his wonderful childhood in Tijuana for anything,” said his wife, Grace Sherr. In the 1930s, Dr. Sherr moved with his family to San Diego. As a young San Diego High graduate, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces early in World War II. He was injured in a flight training accident and spent nearly a year recovering in a hospital. When he returned to active duty, he was assigned to intelligence as an interpreter. After the war, he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at San Diego State College. In 1950, he began teaching the fourth grade at La Jolla Elementary School. In the 1960s, he earned a master’s degree in education administration and wrote papers in Spanish, Russian, and English to complete studies for his doctorate in guidance and counseling at the University of Southern California. He transitioned to school administration in 1962 as vice principal at Marston Junior High. He later served as a vice principal at Pershing Junior High and Crawford High before his first principal appointment at Wright Brothers Continuation School in 1969. Subsequent principal appointments took him to Bell Junior High School in 1971, to Morse High School in 1972 and to Hoover High in 1979. In addition to his administrative duties, Dr. Sherr continued to take classroom assignments throughout his career. In the late 1990s, he served as interim principal at Mission Bay High School for six months. For two decades, he taught counseling in education classes at San Diego State University and the University of San Diego. He also taught and served as principal at Temple Beth Israel Religious School between 1955 and 1980. Dr. Sherr died of cancer at the age of 81. Survivors include his wife of 20 years, Grace; sons, Clifford of Phoenix, Harry of Wellesley, Massachusetts and Robert of Rancho Santa Fe; stepson, Thomas Horton of Newport Beach; and five grandchildren. Individuals who have applied to, or are currently enrolled in, the Single Subject Credential program are invited to apply for the Leonard Sherr Memorial Scholarship.

If you do not meet all of these requirements in a given term, you may lose your scholarship eligibility and your scholarship may be canceled.

Requirements:

• The preferred student will be pursuing a program of study in single subject education at the credential level.
• Recipients must have a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.00 out of 4.00 or the arithmetic equivalent.
• Recipients must have financial need, as determined by the SDSU Financial Aid Office.
• Applicants must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the California Dream Act Application by the scholarship opportunity’s deadline for financial need to be determined.
• For renewable scholarships, the recipient is required to continue in the major specified above and maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.00.
• Credential students are not required to be enrolled full-time.