DB:  It has been six years since you retired. What do you do here?

HB:  Well, what I do and what I thought I would do are two different things. What I wanted to do was to organize my voluminous records. What you may not know, Dale, is that when she retired, Eleanor Dilks passed on to me Departmental records and those left by Omar Rilett, former Departmental Head, that she thought should be preserved. Some of these include hand written class notes that he took from Aldo Leopold, the Dean of American conservation writing, when Omar was a student at the University of Wisconsin. These gave me shivers when I read them. But mainly I would like some day to write a history of the Department in the years I worked here. What I do, however, is to keep up on scientific literature, mainly new developments in genetics, from my own journals and those in the library. The organization of the records I described has lagged. I do spend some time on the Alumni Seminar Series in Genetics, which is supported by the Herman E. Brockman Fund in the ISU Foundation. This fund was initiated by my former students when I retired.  Each semester, one of our former students spends a day in the department visiting with students and faculty and presents a seminar.

DB:  Many of us considered you the “conscience” of the Department as well as being a leader in teaching, research, and service. You often left the office after dark, still to do chores on your farm. You were very busy. However, since your retirement you appear to keep similar hours. Would you describe your activities and schedules since retirement?

HB:   I still follow a similar schedule that I did in earlier years. I rise rather early in the morning and retire rather late. I still take a nap at noontime. (DB  We all knew of Herman’s cot in the back of his office!)  I can accomplish much more in a day with that brief break. I am now, however, mainly a farmer, which I consider biology.

I still read genetics but more and more of my study and activities are in sustainable agriculture, formerly called organic farming and now often called ecological agriculture.  I still have my farm chores, presently have thirteen head of cattle, and my neighbor sows hay, oats, and wheat for me. Also, I work on four other farms that all practice sustainable agriculture.  These activities include helping four of our children. Henry has an organic vegetable business on his nearby land and some of mine. He has a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Bl-N and a stand at the Evanston Farmers market, and my wife, Marlene, and I help throughout the growing season. Teresa raises organic fruit and herbs on her land and also has a CSA in Bl-N and a stand at the Evanston Farmers market. We help her as well. We usually work one day a week on my parents’ farm in Iroquois County, where our daughter Jill lives and which is being transitioned to organic farming.  She has goats, poultry, and fruit trees. Terra has established the Land Connection Foundation, which buys farm land threatened by urban development and promotes sustainable agriculture on these lands. She also raises mushrooms and poultry. So I have plenty to do in helping with these endeavors.

DB:  It is obvious that your retirement is quite different from the days of genetic research.  However, do you see a connection, in philosophy and in practice, between the two times of your life?

HB:  I think that there is a continuous line of thought between the two times. Much of my research was involved in environmental mutagenesis, which studies the role of mutagens that occur in our environment. More recently it involved the study of agents that counteract the effects of these mutagens. Most recently my research studied the role of chlorophyll as an anti-mutagen. Since many of these agents are involved in agriculture it turns out that my interests are connected. Today, one of my main interests involves the use and effects of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on the environment and on other organisms. I fear that we may be moving too fast without knowing and understanding the consequences of this new technology.

DB:  Herman, thank you very much.

This story was written by Dr. Dale Birkenholz, Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences, for Renaissance Retirees, the College's emeritus faculty newsletter.