Family Traditions
Written by Paul Welker | October 2023
An informal date to the sub shop during their second year at Alfred State started a lifelong relationship for Russell and Brenda (Shaw) Herman, '81. Who would have known that a sub would be the first step to a lifetime together?
Alfred State was a family tradition for Russell Herman. He followed his brothers, Jack, '71 (who married Carolyn John, '70), and Jim, '72, to study agriculture business. He would make requests for his brothers to bring home subs from the Sub Shop when they returned home to Eden.
Brenda Shaw had never been west of Binghamton and had never visited Alfred State prior to starting floriculture production classes. “I came to Alfred State sight unseen. I had a good friend who went to Alfred University.”
The pair both lived in Main Gate B, and it was not until their second year that they started a relationship.
“She could not stand me the first year,” recalls Russell. “We did not have a lot in common other than we were both in agriculture. As things go, we fell in love, got engaged the next summer, and were married the summer after that.”
The two continued their education together at Utah State University and settled down in the Rochester area. Twists and turns led them to open a pet store which led to Russell finding his true passion.
“I did not realize how entrepreneurial I was. I decided to open a small retail [pet] store while raising five acres of vegetable crops. Ultimately built up to seven stores.”
“We built the business based on animal nutrition. It was a passion for me. I did not appreciate the value of feeding animals good food until our own dog had serious skin problems. When I changed him to better food, we saw the difference and felt we had to tell people about this and that is when we opened the store. I knew things about nutrition that most people would not know. When I looked at the ingredients on a bag of dog food, I realized that there was hardly any meat in there. That is why pets are not thriving. I was able to find the best food for our customers. This is what built our business, having that knowledge. I learned about animal nutrition at Alfred State.”
The Herman's are quick to remember the importance of their time at Alfred State. Brenda smiled as she recalled her classes, professors, and extracurricular activities. “We were taught industry smarts. We knew what it was like to get our hands dirty. We learned hands on so we could understand what was going on.”
Russell continued, “The teachers we had here were not book professors. They had lived it. I still see that today in the opportunities that are available to current students.”
Giving back and being involved in the community have been family and business cornerstones for the family. Their stores, PetSaver Healthy Pet Superstore (now called Pet Supplies Plus) worked closely with Lollypop Farms and other Rochester-based animal organizations and charities.
Brenda has been active in the local Rotary club and the couple credits their desire to be involved in their roots to being active in clubs like Tech Rescue, WETD, and the Plant and Science Club while attending Alfred State.
Lifelong memories and friendships have kept the family connected to their alma mater. “I think of the bond I had with the people in my curriculum,” commented Russell. “I am still great friends with Carl Luger, '81. We had a lot in common. We have stayed in touch with a few and lifetime friends with a few.”
Carl convinced Russell to join the alumni board, and the family continues to engage in what is happening at Alfred State.
In 1997, the Hermans worked with Brenda's grandmother to establish the Shaw Family Scholarship which has awarded scholarships to assist incoming students interested in agriculture programs.
Recently, Russell and Brenda returned to campus and wanted to do more to help. With a generous gift of $100,000 the newly named Shaw-Herman Endowed Scholarship will be able to assist even more students yearly.
“It is important to help others,” shared Russell. “Everyone has different things in life that they want to be a benefactor for. I do not think there was ever a doubt that we wanted to do something substantial to continue to help the best we can.”
The couple recently retired and have moved to Florida. A trip back to New York for a wedding allowed Russell and Brenda to spend some time on campus.
“The bones are still here; the spirit is still here. Things change on campus, and it evolves with time. It is exciting to see the changes.”
Brenda echoed Russell's thoughts, “We love coming back. We look forward to it.”
