CAMPUS NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 22, 2006
Sherman College Grants Hardee Honorary Degree
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Sherman College has presented
its former president Jerry L. Hardee, Ed.D.,
with an honorary Doctor of Chiropractic
Humanities (DCH) degree in recognition of his
commitment to the chiropractic profession and to
Sherman College. Interim President and Sherman
College founder Thomas A. Gelardi, D.C., made
the presentation during the college’s 108th
commencement ceremony on December 16. Hardee
then presented the commencement address to the
graduates.
Hardee was named the third president of Sherman
College of Straight Chiropractic in July 2001,
and by virtue of that appointment, he became the
first African-American president of an
accredited chiropractic college. He quickly
spread his passion for Sherman College and its
mission, chiropractic the profession and the
local community.
“To say that service has shaped Jerry Hardee’s
life is to tell only half the story,” Sherman’s
Interim President Thom Gelardi says. “His
service to humanity speaks for itself, yet as I
think of Jerry Hardee, I think of a man who has
fashioned his life to make a difference in the
world. Dr. Hardee’s dedicated service has meant
so much to me personally, to Sherman College and
to the chiropractic profession.”
A lifelong educator, Hardee began his career as
a teacher in 1960. His administrative career
began just 10 years later, and he has served as
an executive administrator at five different
institutions of higher education in the Georgia
State Educational System. He holds a doctorate
degree in education and a certificate of
advanced study in educational administration
from Northern Illinois University, a master’s
degree in science education from Fisk University
and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from
Clark College.
He is past Georgia director of Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity and has served on the boards of the
American Red Cross and Boy Scouts of America. He
has been recognized by the Levi Strauss
Foundation in honor and appreciation of his
years of service and leadership with Project
Change, an anti-racism initiative in Valdosta,
GA.
As president of Sherman College, Hardee
spearheaded efforts to reach out to students,
faculty and health care profession advisors at
Historically Black Colleges and Universities to
inform them of the opportunities available in
chiropractic and the academic background needed
for admission to a chiropractic college. He has
demonstrated great leadership to impact the
growth of minority interest in the profession.
While president of Sherman College, Hardee
continued his humanitarian work in the local
community by serving on the Advisory Board of
Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Board of Directors
of the Senior Centers of Spartanburg County; the
Advisory Board of the University of South
Carolina-Upstate, College of Education; the
Board of Directors of the Mount Moriah Baptist
Church Foundation; and the Carolina Foothills
Artisans Center. While serving on these
non-profit boards, Hardee remained active in
Kiwanis International and the Spartanburg
Chamber of Commerce.
In 2004 he was named Humanitarian of the Year by
the American Black Chiropractic Association, and
the World Chiropractic Alliance presented him
with an Outstanding Service Award. The South
Carolina Chiropractic Association named him
Chiropractic Friend of the Year in 2005.
Currently Hardee serves as the Dean of the Life
University College of Arts and Sciences in
Marietta, Georgia. His wife, Wyonnie, has been
enjoying a long career as an elementary school
teacher in Valdosta, GA. They have a son, Sidney
Hardee of New York City, and two grandchildren.
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