Sherman L. Frost: TFS Interim Director (April 1 – June 30, 1948)
Sherman L. “Jack” Frost was appointed interim director of the Texas Forest Service on April 1, 1948 following the resignation of W. E. White. Frost was born May 22, 1909 in West Haven, Connecticut and earned a BS in forestry from the University of Connecticut in 1931, followed by a Master of Forestry from Yale School of Forestry. He was a member of SAF and served as TFA’s third secretary from 1938-1948. He was commanding officer of the Civil Air Patrol and Texas Forest Patrol in the 1940s, receiving a US Army Air Corps citation for meritorious achievement for the former service. He edited TF News from 1935 – 1948 and authored numerous nationally-recognized forestry booklets and articles. The Texas A&M campus newspaper Battalion recognized Frost for “exemplary work with TFS publications and relations … in carrying out professional labor with extraordinary skill and enterprise.” Prior to joining TFS, Frost was assistant forester with the US Forest Service for five years. Frost, given his credentials, seemed a logical choice to permanently replace White as TFS director. Following two months of waiting for a decision, he opted to accept an offer from the American Forestry Association in Washington, DC. “With regret and pride we report he has accepted (the AFA offer). He spent many a sleepless night before wiring his acceptance,” TF News reported. Frost would continue his relationship with TFA and was sought to replace L. L. Bishop as TFA executive secretary. Instead, he opted to leave AFA for many years in leadership positions with the Ohio Forestry Association and Ohio Department of Natural Resources. In 1954, he returned to conduct an evaluation of the possibility of transferring the National Forests in Texas back to private ownership. Jack Frost passed away on March 11, 2004, two months before his 95th birthday.
