Sherry Corbett

In the mid-1970s, Dr. Robert Sherwin created a series of Miami University courses on crime and delinquency and hired Sherry Corbett to organize and teach in the program. Dr. Sherwin served as Sherry's mentor, allowing her and another new departmental colleague to visit and observe his classes; however, due to her innovative teaching style and terrific course evaluations, he quickly began to visit and observe her lectures to adapt ideas for his own courses.

Sherry taught Sociology, Criminology, and Gerontology courses at Miami University for more than twenty-five years. She also served as a liaison between her university department and the Hamilton police department's internship program. Retired Lt. Steve Isgro, formerly of the Hamilton Police Department's investigations unit, and later Sgt. Ed Burns, offered internships to Corbett's students. Her students became police officers, parole officers, or had careers in other aspects of law enforcement and criminal or juvenile justice. She was a superb teacher, well-liked by her students and had a significant impact on students, colleagues and others affiliated with Miami University and the larger community.

In addition to Dr. Corbett's many contributions to the Miami University criminology and gerontology programs, an important aspect of her expertise included historic preservation. She developed and taught the first-ever course in Historic Preservation at Miami University and represented the State of Ohio as a delegate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Also, during 1985, Sherry and Jim Boerke established the Dayton Lane Historic District boundaries and wrote a successful proposal to the U.S. Department of Interior. At the time of her death, Dr. Corbett was nationally known and recognized as a housing rehabilitation expert who represented Ohio on the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Sherry is credited with restoring 19 homes in Hamilton's Dayton Lane Historic District. Her preservation work helped transform what became the Dayton Lane Historic District from a neighborhood in decline into a vibrant and admired neighborhood and community. She championed the renaissance of the Dayton Lane Historic District. At the conclusion of each semester, Sherry brought students to her own historic home for treats and a tour of her home and the historic neighborhood in which she lived. This was particularly appreciated by her historic preservation students.

Miami University students formally honored Dr. Corbett twice as Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 1989 and 1995. Her former students continue to remember her as a unique and vibrant personality, full of life, and passionate about teaching and historic preservation. In recognition for her community work and university service, Sherry was named the 1994 Hamilton Citizen of the Year. In 2006, Sherry was inducted into the Junior Achievement of Butler County Hall of Fame.