Roll Call Tribute
Herman Gollob '51 June 8, 2021 2:40 PM updated: June 8, 2021 3:27 PM
Herman C. Gollob passed away on May 15, 2021 in Montclair, New Jersey at the age of 90.
Herman was born in Waco, Texas to Abe and Rubye Gollob on July 7, 1930 and raised in Houston. A Korean War veteran, he attended Texas A&M University from 1947-51, graduating with a BA in English and then serving as a lieutenant in the US Air Force from 1951-53.
After working as a theatrical agent at MCA Artists Agency in Beverly Hills and literary agent for the William Morris Agency in New York City from 1956-59, Herman began his career as an editor at Little, Brown and Company in Boston, publishing James Clavell’s best-selling debut novel King Rat in 1962. In 1964, Herman joined Atheneum, and over the next three decades was a highly influential figure in the New York City publishing world, playing a key role in the successes of Clavell (Tai-Pan and Shogun), Dan Jenkins (Semi-Tough, Dead Solid Perfect), Robert K. Massie (Nicholas and Alexandra), Malcolm Bosse (The Warlord), Gary Jennings (Aztec) and Richard Price (The Breaks), to name just a few. He was editor-in-chief at Atheneum, Harper’s Magazine Press, and Doubleday, vice president and senior editor at Simon and Schuster, as well as editorial director of the Literary Guild. He was also a member of the University Club of New York.
After retiring in 1995, Herman taught a course on Shakespeare at the Lifelong Learning Institute of Caldwell College in Caldwell, NJ for 15 years, and published his own literary memoir, Me and Shakespeare: Adventures With the Bard, in 2002.
Growing up in the South and attending Texas A&M gave Herman a unique perspective and helped create bonds with numerous Southern authors including Jenkins, Donald Barthelme, Willie Morris and Bill Moyers. He was forever an ardent Aggies football fan, rejoicing with yells of “Old Army!” when they were successful on the field or various choice expletives when they were losing. His Aggie ring was always an essential element of his persona, keeping a part of him in Texas even while living most of his adult life in the Northeast.
Herman is survived by his wife of 60 years, Barbara; his children Emily Ludwick and Jared Gollob and their spouses; and his grandchildren Samuel Ludwick, Judah Abraham Gollob, and Lily and Jake Paltrowitz.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Herman’s memory be made to Texas A&M University Former Students Association.
Herman was born in Waco, Texas to Abe and Rubye Gollob on July 7, 1930 and raised in Houston. A Korean War veteran, he attended Texas A&M University from 1947-51, graduating with a BA in English and then serving as a lieutenant in the US Air Force from 1951-53.
After working as a theatrical agent at MCA Artists Agency in Beverly Hills and literary agent for the William Morris Agency in New York City from 1956-59, Herman began his career as an editor at Little, Brown and Company in Boston, publishing James Clavell’s best-selling debut novel King Rat in 1962. In 1964, Herman joined Atheneum, and over the next three decades was a highly influential figure in the New York City publishing world, playing a key role in the successes of Clavell (Tai-Pan and Shogun), Dan Jenkins (Semi-Tough, Dead Solid Perfect), Robert K. Massie (Nicholas and Alexandra), Malcolm Bosse (The Warlord), Gary Jennings (Aztec) and Richard Price (The Breaks), to name just a few. He was editor-in-chief at Atheneum, Harper’s Magazine Press, and Doubleday, vice president and senior editor at Simon and Schuster, as well as editorial director of the Literary Guild. He was also a member of the University Club of New York.
After retiring in 1995, Herman taught a course on Shakespeare at the Lifelong Learning Institute of Caldwell College in Caldwell, NJ for 15 years, and published his own literary memoir, Me and Shakespeare: Adventures With the Bard, in 2002.
Growing up in the South and attending Texas A&M gave Herman a unique perspective and helped create bonds with numerous Southern authors including Jenkins, Donald Barthelme, Willie Morris and Bill Moyers. He was forever an ardent Aggies football fan, rejoicing with yells of “Old Army!” when they were successful on the field or various choice expletives when they were losing. His Aggie ring was always an essential element of his persona, keeping a part of him in Texas even while living most of his adult life in the Northeast.
Herman is survived by his wife of 60 years, Barbara; his children Emily Ludwick and Jared Gollob and their spouses; and his grandchildren Samuel Ludwick, Judah Abraham Gollob, and Lily and Jake Paltrowitz.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Herman’s memory be made to Texas A&M University Former Students Association.
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