Thomas Corwin Herndon was born on October 27, 1898, in Logan County, Kentucky. He was married on October 15, 1925, to Lucille Hays. Together they had one daughter, Nina Sue (Mrs. Edgar Louis Adams).

His educational experience consisted of an A.A. degree from Bethel College (Russellville, Kentucky), in 1921; a B.S. degree from the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, in 1923; M.A. degree from George Peabody College of Nashville, Tennessee, in 1926; attended the University of Chicago in 1928; and received his Ph.D. from George Peabody College for Teachers in 1930.

Dr. Herndon's work experience included teaching high school science in Bristol, Tennessee, during the spring term of 1923, and at Middlesboro, Kentucky, from 1923 to 1924. He taught chemistry at Bethel College from 1924 to 1926 and returned to teaching high school chemistry in Knoxville, Tennessee, from 1926 to 1927. He taught chemistry during the regular fall and spring semesters at Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College while teaching chemistry at George Peabody College during the summers from 1928 to 1930. He was hired on a permanent basis at Eastern

Kentucky State Teachers College, later to become Eastern Kentucky University, and remained there until his retirement in 1967. Dr. Herndon was named chair of the chemistry department in 1947.

Prior to beginning his education, Dr. Herndon served in the U.S. Army from April 24, 1917, until July 29, 1919. He was overseas during World War I from October 2, 1918, to July 17, 1919.

Clubs and honor societies to which Dr. Herndon belonged included the Kentucky Academy of Science, American Chemistry Society, Phi Delta Kappa, Alpha Chi Sigma, Kentucky Civil War Roundtable, Richmond Torch Club, the Richmond Lions Club, and he was an Elder of the First Christian Church of Richmond, Kentucky. In 1948, Dr. Herndon was selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as one of six American educators to attend the UNESCO Seminar on the Education and Training of Teachers. The seminar was held at Ashridge College of Citizenship in Berkhamsted, Herts, England. The seminar was held from July 15 to August 25. During his stay, Dr. Herndon made many friends among the 47 educators selected from 24 countries. As reflected in the correspondence series, Dr. Herndon corresponded with several of these educators as late as 1977. Dr. Herndon died at the Pattie A. Clay Hospital on August 15, 1987.