Samuel S. Scherr (1923-2002) was a respected professional in the fields of industrial and product design. Born October 31, 1923 in Akron, Ohio, Scherr began schooling in 1941 at the Cleveland Institute of Art majoring in Industrial Design. His schooling was interrupted when in 1943 he enlisted with the United States Army Air Force. While in the Army Air Force, Scherr was attached to the 5th Air Force Combat Camera Unit. Stationed in the Pacific Theatre, Scherr was a part of many military operations; he quickly advanced to the rank of sergeant. He was awarded a Bronze Star along with two Air Medals. Upon his honorable discharge from the Army Air Force in 1945, Scherr returned to the Cleveland Institute of Art.

After Scherr graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1946, General Motors hired him to work in its design department, specializing in automobile accessories and interiors. In 1948, Samuel Scherr, along with Eugene Smith and Jim McDermott, formed Smith, Scherr & McDermott International, a design firm working in the fields of industrial, environmental, and graphic design. The company later changed its name to Scherr & McDermott upon the departure of Eugene Smith. Scherr served as Scherr & McDermott International's President until 1977. During his 29 years at Scherr & McDermott, Scherr saw the design firm open offices in diverse places such as New York, South Korea, Peru, Columbia, and Ecuador. Headquartered out of Akron, Ohio, Scherr & McDermott served a plethora of clients, including Hoover, Rubbermaid, the City of Akron, General Electric, and the Government of Korea. Products that were designed by Scherr & McDermott include the Hoover Suitcase Vacuum (included in the Louvre's 100 Best Product Designs of the 20th Century) and the City of Akron's seal (it served as Akron's official seal from 1965 until it was officially replaced in 1996).

In 1955 as CEO and President of Scherr & McDermott, collaborating with the International Cooperation Administration, Scherr helped establish the Korean Small Scale Industry & Handicraft Design Center in South Korea. In 2000 as a result of this work, Scherr was named "Father of Industrial and Product Design in Korea." In 1974, Scherr joined Kromex, a Cleveland Ohio Company. At Kromex, Scherr was named Design and Product Development Manager for the Housewares Division.

In 1977, Scherr & McDermott was dissolved. Samuel Scherr became the President of the American Crafts Council. Headquartered in New York City, the American Crafts Council is a non-profit organization that represents craftsmen and artists. As part of his job as President of the American Crafts Council, Scherr had to oversee the sale of the American Craft Museum to the Museum of Modern Art. He also had to supervise the design and construction of new American Craft Museum and office facility. Scherr served in this position for two years.

Samuel Scherr continued to design late into his life. He spent many of his retired years working on the Tri-Cap Spire, a tower that Scherr had envisioned for Raleigh, North Carolina. The Tri-Cap Spire would have stood 625 feet, placing it amongst the taller towers of the world.

At the end of his tenure from the American Crafts Council, Scherr went on to form a new business, Samuel Scherr & Partners. This business served to provide design and marketing services to multi-national corporations, advertising agencies, industrial design firms, and marketing service organizations. In 1989, Samuel Scherr & Partners dissolved.

Samuel Scherr, while working for Samuel Scherr & Partners, joined Fulton + Partners as a Vice President. Fulton + Partners is a New York City-based design firm founded in 1966 by James Fulton, a past president of the Industrial Designers Society of America.

From 1989 until his death in 2002, Samuel Scherr was a design and marketing consultant in North Carolina and Ohio. He was involved with real estate and rehabilitation of older buildings for uses in commercial and living environments.

Samuel Scherr was a member of the American Marketing Association, the Industrial Design Society of America, the Mayor's Commission-Urban, the Design-City of Akron, the Board of Directors-Weathervane Playhouse, the Hart Directors Club of New York, and the Board of Directors-City Gallery Museum, Raleigh, North Carolina. Among his honors, Samuel Scherr was named the Father of Industrial Design in Korea in 2000. Also in 2000, Samuel Scherr and his wife were awarded the Design Guild Award by North Carolina State University School of Design.

Samuel Scherr married a fellow designer, Mary Ann Weckman in May 1947. Mary Ann Scherr is a noted metal smith and jeweler. She teaches at Meredith College, in Raleigh North Carolina. The Scherrs had three children, Randall, Scott, and Sydney Jo.