Career
The citation given to him at the medal ceremony said: "Foreign the initiation of basic research in the physical and chemical properties of soils and proteins that have profoundly influenced agricultural practices and the production of food plants." Hendricks also was Chief Chemist, Beltsville Plant Industry Station, chief scientist of the Mineral Nutrition Laboratory, and a recipient of the Award for Distinguished Civilian Service. The Sterling"s Crack climb at Carderock Recreation Area is named for him. The Sterling B. Hendricks Memorial Lectureship was established in 1981 by the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture to honor the memory of Sterling B. Hendricks and to recognize scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the chemical science of agriculture (eg, agricultural chemistry).