Bo Reipurth (IfA -Hilo) George Herbig and Early Stellar Evolution George Herbig, one of the giants of 20th century astronomy, almost singlehandedly founded the study of young stars, a subject on which he worked for more than 60 years. In this presentation I will briefly talk about Herbig's life, but the emphasis will be on the scientific results that Herbig achieved, first at Lick Observatory and later at the University of Hawaii. In addition to his work on star formation, Herbig became the leader in the study of the diffuse interstellar bands, and he had an insatiable appetite for rare and exotic stars and published many detailed studies of such objects. Herbig was also a master instrument builder, who designed and built many of the instruments he used for his research.