Abel Wolman
Johns Hopkins University
Leader of both lay and professional health groups, consultant to industrial companies and advisor to government bodies: his engineering skill and organizational genius contributed much toward achieving a healthier environment for many people.
Over a period of nearly a half century, Abel Wolman has had three distinguished careers: first in public service, second in professional education, and third in statesmanship and world citizenship.
During the 24 years he was on the staff of the Maryland Department of Health, the last 17 of which he served as Chief Engineer, he evolved a progressively broadened concept of environmental hygiene and pioneered in programs that sought to exploit new horizons for public health engineering.
While on the staff of The Johns Hopkins University from 1921 to 1959, when he retired as Professor of Sanitary Engineering, he brought to education the unique admixture of the precision of thinking of the engineer, the breadth of view of the ecologist, the curiosity of the intellectual and the humanity of the citizen.
As a leader of both lay and professional health groups, as consultant to great industrial companies and advisor to government bodies in this and other countries, his engineering skill and organizational genius have contributed much toward achieving a healthier environment for many peoples.
Out of the integration of these unique qualities emerged a wisdom that has been recognized and acclaimed by his peers throughout the world and in the exercise of which he has brought honor to the profession of public health.
