Home > Collections > Special Collections > Manuscripts > Manuscripts Registers > MS.105
Special Collections
Milton S. Eisenhower Library
The Johns Hopkins University
3400 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, Maryland 21218
410-516-8348 Wolman (Abel) l892-1989
Papers (1901-89) MS. 105
Size: 124 records center boxes
43 document boxes
(172.9 linear feet)
Processed: Preliminarily sorted October 1990
By: Cynthia H. Requardt Provenance: The papers were donated by the creator in
[1962?], 1982, 1986, and 1988, and his
son in 1989, 1990, 1994. Permission: Permission to publish material from this
collection must be requested in writing
from the Manuscripts Librarian, Milton
S. Eisenhower Library, The Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore, Md. 21218. Citation: Abel Wolman Papers Ms. 105
Special Collections
Milton S. Eisenhower Library
The Johns Hopkins University
Abel Wolman Papers
Ms. 105
Table of Contents
Provenance.................................................2
Related Collections........................................2 Biographical Sketch........................................2 Scope and Content Note.....................................3 Series Descriptions Series 1 Personal.....................................5 Series 2 Writings.....................................5 Series 3 Maryland State Department of Health..........6 Series 4 Federal Emergency Administration.............6 Series 5 General Correspondence.......................6 Series 6 Projects.....................................7 Series 7 Committees/Commissions.......................12 Series 8 Baltimore, Maryland..........................20 Series 9 Johns Hopkins University.....................20 Series 10 Conferences.................................20 Series 11 Reference File..............................20
Container List.............................................21
Appendix I Abel Wolman Papers at the Library of Congress Appendix II Abel Wolman Books, Articles, Speeches Appendix III Abel Wolman Curriculum Vitae Appendix IV Abel Wolman Foreign Travel Appendix V Disposition of Abel Wolman Documents
Wolman (Abel) Papers
Ms. 105 Provenance Abel Wolman donated his papers to the University over a period
of years. When he retired from teaching in 1962, Wolman stated
that he donated his early material to the Library. Some of this
material ended up in Special Collections; some in the University's
Hamburger Archives. All of Wolman's personal and professional
papers in the University Archives were transferred to Special
Collections in January 1982. In l982 and 1986 Wolman donated 2
videotapes and l cassette recording to his papers. In 1988 Wolman moved into a new office, and at that time many
of his files which had been stored in his old office were donated
to the University. After Wolman's death about 50 linear feet of
material in his office as well as all his early files which had
been at his home were donated by his son M. Gordon Wolman. Additional material including awards, photographs, student
notebooks, diaries, passports, and other writings were added in
1994. The Accessions Numbers are 93-94.33 and 93-94.34.
Related Collections In the early 1960s Dr. Wolman was approached by the Library of
Congress to donate his papers to the Manuscripts Division. Wolman
donated some of his early material, especially those relating to
national projects, to the Library of Congress. A copy of the LC
container list to the Wolman Papers is in Appendix I.
Biographical Sketch
Abel Wolman was trained as a civil engineer and spent his
career merging engineering with hygiene and public health issues.
His areas of expertise were water treatment and water supply. He was born in Baltimore in 1892 the son of Morris and Rosa
Wolman. Wolman graduated from the Baltimore City College in 1909,
and he earned two degrees from the Johns Hopkins University; a B.A.
in 1913 and a B.S. in Engineering in 1915. He was in the first
engineering class to graduate from Hopkins. He also holds five
honorary doctorate degrees including two from Hopkins. Wolman began his long career in 1913 with a job for the U.S.
Public Health Service studying stream pollution in the Potomac
River. The next year he went to work for the Maryland Department of
Health where he was Chief Engineer from 1922 to 1939. Wolman
renewed his association with the Johns Hopkins University when he
returned to teach in 1937. Until retiring in 1962, he served
variously as professor and chairman of the Department of Sanitary
Engineering in the schools of Engineering and of Hygiene and Public
Health. Wolman's expertise was sought outside the university setting,
and he was a consulting engineer on nearly 65 projects. Some of
these include a pollution survey of the Ohio River, work for the
Tennessee Valley Authority, and water management projects for New
York City, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, the Miami
(Ohio) Conservancy, southeastern Michigan, and New Jersey. He also
advised companies such as the E.I. du Pont de Nemours Company and
the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. A list of Wolman's
foreign travel assignments from 1942 to 1985 is in Appendix IV.
Along with his acknowledged technical expertise, Wolman was
known for his skill at chairing and working with committees. He was
a member, often the chair, of numerous local, national or
international commissions, boards, committees, conferences and
advisory councils. This included those of the city of Baltimore,
the state of Maryland, the Executive Office of the President, the
U.S. departments of State and Defense, the Atomic Energy
Commission, the National Academy of Sciences, the World Health
Organization, the Pan-American Health Organization, and the
National Academy of Engineering. Wolman served his profession in a number of elected positions.
He was the first elected Vice-Chairman (1928-33) of the Water
Pollution Control Federation. He was President of the American
Public Health Association (1939), the American Water Works
Association (1942), the U.S. Section of the International Water
Resources Association (1973) and the Pan-American Health and
Education Foundation (1970-83). Wolman was also a prolific writer. He wrote three books and
was co-author of another. Between 1916 and 1987 he published 338
articles. Wolman's bibliography is in Appendix II. He also had a
talent for editing serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the
American Water Works Association from 1921-37, Associate Editor of
the American Journal of Public Health from 1923-27, and Editor-in-
Chief (1929-35) and Editor (1955) of Municipal Sanitation. Wolman's work and contributions to his profession were
recognized with many honors and awards. The five of which Wolman
was most proud were: the United States award of the National Medal
of Science (1975) selected by the National Academy of Sciences and
the National Science Foundation; the Tyler Ecology Award (1976);
the Special Award, Lasker Foundation of the American Public Health
Association (1960); Environmental Regeneration Award of The Rene
Dubos Center for Human Environments Inc., (1985), the dedication of
the Abel Wolman Municipal Building, Baltimore, Maryland (1986);
medal, World Health Organization (1988); and medal, Maryland
Academy of Sciences (1988). Abel Wolman married Anna Gordon in 1919. They had one child M.
Gordon Wolman.
Scope and Content Note This collection has not been completely processed. The
materials have been sorted into series, but the materials have not
been completely analyzed. The material has been sorted into the following series:
Personal, Writings, Maryland State Department of Health, Public
Works Administration, General Correspondence, Projects,
Committees/Commissions, Baltimore Projects, Johns Hopkins
University, Conferences, and Reference File. The papers trace Abel Wolman's active career as teacher,
consulting engineer and advisor to local, national, and
international agencies. There are materials from his long tenure
on the Johns Hopkins University faculty teaching courses in
sanitary engineering and later international health planning. His
consulting assignments numbered at least 65, and the most well-
documented in his papers are his work with the city of Baltimore
including his work as Maryland Director of the federal Public Works
Administration from 1935-37. For many years Wolman was a
consulting engineer for the Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission, and there is a great deal of information on the Potomac
River. Farther from home were projects for the Tennessee Valley
Authority, a survey of pollution on the Ohio River and work for the
Miami (Ohio) Conservancy District among others. Throughout his career Wolman's expertise was called upon by
local, national and international commissions and agencies. His
papers contain material on his work with the National Resources
Planning Board's Water Resources Committee, the U.S. Geological
Survey, and the Agency for International Development as well as
committees of the National Academy of Sciences and the National
Academy of Engineering. Wolman was also quite active in the World
Health Organization and the Pan-American Health Organization. The
safe use of atomic energy was an interest of Wolman's, and his
papers reflect his advisory work with the Atomic Energy Commission
and the U.S. Public Health Service on this topic.
For more information on Abel Wolman see his curriculum vitae
in Appendix III and the oral history by Dr. Walter Hollander
entitled "Abel Wolman, His Life and Philosophy, an Oral History."
This was completed in 1981. A two volume transcript and the taped
interviews are in Series 9. Series Descriptions Series 1 Personal 1913-1989 8 boxes This series contains material about Abel Wolman and his
family. There are articles about him and his work as well as awards
and citations he received and photographs. Most useful in
outlining his life are the many biographical questionnaires he
completed and the frequently revised curricula vitae which are in
this series. Perhaps most revealing is the oral history of Abel
Wolman completed by Walter Hollander. This series contains both a
copy of the two-volume transcript and the original tapes. Records of his membership in a variety of organizations are in
this series as well as some employment records although letters of
appointment to various posts or projects have been filed with the
records of that work in the projects or committee/commission
series. While most of the correspondence in this collection deals with
Wolman's work and is filed with the records of that work or in the
general correspondence series, Dr. Wolman did receive a great deal
of correspondence congratulating him on his work in his later life.
These personal letters (1957-72) and holiday and birthday greetings
as well as congratulatory letters (1980-89) are in this series.
There is also an interesting series of letters between Wolman and
architect Laurence Hall Fowler concerning the construction of
Wolman's home at 3213 N. Charles Street. Few of Wolman's student papers survive but there are a few
from 1913 in this series. This series also contains a small amount
of material on Wolman's family especially his brother economist Leo
Wolman.
Series 2 Writngs 1916-88 7 boxes
Abel Wolman was a prolific author and sought-after speaker.
This series documents his articles, chapters, books, and speeches.
It consists of outlines, drafts, final and printed copies of his
writings. On occasion the reserach data to back up an article is
in this file as well. The speeches, talks and reports were kept
separately from the articles, books, and chapters by Wolman, and
this filing system has been retained. There is some overlap when
a speech was published. The text often appears in both the speech
and publications sections of this series. The speeches and the publications are filed chronologically.
Wolman's bibliography serves as the finding for the publications,
and there is a running list of speeches, talks, and reports which
was kept by Wolman's secretaries. This list was not begun until
1977, however, and there is some inconsistency as the list was
maintained by a succession of secretaries. In the Reference Series (10) there is some research data
apparently collected by Wolman for some of his early publications.
See the container list for the topics.
Series 3 Maryland State Department of Health 1901-47
3 boxes
The material in this series dates from the period in which
Wolman served as Chief Engineer for the Maryland State Department
of Health 1922 to 1939. The official records of this state agency
would be at the Maryland State Archives, and the material in this
series is largely copies of Wolman's correspondence. The
correspondence from this period is filed alphabetically and deals
largely with Wolman's professional activities during this period.
Correspondents include: R.T. Baldwin, H. Burdett Cleveland, Linn
Enslow, George W. Fuller, Arthur E. Gorman, Frank Hannan, Sheppard
T. Powell, William H. Welch, George C. Whipple, and C.E. Winslow.
Wolman was also asked to teach several courses, and there is
correspondence from Harvard and the universities of Chicago,
Illinois, Maryland and Southern California. During the years Wolman worked for the state he was engaged in
several research projects, and this material is in this series. The
research documented in this series deals with chlorination of
drinking water, "Mathematical Interpretation of Bacterial Counts,"
"Degree and Nature of Filtration Plant Performance," water supply
and sewerage data, and water consumption. These files contain
research data, reports, and reprints. In 1929 Wolman accompanied George W. Fuller on a tour of
European water treatment facilities. There is correspondence and
Wolman's lengthy memorandum of this trip. Wolman's diary from this
trip is still owned by his family. Wolman also with Fuller on a
chapter, and the correspondence is in this series. In 1934 there was an outbreak of amoebic dysentery in
Chicago's Congress Hotel. Wolman served on the committee which
investigated this outbreak and the Board of Health's handling of
it. There are reports and correspondence concerning this.
Series 4 Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works
1933-39 3 boxes
From 1933 to 1937 Wolman served as Director for Maryland and
Delaware of the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works
(PWA). Included in this series are correspondence and reports
concerning PWA work in this area. There is also a copy of The
Story of the PWA in Pictures.
Series 5 General Correspondence 1941-89 5 boxes Wolman generally filed his correspondence by the activity
which generated it so most of his correspondence is with the
projects or committees and commissions files which constitute the
bulk of this collection. Beginning in 1970 Wolman's secretary kept
a general or miscellaneous correspondence file in his office at
Hopkins. The majority of this series is from this period but a few
are earlier. Filed chronologically, these letters are from colleagues,
former students, and personal friends. This series also includes
a series of general files arranged alphabetically by correspondent
including Glen H. Abplanalp, Myron Fiering, Willard Hackerman,
David E. Lilienfeld, Pierce Linaweaver, Harvey Ludwig, F.W.
Montari, Bernard Werner, and Gilbert F. White.
Series 6 Projects 1929-88 39 boxes
Arranged by project
The names of all the projects appear in the container list.
They have been roughly grouped geographically. Some of the projects
have been analyzed and a more detailed description follows.
Frederick, Maryland
1 box 1954 Wolman and John C. Geyer were consulting engineers for the
city of Frederick, Maryland in 1954. A copy of their report on the
water supply system of Frederick and some research material are in
this series. DuPont Savannah River Plant
1.5 boxes 1968-76 Abel Wolman served as chairman of the panel of consultants to
E.I. duPont de Nemours & Company for their Bedrock Storage Project
on the Savannah River from 1968-1972. The project located near
Aiken, S.C. was intended to be a "tank farm" for millions of
gallons of high-level radioactive wastes. The plan was to pump the
wastes into a man-made cavern below the Tuscaloosa Aquifer. The
series is largely technical reports on the storage of radio-active
wastes with some correspondence.
New Jersey Master Water Plan
2.5 boxes 1971-88 Wolman was a consultant to the state of New Jersey for a
master water plan from 1975 until 1980. The papers include some
correspondence (1975), proposals (1976) submitted by engineering
firms, and the results of a lengthy review process. There were
many task forces divided to study various aspects of the plan.
These task forces submitted "Interim Outputs for Review Purposes"
from 1977 to 1980. Copies of these with Wolman's annotations are
included.
Middlesex County (N.J.) Sewerage Authority
.5 boxes 1967-71
Wolman was chairman of the Board of Consultants to the
Middlesex County Sewerage Authority from 1967-71. The papers
include correspondence and reports.
Ocean County (N.J.) Sewerage Authority
2 boxes 1970-74 Wolman served as chairman of the Board of Consultants to the
Ocean County Sewerage Authority from 1971-74. Included in the
papers are environmental assessment reports and a variety of
studies by the consulting engineering firm of Fellows, Read &
Weber, Inc. Toms River, N.J. West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company
.25 box 1954-59, 1965, 1971, 1972 From 1954 until 1959 Wolman was a consulting engineer for the
West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. He was concerned with
controlling the industrial waste discharged into the Potomac River.
The papers consist of reports and correspondence (1954-59) with a
few personal notes from individuals at the company from 1965, 1971,
and 1972.
National Sanitation Foundation. Southeastern Michigan Sewerage
and Drain Study
.5 box 1957-76
From 1963-66 Wolman was chairman of the board of consultants
to the National Sanitation Foundation in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The
consultants conducted the Southeastern Michigan Sewerage and Drain
Study. This covered Detroit and the six counties in southeastern
Michigan. The final report and correspondence are in this series.
The correspondence (1964-76) deals with the study, and there is
also correspondence (1967-73) with Henry F. Vaughan of the National
Sanitation Foundation concerning Detroit. Also included is a 1974
paper Wolman wrote on the 10 years since the National Sanitation
Foundation study. Michigan. Wayne County Board of Public Works.
.5 box 1973-84 Wolman continued his interest in southeastern Michigan
especially Wayne County and the Huron River area. There is
correspondence (1974-84) with Duane Egeland of the Wayne County
Road Commissioners as well as assessment reports on the area.
Miami Conservancy District of Ohio
5 boxes 1956-88
In 1956 Abel Wolman became a consultant to the Miami
Conservancy District of Ohio. The early material consists of
Wolman's first report "Utilization and Conservation of the Water
Resources of the Miami River Basin" (1957), correspondence (1957-
73) and reports. Wolman remained associated with the Conservancy
until his death, and there is material relating to this work up
through 1988. This material has not been completely sorted.
Jacksonville and Sanford, Florida
2 boxes 1953
Wolman was a consulting engineer for the cities of
Jacksonville and Sanford, Florida in 1953. Copies of the two final
reports on sewerage and sewage disposal in these cities as well as
some research materials are in this series. Tennessee Valley Authority
2 boxes 1936-73 Wolman was a consultant to the Tennessee Valley Authority from
1939 until 1976. The majority of his work dealt with studies of
recreational sanitation in the 1940s, and the largest part of these
papers deal with this topic. The correspondence, memos, minutes,
reports and supplementary printed material were filed
chronologically by Wolman, and this arrangement has been retained.
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission/Metropolitan
Washington Region Council of Governments
2 boxes 1939-82
Wolman was a consulting engineer for the Washington Suburban
Sanitary Commission (WSSC) from 1956 until 1969 and chairman of a
board of consultants to the Regional Sanitary Advisory Board of the
Metropolitan Council of Governments from 1964-68. This series
contains copies of reports prepared by Wolman in 1961, 1962, 1967,
and 1971 for these two agencies.
Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin
2 boxes 1949-50, l957, l958 Wolman was a Federal member of this Commission for ten years.
Appointed by President Roosevelt in 1940, he resigned in 1950 but
remained a member of two advisory committees: the Technical
Committee and chair of the Steering Committee for the Industrial
Wastes Investigation on the Upper Potomac. This series has only a
small amount of material relating to Wolman's work as a
Commissioner in 1949 and 1950. In 1958 Wolman and Dr. John C. Geyer prepared a report on the
future of the Commission. It was entitled "Consultants Report to
the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin: Future
Activities and Compact Revision of the Interstate Commission on the
Potomac River Basin." A copy of the final version of the report is
in this series. Wolman, John C. Geyer and Edwin E. Pyatt also prepared a
report for the Commission in 1957 entitled "A Clean Potomac River."
Drafts and a final copy of the report along with some
correspondence and printed material are in this series. For more material on the Potomac River see the description of
the Melvin Scheidt Papers. New York City. Mayor's Committee on Management Survey
of the City of New York. Engineering Panel on Water
Supply. Consultants on Water Policy and Management.
2 boxes 1950-52 In 1950 Wolman was appointed to a panel of consultants to
study the water policy and management of New York City. This panel
was part of the Mayor's Committee on Management Survey of the City
of New York. The materials include correspondence and memos among
the panel members, drafts and the final report, and research data
used in making the recommendations in the final report. The final
report was controversial, and the opposing views are detailed in
this series.
New York City. Interdepartmental Board for the Sanitary
Control and Protection of the Public Water Supply
2 boxes 1942-47 This Board was established in November 1943 and Wolman
appointed as the sanitary engineer. The Board submitted a report
in March 1945, and the Board was made permanent in November of that
year. In 1946 at the time of the Board's second report, Wolman was
the Board's chairman. The papers are correspondence, minutes, Board reports, and
research materials especially data reports. Woman collected many
of the Board's records such as correspondence and reports into two
binders. These are in Box 6.6. The data reports and some
additional correspondence was filed chronologically by Wolman, and
this system was retained. Israel
2 boxes 1946-88 Abel Wolman participated in several projects and committees
for Israel. He filed these materials together, and this
arrangement has been retained. In 1946 Wolman made a presentation
on "A Plan for Irrigation, Water Supply, and Hydroelectric
Development in Palestine" to the Anglo-American Commission of
Inquiry on Palestine. An outline of his remarks is in Box 6.34. Wolman was hired several times by the Israel Ministry of
Agriculture. In 1950, he served on the Technical Committee for the
National Irrigation and Power Scheme. There is a copy of Wolman's
memorandum and some correspondence. Several times the Ministry of
Agriculture consulted Wolman on water development programs. There
are minutes and correspondence (1965) from a meeting of the Board
of Consultants for the Israel Water Development Program. In 1972,
Wolman again participated in a Board of Review for the Israel Water
Resources Development and Utilization Program. There are
correspondence, minutes, and reports (1972-73). There is also
material on the International Conference on Water Pollution
Research where Wolman was to present the keynote address. He was
unable to attend, but there is correspondence about papers and a
citation presented to him. Wolman served again as Chairman of the
Board of Review of the Israel Water Resources Management program in
1983. There is correspondence and reports. Abel Wolman was interested in the project to connect the
Mediterranean Sea with the Dead Sea, and in 1980 was appointed by
Tel Aviv University Chairman of the Board to review the sea-to-sea
project. There is correspondence and reports (1980-81). There is
some background material (1946-50s) on the Mediterranean Sea
diversion.
Wolman testified twice in the U.S. Senate on proposals
affecting Israel. In 1969 there is correspondence and background
material used in testimony on a bill to fund a prototype desalting
plant in Israel. In 1978 Wolman reviewed a proposal on water
development in the Sinai for Senator Charles McC. Mathias, Jr. Wolman also kept a file of general correspondence (1967-88)
dealing with Israel. Much of this is to colleagues especially
Hillel I. Shuval at the Hebrew University and Aaron Wiener of
Tahal. Both were consulting engineers with whom Wolman frequently
worked. Other material can be found in series 7. This deals with the
Technicon in Box 7.59 and 7.60 and the WHO consulting project in
Ghana with Tahal in Box 7.31. Taipei, Taiwan
2 boxes 1962, 1974-75 Wolman served as a consultant to the Taiwan National
Government on water supply in Taipei in 1962 and 1974-75. This
series contains material collected on his trips to Taipei. Series 7 Committees/Commissions
65 boxes 1935-89 While the records have been sorted according to the committee
or commission to which they relate, not all have been analyzed. If
details about Wolman's work is known, a description follows. See
the container list for the names of all committees and commissions
in this series.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/U.S. Public Health
Service. Ohio River Pollution Survey
2 boxes 1936-42
In 1937 a rivers and harbors construction, repair and
preservation act was passed by the U.S. Congress. Part of this act
authorized the Secretary of War "to cause a survey to be made of
the Ohio River and its tributaries to ascertain what pollutive
substances are being deposited...and...determining the most
feasible method of correcting and eliminating the pollution of
these streams." The data for the survey was collected by the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Public Health Service. Abel Wolman was a member of the committee which analyzed the
collected data and prepared the final report. His files contain
correspondence, minutes, and monthly reports from the Engineers and
the Public Health Service. These are filed chronologically. Also
included are copies of the many studies prepared on the river and
the final report.
National Resources Planning Board. Water Resources
Committee
3 boxes 1935-41
The National Resources Planning Board was an agency of the
Executive Office of the President. Wolman served as the chairman
of the Water Resources Committee from 1935 to 1941. The records
include correspondence, minutes, and many reports. The committee
was concerned with drainage basins, flood control and water
pollution. A list of the reports is in the container list.
Copies of the published reports of the Water Resources Committee
are in the Eisenhower stacks. Wolman was chairman of the Stream Pollution Committee of the
Construction League of America from 1936 to 1943. There is material
from this work although there is much correspondence with the
National Resources Planning Board as well. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
.5 box 1966-69 From 1966 to 1969 Wolman was a member of NASA's Research and
Technology Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and Human Research.
He rarely attended the meetings. Included here are correspondence,
copies of agendas, and background material for meetings. U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on Science
and Astronautics
2 folders 1965-70 Abel Wolman was the Project Director for the preparation of a
white paper on pollution 1965-66. He also participated in the
House hearings. There is correspondence and the report. In 1968
the Committee again hired Wolman to continue to advise them on
pollution. He participated in a colloquium on a national policy
for the environment.
U.S. Senate.
2 folders 1959, 1969
In 1959 Wolman was hired as a consultant by the Senate Select
Committee on National Water Resources to prepare a report on the
technical means of improving water supplies and utilization by
means of waste water salvage. Theodore Schaad was the staff
director of the Committee. There is a copy of the contract, and
the report is in Series 2 number 169. In 1969 Edmund S. Muskie chair of the Senate Committee on
Government Opersations asked Wolman to testify on behalf of the
creation of the Senate Select Committee on Technology and the Human
Environment. Wolman was unable to do so. U.S. Department of Defense. Defense Science Board.
.3 boxes 1980-81 During 1981 Wolman served on the Defense Science Board's Water
Support Task Force. Wolman's group studied water consumption in an
arid environment. The files include correspondence and reports.
Environmental Protection Agency
.5 box 1975-87
Wolman occasionally reviewed projects for the EPA. In 1983 he
reviewed the drinking water chapter of the EPA research strategy
document. Most of the correspondence is information about the EPA.
Executive Office of the President. Office of Science and
Technology.
2.5 boxes 1961-76 In 1962 Wolman served as the OST representative on the Federal
Council on Science and Technology's Task Group on Water Resources
Research. There is correspondence, drafts and the final report.
This was a study President Kennedy asked the National Academy of
Science to undertake. Wolman worked with Theodore M. Schaad. In 1963 for the OST Wolman visited Arizona to assess the
problems of salinity in the Colorado River, the border between the
U.S. and Mexico. Wolman was the chairman of the Board of Technical
Advisors for the International Boundary Commission dealing with the
Colorado River from 1976 to 1979. There is a notebook of minutes,
maps, and supporting documents from 1976. Wolman served on an OST panel of water resources research
beginning in 1964, and in 1967 he was appointed to the Panel on
Water Resources Policy and Institutions. There is correspondence
and reports. Other assignments through the Executive Office of the
President which are documented include participation in 1961 on the
Life Sciences Panel's Ad Hoc Committee on Environmental Health.
Wolman also helped prepare the Council on Environmental Quality's
paper on marine pollution. From 1967 to 1971 Wolman served as a
consultant to OST's National Council on Marine Resources and
Engineering Development. He previewed the contents of annual
report of the President on Marine Resources and Engineering. From 1969 to 1973 Wolman served as a consultant to the Water
Pollution Control Panel of the National Water Commission whose
executive director was Theodore M. Schaad. There is
correspondence, minutes and drafts of reports. There is also some
correspondence concerning a talk by Abel Wolman to the White House
fellows in 1970.
National Science Foundation
1 box 1955-86
In 1955 Abel Wolman was appointed to the Advisory Panel for
Engineering Sciences of the NSF. Much of this series deals with
minutes and reports of this panel (1955-57). There is some
correspondence during the period 1960-80 when Wolman reviewed some
proposals and gave recommendations for the National Medal of
Science. In 1983 Wolman presented a paper "Public Health Effects
of Contaminated Ground Water" at a NSF workshop. Copies of the
paper, comments, and correspondence are in this box. U.S. Public Health Service. National Advisory Committee
on Radiation
.75 box 1958-66
Wolman served as a member of the Public Health Services's
National Advisory Committee on Radiation (NACOR) from 1957 until
1960. His material on NACOR dates from 1958 to 1966.
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
7.5 boxes 1954, 1940-77
Wolman was an advisor on the safe use of radiation serving on
two committees for the Atomic Energy Commission. In 1957 the AEC
established the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS).
Wolman served on this committee from its inception until 1961. The
records (1957-61) are largely correspondence, minutes, and reports
on reactors. Wolman also served on the AEC's Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board from 1960 until 1972. The records for this work
from 1963-77 are in this collection. There is also some background
material dating from 1940 which has not been sorted.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. North Atlantic Regional
Water Resources Study.
1 box 1966-86
Wolman was a member of the Board of Consultants for the
Engineers' North Atlantic Regional Water Resources Study from 1966
to 1978. There is correspondence and Wolman's copy of the report. Wolman also reviewed the Corps' "Metropolitan Washington Area
Water Supply Study" also known as the Potomac River Study. There
is correspondence, especially with Myron B. Fiering (1975-86) and
Wolman's copy of the report. U.S. Geological Survey.
.5 box 1944, 1948-67, 1969 Wolman served as an advisor to the U.S. Geological Survey from
1943 to 1967. The bulk of the material regards the Advisory
Committee to the Survey 1950-67. U.S. Department of State. Agency for International
Development.
1 box 1963-65, 1973, 1974-75, 1979, 1980 Wolman served on the Agency for International Development's
Advisory Committee on Research from its inception in 1963 until
1975. The records include correspondence and minutes. In 1973
Wolman served on the ad hoc committee on environmental health to
recommend strategic directions for AID. Included are the
correspondence and report. In 1979 Wolman chaired the Water and Health Panel for AID.
They prepared "A Panel Report to the U.S. Agency for International
Development on Sanitary Services during 1980-1990." This report
outlined principles for AID to follow in participating in the World
Health Organization's Internatinal Drinking Water Supply and
Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD). There is correspondence, minutes and
the report. There is some follow-up correspondence (1980-83)
indicating that the report was not followed. More information on
the IDWSSD can be found with the WHO material in Box 7.30. This series also includes a history of "Community Water Supply
Activity under AID and Its Predecessor Agencies" which covers the
period [1941-60s].
International Cooperation Administration
1.5 boxes 1957-61
Abel Wolman served as a consultant for the ICA. In 1959 he
was a member of an ICA mission to South America, and there are
papers relating to Santiago, Chile in 1958. In 1960 Wolman was
chairman of the Johns Hopkins University team to evaluate the
Brazilian health system. Included is correspondence and the
report. Wolman also participated in the Panel of Expert consultants on
Sanitary Engineering which dealt with the issue of community water
supply programs. There is background material, an agenda for a
meeting in 1959, and the transcript for a meeting in 1960.
World Health Organization
7.5 boxes 1943-88 The WHO material has not been analyzed. It documents Wolman's
work on the Expert Committee on Environmental Sanitation (1949-51)
and his participation in the Community Water Supply study (1966-74)
and the International Drinking Water and Sanitation Decade (1979-
84).
Wolman frequently made site visits for WHO including Manila
(1956, 1967), Calcutta (1960, 1974), Taiwan (1962, 1967), Russia
(1966), Kenya (1968), Kuala Lumpur (1968), and Ghana (1964, 1967-
68). Papers from these studies are in this series. Wolman often attended WHO assemblies in Geneva, and there is
material on his trips in 1978 and 1985. He also participated in a
conference on the Biosphere (1968) and one on Urban Health
Administration held in Manila in 1968. In 1988 Abel Wolman became
the first engineer to be awarded the WHO "Health for All by 2000"
medal.
Pan-American Health Organization
6 boxes 1942-88 Wolman was active in several divisions of the Pan-American
Health Organization. He was chairman of the Permanent Sanitary
Engineering Committee from 1942-60. He served on the Advisory
Committee on Medical Research 1963-75. He was President of the Pan
American Health and Education Foundation from 1970 until 1983.
There is also material on a 1965 conference on "Water Supplies in
the Americas" and one in 1979 on "Strategies for Extending and
Improving Potable Water Supply and Excreta Disposal Services during
the Decade of the 1980s." There are 3 boxes of PAHO material to be
sorted.
National Academy of Sciences
7 boxes 1944-89
Wolman was very active in the various programs of the National
Academy of Sciences either for the National Research Council or the
National Academy of Engineering. From 1942 until 1960 Wolman was
chairman of the Advisory Committee on Sanitary Engineering and the
Environment for the National Research Council's Division on Medical
Sciences. During WW II this committee advised the military on
sanitary problems. In this series are the reports prepared for the
Army. In 1947 the committee was reconstituted again with Wolman as
the chair in which capacity he served until 1961. There are
minutes, reports, and correspondence documenting this work.
From 1950 to 1956 Wolman served on the Medical Sciences
Executive Committee. In these papers are some minutes and
correspondence of other committees in the Medical Sciences Division
which Wolman was to review as a member of the Executive Committee.
From 1956 until 1962 Wolman served on the NAS Committee on the
Dispersal and Disposal of Radioactive Wastes. There is a
transcript of the first meeting of the Study Group on Disposal of
Radioactive Wastes February 24, 1956, correspondence, and reports. With the creation of the National Academy of Engineering in
1964, most of Wolman's NAS work dealt with that branch. However,
Wolman's expertise in international health planning was tapped in
1977-78 when he served on the NAS Institute of Medicine's Committee
on International Health. This is documented with correspondence,
minutes, and reports (1977-78). In the general NAS files (1966-89)
there is material on some short-lived committees and project
reviews completed by Wolman. Wolman participated in a workshop at
Woods Hole in 1987 sponsored by the Committee for Infrastructure
Innovation.
The National Academy of Engineering was created in 1964, and
Wolman's work with the NAE dates from 1964. There are records
(1967-74) on the NAE Committee on Social and Behavioral Urban
Research. Wolman served for 5 years (1970-75) on the NAE's
Committee on Public Engineering Policy (COPEP). Much of this
correspondence, reports and minutes deals with long-range planning
and studying priorities for Research Applied to National Needs
(RANN). Wolman also served on the NAE Project Committee (1969-72)
which was also a planning group. One of their activities was to
sponsor a workshop (1973) in San Francisco on the Simulation of
Earthquake Effects on Structures. The correspondence and final
report of this workshop are in this series. Maryland State Planning Commission. Community Improvement
Appraisal
1 box 1938-39 Wolman as chairman of the Maryland State Planning Commission
oversaw the Works Progress Administration's Community Improvement
Appraisal in 1938. The series is largely printed material on the
results of the Appraisal.
Maryland. Department of Health. Radiation Control
Advisory Board.
.5 box 1961-72 From 1961 until 1972 Wolman served as chairman of the
Radiation Control Advisory Board of Maryland's Department of
Health. The records 1961-72 are correspondence and reports.
American Water Works Association. Pipe Specifications
Committee
.5 boxes 1949, 1961-64
Wolman was involved with the American Water Works
Association's committee which in 1964 drafted specifications for
pipe. Copies of the correspondence and specifications are
included.
Association of American Railroads. Joint Committee on
Railway Sanitation
2 boxes 1945-50
Wolman served as Consultant Director for the Association of
American Railroads's Joint Committee on Railway Sanitation. The
materials include correspondence and technical reports.
Resources for the Future
.5 box 1953-86 Resources for the Future was a non-profit corporation for
research and education concerning the development, conservation,
and use of natural resources. It was founded in 1952, and in 1953
sponsored a Mid-Century Conference on Resources of the Future.
Wolman was on the Steering Committee of the Section on Water
Resource Problems. Much of the material deals with this
conference. Wolman was in contact with RFF people through 1986 commenting
on their papers especially Allen V. Kneese's "Water Polution:
Economic Aspects and Research Needs." Wolman also particpated in
RFF forums; one in 1961 on pollution abatement in the Ruhr region
of West Germany and one in 1958 where he commented on Luther
Gulick's paper "Urban Growth and Natural Resources."
Technicon. Israel Institute of Technology
2 boxes 1955-89
Abel Wolman was active in Technicon affairs from 1955 until
his death although most of the material dates from 1964 to 1982.
In 1965 Wolman was re-elected to a three year term as an alternate
member of Technicon's Board of Governors. Wolman was especially
interested in Sanitary Engineering, and gave a speech dedicating
the Sanitary Engineering Laboratories in 1964. He was often
consulted on appointments to the department, and in 1973 the Dr.
Abel Wolman Chair in Sanitary Engineering at the Technicon was
dedicated. Wolman was also active in the American Technicon
Society, and there is correspondence and reports from this work. Environmental Assessment Council
2 boxes 1967-88 Wolman was one of the founding members of the Environment
Assessment Council. The papers include correspondence leading up
to the founding and reports of the Council. Much of the
correspondence was with Dr. Ruth Patrick of the Academy of Natural
Sciences in Philadelphia.
Series 8 Baltimore, Maryland 1931-88 15 boxes Abel Wolman did a great deal of work for the city of Baltimore
both as a paid consultant and as a member of numerous committees
and commissions. Records documenting both consulting projects and
committees and commissions are in this series, and their titles are
listed in the container list.
Series 9 Johns Hopkins University 1921-89 8 boxes This series contains correspondence and course material
relating to the courses Wolman taught at Hopkins beginning in 1921.
The School of Engineering materials are in Boxes 9.1 through 9.4.
These include some material (1920-88) concerning employment and
university committees on which Wolman served. Most, however, are
lecture notes, outlines, bibliographies and printed material used
in engineering courses Wolman taught from 1921-57. The School of Public Health material is in boxes 9.5 through
9.8. These are largely course materials for courses taught from
the 1940s through 1988. There are also the minutes and documents
of the 1956 committee which studied the educational objectives of
the School of Hygiene and Public Health.
Series 10 Conferences 1949-84 6 boxes
This series contains materials on conferences in which Wolman
participated. These have not been completely sorted. The titles
of the conferences are in the container list. One conference which is well-represented is the United Nations
Scientific Conference on the Conservation and Utilization of
Resources (1948, 1949). Wolman was appointed by the Secretary of
the Interior to serve on the Advisory Committee on American
Participation in this conference.
Series 11 Reference File 1920-88 8 boxes
This series contains reports, articles and some correspondence
on topics in which Wolman was interested. It has not been sorted,
but there is material on nuclear power and radiation, water
pollution, sewage treatment, and town planning (1920s). Container List
Ms. 105 Box 1.1 Series 1 Personal
obituaries
articles (loose) about AW 1933-88
to be sorted
scrapbook items (2) Box 1.1a Appointment diaries, passports
Box 1.2 articles (scrapbooks) about AW 1924-71
oversize photographs Box 1.3 articles about AW to be sorted
awards Box 1.4 awards Box 1.5 awards Added 1994 -Commissioning submarines, 1960s
Harry E. Jordan Medal 1952
Albert Lasker Award 1960
Am. Soc. Civil Engineers 1961
Tyler Ecology Award 1976
Am. Water Works Assoc, 1948; Nat. Acad. Sciences 1963; MD
Public Health Assoc. 1963; Sedgewick Award, 1963
Commemoration Day, 1973
Wolman Hall, 1966
See: A folder of awards, certificates added 1994,
are filed in oversize drawer, Mss workroom.
Box 1.5a Awards, certificates, plaques (Added 1994) Box 1.6 photographs
Oversize drawer in Mss. workroom:
"Water borne disease"
PWA engineers, 1934
Delaware River Conference, 1936
Public Health Engineering Dinner, 1941
Am. Pub. Health Assoc., 1947
AAR. 1950
The Moles, 1960
Ash. treatment plant, 1988
[Hopkins Club 1980s?] Box 1.6a Added 1994 - Included are photographs from projects, awards
ceremonies, commissions, council, organizations,
and foreign visits, 1920s to 1980s.
Box 1.7 financial papers
travel expenses
household expenses 1938-50
memberships
Christmas/birthday greetings Box 1.8 congratulatory correspondence 1957-72
biographical questionnaires
curriculum vita
student papers 1913
notebooks, 1913
birth certificate
family material
Leo Wolman writings
Condolence letters, death of Leo Wolman, Samuel
Wolman
AW oral history records
AW papers at the Library of Congress
patent 1953
U. S. Senate. Select Committee on National
Water Resources, 1959
Eisenhower, D.D. - Photograph with AW and
copies of letters, 1958
Box 1.9 oral history transcript (housed on A-Level) Box 1.10 oral history tape cassettes
Box 1.11 oral history tape cassettes
Box 1.11a oral history tape cassettes, 2 videos, 1 audio tape Box 2.1 Series 2 Writings
publications 1916-65 Box 2.2 publications 1965-80 Box 2.3 publications 1981-88
to be sorted Box 2.4 publications to be sorted
speeches to be sorted
Box 2.5 speeches to be sorted
Box 2.6 speeches 1936-83 Box 2.7 speeches 1984-87 Box 3.1 Series 3 Maryland State Department of Health
annual reports 1928-32, 1934, 1937, 1938
general 1927, 1939 Correspondence:
Baldwin, R.T.
B-C
Cleveland, H. Burdett
Dryden, Francis H.
Engineering News Record
E-F
Enslow, Linn
Fuller, George W.
European inspection trip 1929
Goodell, John M.
Gorman, Arthur E.
H-K
Hannan, Frank (see Box 3.2)
Harvard College 1925
Lieberman, Morton W.
M
Massink, A.
McLaughlin, A.J.
McIntosh, David G.
Metcalf, Leonard
Mendelsohn, I.W.
Municipal Sanitation
Museum of Science and Industry
N
New York. Dept. of Health
Harris, Louis I.
Perlman, Philip
Powell, Sheppard T.
Prss, Ing. M.
R-S
Schapiro, Louis
Socony-Vacuum Oil Company
Sheppard T. Powell
Stein, Milton F.
T
U.S. Army Sanitary Corps
University of Chicago
University of Illinois
University of Maryland
University of Southern California
Box 3.1 Series 3 Maryland State Department of Health
(cont.) Correspondence: W
Welch, William H.
Whipple, George C.
Winslow, C.E.
unidentified
to be sorted Chicago. Board of Health
amoebic dysentery outbreak 1934
to be sorted
bibliography on iron Box 3.2 "Mathematical Interpretation of Bacterial Counts"
1917-18
reprints 1901-28 re: bacterial studies
bacterial studies 1917-25 water supply correspondence with Frank Hannan
"Preliminary Analysis: Degree and Nature of Filtration
Plant Performance"
research 1924-27
water supply and sewerage financial data 1926
water consumption data 1928
chlorination 1929-30 Box 3.3 chlorination 1930
"Water Borne Typhoid Fever" 1930
reprints
general 1930-37, 1939, 1947
Box 4.1 Series 4 Public Works Administration
PWA 1933-36
Box 4.2 PWA 1937 Box 4.3 PWA regulations
The Story of the PWA in Pictures
correspondence 1933-39 Box 5.1 Series 5 General Correspondence
correspondence to be sorted
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