Joel Ivan Abrams (1928 - 2017)

Born 7 Sep 1928 in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Ancestors

Died 2017 at about age 88 in Delray Beach, Palm Beach, Florida, United States

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Biography

Joel was born in 1928 in Baltimore to Rubin Robert Abrams and Bessye Sachs. He was their only child.^[1][2] His Hebrew names Yosef Yitzhak were in memory of his grandfathers, Joseph Yosef Sachs and Isaac Yitzhak Abrams.

He earned his Dr.Eng. from Johns Hopkins University in 1956. He first taught at Yale University, then moved his family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

He was the long-serving chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, and founding director of its groundbreaking program in Public Works.

Over the course of his career Joel received the Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of Pittsburgh, the Donald C. Stone Award for Excellence in Education from the American Public Works Association, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers.

For 30 years, he chaired the international jury for the World Environment Center's Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development. Joel was a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineering, which recognized him with its Professor of the Year award.

In 1997 he was made an ASCE Distinguished Member, the civil engineering profession's highest honor.

He died in 2017 in Florida where he and his wife retired 25 years before his death. He was survived by his loving wife 3 sons and daughters-in-law, and five adored grandchildren. ^[3]

Sources

^{[1] [2] [3]}

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} United States Census, 1930, database with images, FamilySearch (accessed 15 October 2017), Joel I Abrams in household of Robert R Abrams, Baltimore (Districts 1-250), Baltimore (Independent City), Maryland, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 238, sheet 12A, line 43, family 225, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 859; FHL microfilm 2,340,594.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} United States Census, 1940, database with images, FamilySearch (accessed 15 October 2017), Joel I Abrams in household of Robert R Abrams, Ward 15, Baltimore City, Baltimore City, Baltimore City, Maryland, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 4-397, sheet 16A, line 12, family 344, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1524.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 18, 2017, Joel I Abrams, Death Notice.