Irwin Abrams
Encyclopedia
Irwin Martin Abrams was a long-time professor of history at Antioch College
, a pioneer in the field of peace research, and a global authority on the Nobel Peace Prize
. His book, "The Nobel Peace Prize and the Laureates," first published in 1988 and subsequently updated and revised, is still regarded as the authoritative reference work on the subject. His other books included "Words of Peace," which brought together selections from the acceptance speeches of winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, and five volumes of "Nobel Lectures in Peace."
in December 1930 at the age of 16. He went on to earn a bachelors degree from Stanford University
and a masters degree and Ph.D. from Harvard University
. In 1936-37, he traveled to Europe to do research for his dissertation. It was a formative experience. He met many outstanding leaders and scholars of the international peace movement and delved into previously unknown source materials.
"Abrams opened and explored archival sources on which a generation of historians would come to depend," the Magazine of History said in a 1994 profile. "His dissertation, A History of European Peace Societies, 1867-1899, won the Charles Sumner Peace Prize and, although it was never published, it has been called 'the most quoted unpublished dissertation in history.' Whether or not that is factual, it has the ring of truth, for Abrams's 1938 work and his subsequent writing gave direction and inspiration to historians on both sides of the Atlantic when the study of peace in history blossomed a generation later."
Though born Jewish, Abrams became a Quaker in the late 1930s, inspired in part by his research on the early peace movement and his friendships with British philosopher Gerald Heard
and others. He later wrote that joining the Society of Friends was the final step in a move away from liberal humanism toward the ideal of pacifism and nonviolence. He came to believe that "to change the world you had to change yourself."
During World War II, Abrams fulfilled his obligations as a conscientious objector by working with the American Friends Service Committee
, or AFSC, in Philadelphia. He researched international relief work, directed training for AFSC relief workers from 1943 to 1946 and organized the Quaker International Workcamp Program the following year. During that time, his wife Freda, whom he had married in 1939, stayed home with their two young children, David and Carole. A third child, James, was born a few years later.
The family moved to Yellow Springs, Ohio, in 1947 when Abrams joined the faculty of Antioch College
. He organized the Department of History and created an introduction to western civilization still fondly remembered by many Antioch alumni. He became a full professor in 1951, Distinguished University Professor in 1979, and "emeritus" two years later.
Throughout his Antioch years, Abrams was nudged beyond the classroom by his Quaker concern for peace, his pioneering studies of the historic European peace movement and his own international experience. He became, as he wrote, "a theorist and practitioner" in study abroad and intercultural experience. The number of international exchanges, including study abroad, was rising rapidly, and he saw this as a valuable opportunity to encourage cross-cultural understanding.
After his retirement from teaching, Abrams published the first of several books on the Nobel Peace Prize
. His "The Nobel Peace Prize and the Laureates: An Illustrated Biographical History" was published in 1989. It was recognized as an "outstanding reference work" by the American Library Association. He went on to publish other works on the prize as well, including "Words of Peace," which brings together selections from the acceptance speeches of the prizewinners, and five volumes of "Nobel Lectures in Peace."
Of writing about the laureates, he wrote, "It's been a rich experience to live with these people all of these years." He met many of the prizewinners, including the Dalai Lama
, Desmond Tutu
, Willy Brandt
and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Another laureate, José Ramos-Horta, the current president of East Timor
, considered him a friend. Abrams "led a life of scholarly integrity, intellectual and moral rectitude, compassion and faith in humanity, encompassing a whole century of profound transformation in the history of our small world," he said.
Abrams was honored on numerous occasions by colleagues and former students. In 1997, he received an honorary doctorate from Antioch University. In 2000, he was given a distinguished lifetime service award by the Peace History Society and the Peace History Commission of the International Peace Research Association
.
In 2003, the Antioch College
Alumni Association presented him with the Arthur Morgan Award "for his long and exemplary service to the Antioch College community, the education community and the global community."
Abrams said that the happiest outcome of his teaching years was when his students from the class of 1955 came together in 2005 – 50 years later – and raised funds for a peace education memorial fund in his name.
He was inducted into the "Walk of Fame" in Dayton
, Ohio
, in the fall of 2007 and has a square on the sidewalk on W. Third Street in Dayton
commemorating his achievements. The inscription states that "Dr. Abrams brought recognition to Antioch University" as a "scholar, author, educator and humanitarian."
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
, a pioneer in the field of peace research, and a global authority on the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
. His book, "The Nobel Peace Prize and the Laureates," first published in 1988 and subsequently updated and revised, is still regarded as the authoritative reference work on the subject. His other books included "Words of Peace," which brought together selections from the acceptance speeches of winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, and five volumes of "Nobel Lectures in Peace."
Life and career
Irwin Abrams was born in San Francisco in 1914. He graduated from Lowell High SchoolLowell High School (San Francisco)
Lowell High School is a public magnet school in San Francisco, California. The school opened in 1856 as the Union Grammar School and attained its current name in 1896. Lowell moved to its current location in the Merced Manor neighborhood in 1962....
in December 1930 at the age of 16. He went on to earn a bachelors degree from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and a masters degree and Ph.D. from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. In 1936-37, he traveled to Europe to do research for his dissertation. It was a formative experience. He met many outstanding leaders and scholars of the international peace movement and delved into previously unknown source materials.
"Abrams opened and explored archival sources on which a generation of historians would come to depend," the Magazine of History said in a 1994 profile. "His dissertation, A History of European Peace Societies, 1867-1899, won the Charles Sumner Peace Prize and, although it was never published, it has been called 'the most quoted unpublished dissertation in history.' Whether or not that is factual, it has the ring of truth, for Abrams's 1938 work and his subsequent writing gave direction and inspiration to historians on both sides of the Atlantic when the study of peace in history blossomed a generation later."
Though born Jewish, Abrams became a Quaker in the late 1930s, inspired in part by his research on the early peace movement and his friendships with British philosopher Gerald Heard
Gerald Heard
Henry Fitzgerald Heard commonly called Gerald Heard was an historian, science writer, educator, and philosopher. He wrote many articles and over 35 books....
and others. He later wrote that joining the Society of Friends was the final step in a move away from liberal humanism toward the ideal of pacifism and nonviolence. He came to believe that "to change the world you had to change yourself."
During World War II, Abrams fulfilled his obligations as a conscientious objector by working with the American Friends Service Committee
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee is a Religious Society of Friends affiliated organization which works for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world...
, or AFSC, in Philadelphia. He researched international relief work, directed training for AFSC relief workers from 1943 to 1946 and organized the Quaker International Workcamp Program the following year. During that time, his wife Freda, whom he had married in 1939, stayed home with their two young children, David and Carole. A third child, James, was born a few years later.
The family moved to Yellow Springs, Ohio, in 1947 when Abrams joined the faculty of Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
. He organized the Department of History and created an introduction to western civilization still fondly remembered by many Antioch alumni. He became a full professor in 1951, Distinguished University Professor in 1979, and "emeritus" two years later.
Throughout his Antioch years, Abrams was nudged beyond the classroom by his Quaker concern for peace, his pioneering studies of the historic European peace movement and his own international experience. He became, as he wrote, "a theorist and practitioner" in study abroad and intercultural experience. The number of international exchanges, including study abroad, was rising rapidly, and he saw this as a valuable opportunity to encourage cross-cultural understanding.
After his retirement from teaching, Abrams published the first of several books on the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
. His "The Nobel Peace Prize and the Laureates: An Illustrated Biographical History" was published in 1989. It was recognized as an "outstanding reference work" by the American Library Association. He went on to publish other works on the prize as well, including "Words of Peace," which brings together selections from the acceptance speeches of the prizewinners, and five volumes of "Nobel Lectures in Peace."
Of writing about the laureates, he wrote, "It's been a rich experience to live with these people all of these years." He met many of the prizewinners, including the Dalai Lama
14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figures in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years...
, Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
, Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm , was a German politician, Mayor of West Berlin 1957–1966, Chancellor of West Germany 1969–1974, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1964–1987....
and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
Another laureate, José Ramos-Horta, the current president of East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
, considered him a friend. Abrams "led a life of scholarly integrity, intellectual and moral rectitude, compassion and faith in humanity, encompassing a whole century of profound transformation in the history of our small world," he said.
Abrams was honored on numerous occasions by colleagues and former students. In 1997, he received an honorary doctorate from Antioch University. In 2000, he was given a distinguished lifetime service award by the Peace History Society and the Peace History Commission of the International Peace Research Association
International Peace Research Association
International Peace Research Association is a peace research organization founded in 1964. It is member of the International Social Science Council.-History:...
.
In 2003, the Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
Alumni Association presented him with the Arthur Morgan Award "for his long and exemplary service to the Antioch College community, the education community and the global community."
Abrams said that the happiest outcome of his teaching years was when his students from the class of 1955 came together in 2005 – 50 years later – and raised funds for a peace education memorial fund in his name.
He was inducted into the "Walk of Fame" in Dayton
Dayton
Dayton is a city in Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, United States.Dayton may also refer to:-United States:*Dayton, Alabama*Dayton, California, in Butte County*Dayton, Lassen County, California*Dayton, Idaho*Dayton, Indiana...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, in the fall of 2007 and has a square on the sidewalk on W. Third Street in Dayton
Dayton
Dayton is a city in Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, United States.Dayton may also refer to:-United States:*Dayton, Alabama*Dayton, California, in Butte County*Dayton, Lassen County, California*Dayton, Idaho*Dayton, Indiana...
commemorating his achievements. The inscription states that "Dr. Abrams brought recognition to Antioch University" as a "scholar, author, educator and humanitarian."
Selected bibliography
- "The Nobel Peace Prize and the Laureates: An Illustrated Biographical History" (G.K. Hall, 1988; Science History Publications, 2001)
- "Words of Peace" (Newmarket Press, 1994)
- "Nobel Lectures in Peace, 1971-1995" in 3 Volumes (World Scientific, 1997)
- "The Iraq War and Its Consequences" with Wang Gungwu (World Scientific, 2003)
- "Nobel Lectures in Peace, 1996-2000" (World Scientific, 2005)
- "Nobel Lectures in Peace, 2001-2005" with Scott London (World Scientific, 2009)
External links
- Irwin Abrams - Historian and Champion of the Nobel Peace Prize - A Profile by Peter van den Dungen from "Peace and Change"
- Profile of a Peace Historian - A Profile by Charles Chatfield in "Magazine of History"
- Nobel Peace Prize Authority, Antioch Professor, Dies - An Obituary in Dayton Daily News
- Professor Irwin Abrams: Historian of the Nobel Peace Prize - An Obituary in The Independent (UK)