Obituary: Gail D. Adams, Ph.D. 1918–2010

Gail D. Adams was one of the founding members of both AAPM and ACMP. He helped shape the profession that all of us enjoy today. Gail had a major impact on scientific and professional activities. His pioneering efforts were felt in all areas of medical physics and radiation oncology. Gail was very clinical and he participated as a partner of the radiation oncologist in the radiation treatment process. He was equally proud of establishing an early educational program for medical physicists. Gail was active throughout his career in teaching, research, publications, mentoring, scientific and professional societies, and he participated in establishing national standards. Gail is survived by his wife, Reba, three children, two step-children and several grand-children. Gail was born and raised in Cleveland, OH. He received his B.S. degree from Case Institute of Technology in 1940. Gail received a stipend to attend graduate school at the University of Illinois where he was a Graduate Assistant to Donald Kerst, the inventor of the betatron. During these years, he was involved with research on the betatron, which included work for the government in support of the war effort. During the Manhattan Project, Gail served as a consultant due to his expertise on the betatron. At Los Alamos with Enrico Fermi, Gail worked to apply a single burst of X-rays to see if it had any effect on the atomic bomb. It didn’t, and the following year the bomb was dropped on Japan. After receiving his Ph.D. in 1943, Gail remained at the University of Illinois as an Assistant Professor. When Donald Kerst left the University, Gail was named Department Chairman; he remained at the University until 1951. JOURNAL OF APPLIED CLINICAL MEDICAL PHYSICS, VOLUME 11, NUMBER 4, FALL 2010