Hymer Louis Friedell was born on February 6, 1911 in St. Petersburg, Russia and moved with his family to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1915. He earned both his M. D. (1936) and PhD in physics (1939) from the University of Minnesota. After graduation, he worked at the National Cancer Institute's Memorial Hospital in New York (1939-1940) and at the University of California's Hospital in San Francisco (1941-1942). Friedell joined the U. S. Army in 1942 and was stationed at the University of Chicago's Metallurgical Laboratory. He was transferred to Clinton Laboratories (now called the Oak Ridge National Laboratory) in mid-1943, where he worked as the Executive Officer of the Manhattan Engineer District (MED) Medical Division. In this role, he assisted in determining dose tolerances for new radioactive isotopes, was involved in reviewing applications for use of these isotopes, and witnessed the first test of the atomic bomb at Alamogordo, New Mexico. After the war, Friedell taught and researched at the University of California and at Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he spent most of his professional career. He also served with a number of professional organizations, including the National Committee on Radiation Protection (1949-1984; Vice President 1977-1983). Friedell retired from WRU in 1979 and died on May 10, 2002 in Ohio.