Historic Humanist Series

Albert Schweitzer was born on January 14, 1875, in Kaysersburg, France. He based his personal philosophy on a "reverence for life? and on a deep commitment to serve humanity through thought and action. For his many years of humanitarian effort, Schweitzer was awarded the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize.

By the time he was 21, Schweitzer had decided on the course for his life. For nine years he would dedicate himself to the study of science, music, and theology. The he would devote the rest of his life to serving humanity directly. Before he was 30 he was a respected writer on theology, an accomplished organist, and an authority on the life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach.

In 1905 Schweitzer decided to become a medical missionary. He studied medicine from 1905 to 1913 at the University of Strasbourg. He also raised money to establish ha hospital in French Equatorial Africa. He founded a hospital there in 1913 which over the years grew into a large institution that serves thousands of Africans. Schweitzer used his $33,000 Nobel Prize to expand the hospital and to build a leper colony. In 1955 Queen Elizabeth II awarded Schweitzer the "Order of Merit," Britains highest civilian honor.