accord this good man the respect and honor he so richly deserves. For
in Dr. Prather, not only has the State of Maryland been blessed with
the services of a most able administrator, but the people of this State
have had the good fortune of having as their commissioner of health,
a man of compassion and understanding; a man who would never
permit his concern for his fellow man to become submerged in admin-
istrative detail and budgetary complexities. And his colleagues in the
Department of Health have had the good fortune of being associated
with a man of gentle humor and kindly manner; a man who inspires
optimism with his cheerful countenance and abundant patience.

We who have had the privilege of working with him since he took
over the duties of Commissioner of Health in 1956 shall miss him dearly
and his decision to step down was accepted by me with extreme regret.
Yet if there is anyone in public service who has earned the right to
a few hours of rest and leisure, it is our good Dr. Perry Prather. I am
quite confident that those who have had the benefit of sharing his
knowledge, his experiences and his teachings will continue to adminis-
ter the affairs of the Department of Health in the same quite, efficient
and competent manner as did he.

I suppose it would be foolhardy for me or for anyone to undertake
the listing of just some of the outstanding public health events and
accomplishments that took place in Maryland during the administra-
tion of Dr. Prather. As many of you no doubt have noticed, a number
of these achievements are listed on the back of the program for tonight's
banquet, while others are woven into the very moving biography of
Dr. Prather on page two of the program.

In addition to demonstrating an acute awareness of the problems
of the less fortunate citizens within our communities, these achieve-
ments clearly show that Dr. Prather pioneered the extension of health
services into new fields while consolidating the gains of his two pre-
decessors. He could, for example, cope quite effectively with the
emerging and serious problem of radiation control and the establish-
ment of a radiation control surveillance network while at the same
time meet head-on the long-standing problem of providing adequate
housing regulations to protect agricultural migrant workers. While
others, in quite lofty terms, might discuss the merits and demerits of
certain major medical programs, Dr. Prather concerned himself with
providing adequate dental care for the mentally retarded and handi-
capped children. Dr. Prather did not only interpret his duties as
Commissioner of Health through programs and projects, he performed
his duties always with a clear understanding of people and their needs.

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