Royd R. Sayers (October 25, 1885 – April 23, 1965) was an American physician and industrial hygienist. He served as the Chief of the

Division of Industrial Hygiene The Division of Industrial Hygiene was a division of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) with responsibility for occupational safety and health programs. It existed from 1914 until 1971, when it became the National Institute for Occupational Saf ...

at the

National Institute of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late 1 ...

and the 7th director of the

U.S. Bureau of Mines For most of the 20th century, the United States Bureau of Mines (USBM) was the primary United States government agency conducting scientific research and disseminating information on the extraction, processing, use, and conservation of mineral r ...

Early life

Royd Ray Sayers was born on October 25, 1885, in

Crothersville, Indiana Crothersville is a town in Vernon Township, Jackson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,591 at the 2010 census. It was laid out in 1835 and named after A. S. Crothers, a railroad superintendent. Geography Crothersville is locate ...

. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from the

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

in 1907. He then served as a professor of

electrochemistry Electrochemistry is the branch of physical chemistry concerned with the relationship between electrical potential difference, as a measurable and quantitative phenomenon, and identifiable chemical change, with the potential difference as an outco ...

at the

University of Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

from 1911 to 1913. He graduated with a

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

from the University of Buffalo in 1914.

Career

Sayers joined the

U.S. Public Health Service The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services concerned with public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The Assistant ...

in 1914 and would remain with the service until 1948. In the 1930s, he designed the city of

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

's industrial hygiene program. In January 1941, he was appointed as a medical director of the U.S. Public Health Service. In 1917, Sayers became the Chief Surgeon and Chief of the Health and Safety Branch of the

. He remained in this role until 1933 when he became the Chief of the

at the

. He left this role in 1940. On May 27, 1940, Sayers replaced John W. Finch as the director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines. He held this role until July 14, 1947. He then returned to working at the U.S. Public Health Service as a medical director. From September 20, 1950, until around 1960, Sayers served as the Senior Medical Supervisor of Occupational Diseases for the

Baltimore City Health Department The Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) is the public health agency of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. BCHD convenes and collaborates with other city agencies, health care providers, community organizations and funders to "empower Baltimorea ...

. Sayers also served as president of the American Occupational Medical Association from 1937 to 1938.

Personal life

Sayers purchased the

Robert E. Lee Boyhood Home The Potts-Fitzhugh House (also called the Robert E. Lee Boyhood Home) is a historic house at 607 Oronoco Street, Alexandria, Virginia. It served in the early 1800s as the home of Anne Hill Carter Lee and her family, including the eponymous Rober ...

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

in 1932 from the heirs of Emmuella Burson. The Sayers worked to renovate and restore the property, and opened it up for private and public tours. The Sayers were neighbors with labor leader

John L. Lewis John Llewellyn Lewis (February 12, 1880 – June 11, 1969) was an American leader of organized labor who served as president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) from 1920 to 1960. A major player in the history of coal mining, he was the d ...

. The Sayers sold the property in 1941, and then lived in the

Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the th ...

in Alexandria and later the His Lordship's Kindness property in

Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobroo ...

Death

Sayers died on April 23, 1965.

Awards

In 1941, Sayers was awarded the Lifetime Achievement in Occupational and Environmental Medicine Award by the American Occupational Medical Association (now the

American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) is a United States-based professional society for health care professionals in the field of occupational safety and health. ACOEM is the pre-eminent physician-led organization that ...

References

External links

Royd R. Sayers Collection (MS094) (Alexandria Library)

Profiles in Occupational Health: Royd Ray Sayers, A.D. Cloud, Industrial Medicine & Surgery (Dec 1959, pp. 586-591)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayers, Royd R. 1885 births 1965 deaths People from Jackson County, Indiana Physicians from Indiana Indiana University alumni University at Buffalo alumni University at Buffalo faculty American occupational health practitioners United States Public Health Service personnel United States Bureau of Mines personnel National Institutes of Health people