Read about the Knipps, who stand as the only family in UMSOM history to sustain such a continuous medical legacy, in the latest issue of “CATALYST.”
Photo: For almost 140 years, the Knipp family has been woven into the history of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Shown here are from left, Barbara Knipp, Harry Lester Knipp, Harry Clarke Knipp, and Nora Knipp.
For almost 140 years, the Knipp family has woven itself into the history of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). Spanning five consecutive generations, the Knipps stand as the only family in UMSOM history to sustain such a continuous medical legacy.
Roots of the Knipp Medical Legacy: Harry Edward Knipp, MD (1867-1929)
The University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Knipp legacy began with Dr. Harry Edward Knipp, Class of 1887. Dr. Knipp was born in Baltimore on Oct. 25, 1867. He entered UMSOM in 1884 under preceptor Dr. George Rose Graham. Dr. Knipp’s medical thesis on Antipyrine is available in the UMB Digital Archive; he graduated at age 19.
After graduation, Dr. Knipp worked in the clinic at the University of Maryland Hospital, predecessor of the University of Maryland Medical System, before setting up a private medical practice at Fremont Avenue and Lanvale Street in Baltimore.
He married Georgie Davis Knipp, a teacher in Carroll and Baltimore counties. They had two children: Minna B. and George Adam Knipp. Georgie died from tuberculosis in 1912. After Georgie’s death, Harry married Eunice Sibley Knipp, with whom he had another daughter, Elizabeth. Dr. Knipp died in 1929 after surgery.
Second Generation of Family Practice: George Adam Knipp, MD (1899-1964)
Born Jan. 16, 1899, Dr. George Adam Knipp grew up under the influence of his physician father. He served in the Merchant Marine during World War I, entering the School of Medicine in 1919. While at UMSOM, he was active in Phi Beta Pi, Iota Pi, and the Spencer Pathological Society. Dr. Knipp graduated in 1923, earning the third-highest GPA in his class.
After graduation, he became an instructor in physiology and pediatrics at UMSOM until 1929 and served as a pediatrician at the University Hospital Dispensary before establishing his own family practice on Edmondson Avenue in Baltimore. Dr. Knipp also was a member of the staff at several Baltimore hospitals. George married Jack Alberta Welch, and they had one son, Harry Lester Knipp.
Dr. George A. Knipp practiced in Baltimore for over 40 years. He was a founding member of the Maryland Academy of General Practice. He retired in 1964 and died that year.
Read about the other generations of the Knipp family, including Dr. Harry Clarke Knipp, who serves as chair of the UMB Foundation Board of Trustees, in the spring issue of CATALYST.
The latest issue of "CATALYST" magazine celebrates the students and alumni who represent the future of Maryland’s health, law, and social work professions. Read about a School of Nursing alumna who turned her 2023 Grid Pitch idea into Ryan’s Place, a health care center in Gaithersburg, Md.; how Maryland Carey Law’s Law and Health Care Program prepares students to serve; a School of Dentistry graduate who studies gene therapies to prevent and treat cleft lip; a School of Social Work graduate who has been appointed to Maryland’s Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs; the School of Pharmacy’s newly launched, one-of-a-kind MS in Artificial Intelligence for Drug Development program; and what’s on the desk of Courtney Jones Carney, assistant vice president of student success, leadership, and engagement.