Dr. Arthur Thomas Ward Jr., a retired surgeon who combined two careers -- as a specialist in ear, nose and throat conditions, and as creator of the paving material used to fix Baltimore's potholes -- died of cancer complications Saturday at his North Baltimore home. He was 91.
He was an owner and chemist at National Paving and Contracting Co. in Northwest Baltimore, where he maintained a testing laboratory for the road-surfacing asphalt products he sold.
Born in Baltimore and raised in Walbrook and Homeland, he was a graduate of Forest Park High School. He earned his undergraduate, premedical degree from the Johns Hopkins University and was a 1939 graduate of its School of Medicine.
He made a specialty of treating asthma in children and was an early user of microsurgical techniques to restore hearing in patients with the bone-growth condition otosclerosis.
Family members said he did his surgery in the early morning, went to the asphalt plant at midday, and saw patients at his office at 11 E. Chase St. in Baltimore's Mount Vernon section in the afternoon. They said he did not like elevators and often raced up and down the five flights of steps to his office.
Dr. Ward retired from his surgical practice in 1986 and then spent much of his time in cancer research. He suspected a link existed between diet and cancer.
"He was constantly coming up with great ideas -- he was really an inventor who would think up new things and bring them to reality," said Pamela Liszewski, his secretary for 34 years.
"In his business side, he could be a tough person, but his heart was always open. You could always depend on him for help. He spent hours researching cancer cells," his secretary said. "He worked at the Welch Medical Library [at Johns Hopkins]. That was his passion. He really wanted to find a cure for cancer."
"He was such a generous individual who was of great assistance to others," said Dr. J. Emmett Queen, a friend. "He was most generous in fostering cancer research, yet was very modest about it. You wouldn't know he had a dime."
Dr. Ward published scholarly articles on asthma in The Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology and The Journal of the American Medical Association.
He was a former president of National Paving and Contracting Co. on Menlo Drive in Northwest Baltimore, a business his father founded. For many years, Dr. Ward ran it with his sister, Clara Ward Haines, who died last year. They redeveloped portions of their paving yard as the Menlo Industrial Park about 30 years ago.
"He was a very knowledgeable chemist," said Robert S. Storrs, a civil engineer who is general manager of the paving company. "He was a witty person who kept things moving. He helped me plenty."
Dr. Ward devised a method of making quick repairs to holes in streets and highways. He patented his product, Perma-Patch, a blend of plastics, asphalt and chemicals used by road crews and utility companies. The product is sold in 60-pound bags -- or in larger quantities to the city Department of Public Works. It is also sold in a liquid form to customers in countries including Japan and Korea, where the patented formula is mixed with locally crushed stone.
He was a former director of Beneficial Corp., and a member of the Baltimore Country Club and the state medical society.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, 5603 N. Charles St., where he was a member.
Survivors include his wife of nearly 54 years, the former Dorothy Warren Mears; a son, Arthur Thomas Ward III of Ruxton; a daughter, Robin Ward Puleo of Bethlehem, Pa.; and six grandsons.