Wolfram U. Drewes' Obituary
Wolfram U. Drewes passed away at home in Baywoods, Annapolis, Maryland, on Thursday, January 6, 2011, surrounded by his family.
Drewes was born January 9, 1929, in Frankfurt, Germany, to the acclaimed artist Werner Drewes and Margarete Schrobsdorff. In 1930, his family immigrated to New York City. He joined the Marine Corps for two years before entering the University of Colorado for his BA, and then earned his PhD in Geography from Syracuse University.
Drewes’ career started with a 7 year stint in Peru with the Agency for International Development where he established the Institute of Natural Resources (ONERN) and started his family with Arlene, his wife of 60 years! They then moved to India where he became Geographic Attaché. With Arlene and his 3 girls he then moved back to the US to work in regional development for the Organization of American States. His last and longest-held position was with the World Bank where he developed satellite remote sensing as a means to map and determine land usage. During this time, he also established another natural resource institute, Bakosurtanal in Indonesia, as well as establishing remote sensing programs in Kenya, Nepal, Bangladesh, and other developing countries.
He worked locally to establish a Chesapeake Bay park on the Western shore, and also a Potomac River View park in Glen Echo Heights -- both in Maryland, along the rivers he loved. An avid sailor, he navigated a cross Atlantic sail from Florida to Portugal as well as captained many coastal and bay sails. He also designed and built 3 modern homes in Maryland and was a long time resident of Bethesda, St. Leonard Creek, and most recently Bay Woods, Annapolis.
Drewes is survived by his wife Arlene, three daughters and their husbands, Kristine and Bill Dudley, Katrina and John Steel, and Karen and Vin Seibert; as well as six grandchildren -- Alexander Dudley, Karlina and her new husband Joe Young, Kimberly Seibert, Cody Seibert, Brooke Seibert, and Cullen Steel; along with many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by two brothers, Harald Drewes and his wife of Denver, CO, and Bernard Drewes of Upland, CA.
A celebration of his life will be held on January 29, 3:00-6:00, at Bay Woods of Annapolis, 7101 Bay Front Drive, Annapolis, MD, 21403. We would love to share stories of Wolf’s humor and adventures and how he touched our lives—please send these to [email protected].
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum, 10515 Mackall Road, St. Leonard, MD, 20685.
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