Top, Franklin Henry (1903-1989) | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

Franklin Henry Top was born on February 1, 1903 in Grand Rapids, MI. Top earned his B.A. from Calvin College in 1925. He went on to University of Pennsylvania to earn his M.D. in 1928. In 1932 Top married Mary Madden and together they had two children. He furthered his education by earning his M.P.H from Johns Hopkins in 1935.

In 1930 Top had started residency at Herman Kiefer Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. By the late 1940s he eventually worked his way to director. In the 1930s and 1940s Top had also been teaching as an assistant professor of preventive medicine and public health at Wayne University College of Medicine. Top would also go on to serve at the University of Minnesota College of Medicine and faculty at University of Iowa. On November 29, 1989 professor Franklin Henry Top passed away in Iowa City, Iowa.