Maurice Ralph Hilleman was an American microbiologist who specialized in vaccinology and developed over 40 vaccines, an unparalleled record of productivity. Hilleman was born August 30, 1919, in Miles City, Montana.  In 1988 President Ronald Reagan presented him with the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest scientific honor. Hilleman received many awards and honors for his contributions to human health. Among them were the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award (1983), the National Medal of Science (1988), the Robert Koch Gold Medal (1989), the World Health Organization’s Special Lifetime Achievement Award (1996), and the Albert B. Sabin Lifetime Achievement Award (1997). Hilleman was elected to the National Academy of Science in 1985. He died in 2005 at the age of 85.