Risley, T. R. (1997). Montrose M. Wolf: The origin of the dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 30, 377-381.

On August 14, 1996, Montrose M. Wolf, the founding editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, received the Father Flanagan Award for Service to Youth. The testimonial accompanying the award reads:

As one of the country's leading child treatment scientists and practitioners, Montrose M. Wolf, Ph.D., of the University of Kansas, was the driving force behind the development of Boys Town's Family Home Program. Dr. Wolf's Teaching Family Model revolutionized how Boys Town cares for and treats its children. The model became the foundation for Boys Town's far-reaching programs that have served more than one million troubled or at-risk girls and boys since Dr. Wolf brought his ideas to Boys Town in 1975.

That same year, Boys Town presented its first Father Flanagan Award for Service to Youth to Mrs. Spencer Tracy. Through the years, the Flanagan Award, Boys Town's highest award, has honored a select group of outstanding individuals who believe that the meaning of life is giving and not taking. This group includes Mother Teresa, Bob Hope, Dr. Jonas Salk, Danny Thomas, Nancy Reagan, and Michael Jordan, among others.