After Bell graduated Lower Merion High School, he enrolled in Dickinson College.
He began studying law but did not complete his classes, deciding instead to pursue his interest in history.
Bell joined the Freemasons' Cumberland Star Lodge of Carlisle and achieved the status of Master Mason.
[1] Bell tried to enlist in the Army and the Navy when the United States entered the World War II, but was rejected due to poor eyesight.
[2] Bell's contributions were recognized by the American Association for the History of Medicine 1996 lifetime achievement award.