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The Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters
The Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters
BY WILLIAM H. BEHLE
One of the most influential and durable societies of learning in the state is the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. While most states and some large cities have either an academy of science or one of natural sciences, few have an organization which also encompasses the fields of arts and letters. The objectives of the Utah Academy are simply the promotion of research and creative endeavor in the sciences, arts, and letters and the diffusion of knowledge in these fields. These objectives are, or have been in the past, fulfilled through such varied activities as semi-annual meetings, publication of the proceedings, newsletters, a junior academy, and a visiting scientist and science reporting programs for high school students. In its activities the society transcends the lines between the various disciplines of knowledge. The Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters impinges on history in two ways — through its History Section and the fact that the Utah State Historical Society serves as the archives for the Academy.
During the years 1906-08, advanced students of zoology and botany and staff members at the University of Utah held periodic meetings to discuss current problems and present papers and reviews. They called themselves the Biological Society. Dr. Chamberlin relates the events which led to the founding of the Utah Academy of Sciences.
The way in which the organization was actually launched is detailed in the first publication of the Utah Academy.
Further details of the initial meeting at Provo are given in the minutes of the Academy. A. O. Garrett was elected temporary chairman. He explained that the purpose of the meeting was to organize an association which would give an impetus to scientific studies in the state and would bring the scientific men together. It was moved and carried that the organization be known as the Utah Academy of Sciences. Dr. Ira D. Cardiff was elected president by acclamation. George W. Bailey was unanimously elected secretary. A committee of three, consisting of A. O. Garrett, S. H. Goodwin, and R. S. Baker, was appointed by the president to draft a constitution. This committee was also given the responsibility of arranging for the first formal meeting of the Academy in Salt Lake City the following April. All scientists in the state were to be invited to the first Academy meeting.
The minutes also record a subsequent committee meeting held at the Wilson Hotel in Salt Lake City on February 22, 1908, for the organization of the Utah Academy of Sciences. It was just as though the earlier meeting at Provo had not been held or the action taken not binding. Present were Cardiff, Garrett, and Goodwin and in addition, E. D. Ball, W. C. Ebaugh, Robert Forrester, E. M. Hall, L. W. Hartman, and John Sundwall. This was more of a university group as compared with the other, which was made up essentially of high school teachers of science. Dr. Ira D. Cardiff was elected chairman. E. D. Ball was appointed secretary, pro tem. A constitution and bylaws were evidently drafted at this time and a committee of three, consisting of the president, Goodwin, and Garrett, was selected to arrange for the spring session. A third informal meeting was held in the parlor of the Commercial Club in Salt Lake on the evening of April 2, 1908, the day before the first annual meeting. Dr. Cardiff presided and Mr. Garrett was elected secretary pro tem.
The draft of the constitution and bylaws as formulated by the group at the February 22 meeting was read, slightly amended, and approved. It was decided that the amended draft should be submitted to the Academy for adoption. A committee of two (Cardiff and Sundwall) was selected to draw up a list of fellows and members. It was agreed that the order of business for the first session of the Academy should be the adoption of the constitution, followed by the submission of the list of fellows and members, and then the election of officers.
The First Annual Meeting was convened at the Packard Library Auditorium on Friday, April 3, 1908. Presumably Dr. Cardiff presided as president pro tem. The minutes of the January 3 meeting at Provo and the special committee meeting of February 22 were read and approved. The constitution and bylaws were read and adopted. The membership committee submitted a list of fifty-nine names. They were all elected to membership. Whether they had been contacted and signified their desire to join is not indicated, but this is unlikely in light of the action of the evening before when Cardiff and Sundwall were designated as a committee to draw up a list of prospective members. In accord with earlier sentiments, apparently any persons present whose names were not on the list were invited to enroll as members and presumably all those present affixed their names to the constitution. There are fifty-two signatures. These might be considered the charter members except that some evidently failed to pay their initiation fee and first year's dues. Some who signed the constitution were formally elected to membership several years later. One person, who was very active in getting the Academy started, eventually was stricken from the rolls for failure to pay any dues whatsoever. The charter members are indicated in the first published list of members.
The liberal policy of electing to membership everyone who expressed an interest by attending the First Annual Meeting was later abandoned as a policy of selectivity developed. The early open-door attitude was probably attributable to the zeal of getting the Academy underway, and may have been indirectly correlated with the later emphasis on designating certain members as fellows to distinguish those preeminent in science from those merely interested in science.
At this First Annual Meeting, a committee on nominations for officers was appointed by the president, pro tem. The committee nominations were accepted by the assembly, and the following were elected: Dr. Ira D. Cardiff, University of Utah, president; Dr. John A. Widtsoe, Utah Agricultural College, first vice-president; Dr. S. H. Goodwin, Proctor Academy, second vice-president; Mr. A. O. Garrett, Salt Lake High School, secretary; Mr. E. M. Hall, Latter-day Saints University (present-day L.D.S. Business College), treasurer; and Dr. John Sundwall of the University of Utah, Dr. E. D. Ball of Utah Agricultural College, and Dr. W. C. Ebaugh of the University of Utah, councillors. In the initial enthusiasm of the group it was moved and carried that the council make arrangements for a summer session of the Academy to be held at one of the resorts or some other place of interest. Apparently there was no follow through on this.
The second session of the First Annual Meeting was held at 2:00 P.M., Saturday, April 4 and closing session at 8:00 P.M. In addition to the business transacted, nine papers were presented at the three sessions. There was one paper in the field of chemistry, two in physics, and six in biology (two botany, two zoology, and two general). One paper was subsequently published in the Transactions and two in journals elsewhere.
Beyond the usual items contained in the constitution and bylaws of the Academy, there were some significant features. While no bylaw expressly referred to publishing transactions, it was clearly indicated that the new society should have a medium of publication. Bylaw five stated that "the permanent secretary shall collect initiation fees, dues and other moneys for the Academy and shall have charge of the distribution, sale and exchange of the published transactions of the Academy, under such restrictions as might be imposed by the Council." There was a requirement that at the expiration of his term of office the president deliver a public address on the evening of one of the days of the annual meeting. For most of the Academy's history this requirement has been fulfilled in terms of the spirit behind it, namely, the delivery of a scholarly address. Of late, however, the tradition seems to have fallen into disrepute, some of the addresses being merely perfunctory. As the Academy was originally set up only those designated fellows could hold office. Thus an inner circle had control of the Academy affairs. It was many years before a more liberal and democratic procedure came about. At a meeting of the council on April 3, 1920, Dr. Joseph Merrill moved that the council consider the matter of amending the constitution so that members as well as fellows would be eligible to hold office. This was favorably acted upon.
From the very first most of the business of the Academy was handled by the council. This body initially consisted of the past presidents, the president, the vice-presidents, the secretary, and three councillors-at-large elected from the fellows of the Academy at the time of the election of officers. The council decided on the place and time of the annual meeting, determined broad outlines of the program, approved new members, designated fellows, and considered financial problems. Early they became concerned about publishing the proceedings of the gatherings, for at a meeting held on December 23, 1908, chaired by Dr. Widtsoe, a committee was designated to devise plans to introduce to the legislature to provide for this. A second committee was to publish the constitution and bylaws, send copies to each member, and prepare a circular letter to prospective members. At another meeting on December 29, 1909, a committee was appointed to investigate the methods employed by other academies to get their proceedings published. Much later, on February 24, 1913, yet another committee on legislation was appointed to attempt to secure state aid to publish the proceedings. This attempt to secure financial assistance from the state has been followed sporadically through the years. As late as 1934 the financial committee was instructed to meet with the governor and explore the possibility of working out a bill whereby the state legislature would finance the Academy. The amount sought was $2,500 annually. The perpetual need of funds has been largely because of modest dues assessed members as well as sparse membership.
The founders of the Academy wrote a provision into me constitution that fellows could be elected by the council from the members upon satisfactory evidence of their having done original investigation. It was also stated that fellows who had removed from the state could be transferred to associate membership. Little time was lost in getting at the selection of fellows, for at a meeting of the council on April 9, 1909. twenty members were nominated for fellowship. 0 Because Dr. Ira D. Cardiff, nominated for fellowship, had left the state, he was nominated to associate membership. This list was confirmed at the second session of the Second Annual Meeting on April 10, 1909. In subsequent years the list of fellows was added to a few at a time. Then there was a long period of indifference toward fellows. Several were elected at the annual meeting on May 13, 1939. At a council meeting on May 4, 1940, the question arose whether there should be a limitation on the number of fellows. It was argued that unless there were some restrictions, eventually all members could become fellows. Apparently the problem was not resolved, and the committee on nominations was instructed to select fifteen more fellows. At a meeting of the council on October 25, 1941, a new method of selecting fellows was adopted. The proposal for a person to be made a fellow must be made in writing to the secretary and supported by five members. The secretary would present the proposal to the council, and if favorably acted upon the matter would be submitted to the membership at a general business meeting. Although this move accomplished the purpose of effectively limiting the number of fellows, at the same time it seemed to stifle all further interest in elevating members to fellows.
In the initial years the activities of the Academy, except for the council meetings, centered almost entirely on the annual meeting held in April. For many years Salt Lake City was chosen for the gathering place presumably more because of its central location than because of any pervading influence of the University of Utah. The early annual meetings followed a set plan. There was a Friday evening session, with one or two papers either preceding or following the presidential address. On Saturday there were morning, afternoon, and sometimes evening sessions for the presentation of papers. The number of papers varied from nine to seventeen. The number of persons in attendance varied from twenty to thirty. As the Academy grew and more people presented papers, a Friday afternoon session was added. Some deviations from the normal pattern eventually occurred. At the Fifteenth Annual Meeting in 1922, no papers were presented because the American Association for the Advancement of Science was to hold its annual meeting in Salt Lake City, June 22-24, and the Academy planned to have a session for papers in conjunction with the AAAS. However a business session was held at which time fourteen members attended to elect officers, hear committee reports, and make plans for the forthcoming AAAS meeting. When in 1933 the AAAS again met in Salt Lake City on June 12-15, the entire annual meeting of the Academy was deferred from April to June so as to meet in conjunction with the larger society. This happened again in 1942. Once again on June 19-24, 1950, the Pacific Division met at the University of Utah. This same year the Utah Academy held its regular spring meeting at the same institution on April 28-29, and in addition, scheduled a session with the AAAS on June 21. However, only five papers were presented. When the AAAS met in Logan on June 16-20, 1958, the Utah Academy did not participate at all in the AAAS meeting. The AAAS met again at Logan June 24-29, 1968.
First mention of resolutions in the minutes comes in connection with the Fourth Annual Convention on April 7-8, 1911, when Dr. Ball appointed a resolutions committee. The resolutions pertained to the usual proprieties of thanking sponsoring agencies, and then more cogently a stand was taken supporting the appropriation of money for the control and prevention of forest fires as well as the promotion and more economic use of government forests. A movement then current, to attempt to eradicate the alfalfa weevil, was endorsed. The group also favored appropriation of money for the purpose of eradicating noxious weeds from the state. Thus three practical problems were faced and sentiment favored the incipient beginnings of federal spending which today has reached astronomical sums.
While emphasis on resolutions has vacillated through the years, generally the Academy has concerned itself with pertinent local and statewide problems and only occasionally those of national scope. In a patriotic gesture with the advent of World War I, the scientific services of the Academy and of its individual members were offered to the government for the duration of hostilities. At a later period, 1924, ways and means were considered of bringing the Academy in closer touch with problems of public concern. The idea was broached of selecting committees to conduct investigations and prepare reports for annual meetings at which time, after discussion, the Academy would presumably take a stand.
In 1932-33 the Academy produced a series of half-hour radio programs over station KSL each Sunday morning. One series extended from May 1 to August 14, 1932, another from August 21 to November 6, 1932. This activity continued the following year.
At a meeting of the council on November 18, 1933, the matter of a state museum of natural history was brought up for discussion. It was felt that the private Strevell Collection of geological and other objects, which was apparently available, could form the nucleus. Sentiment favored the establishment of such a museum, and a committee was appointed to investigate the feasibility of this. No reference has been found to any report, however, and no state museum immediately resulted. The Strevell Collection was in time given to the Salt Lake City schools. For a number of years it was housed in the Lafayette School but was eventually discontinued and most items were given to the University of Utah.
An extensive venture of the Academy in public affairs occurred in 1945 when the cause of conservation was championed and legislation sponsored for a state department of conservation. The roots of the movement go back ten or more years before this time. As outlined by Walter P. Cottam in the early 1930's, a conservation association was organized in the state known as the Utah Natural Resources Association. The membership consisted of specialists in all fields of natural science as well as representatives from the social sciences. Meetings were held regularly for several years, and many facts were assembled concerning the state's natural resources. The group eventually recommended that a state department of conservation be established to draw together and coordinate the divergent activities of the various state agencies dealing with natural resources. This recommendation was presented to Governor Henry Blood, who appointed a State Planning Board on Conservation. This group failed in its functions chiefly through lack of authority to enforce its plans, and little positive action resulted.
The Academy came into the picture gradually through association with this conservation society. Seemingly the first involvement was a joint Friday evening general session with the Utah Natural Resources Association at the 1935 annual Academy meeting. For the following fall meeting in 1936 the theme of the Academy meeting was "State Planning in Utah." The next step was when two prominent members of the Academy, who were also among the leaders of the Utah Natural Resources Association, Walter P. Cottam and the late Angus M. Woodbury (the latter being secretary of the Utah Natural Resources Association), expressed the opinion at a meeting of the council, that the Academy should carry forward the work of conservation in the state. Justification for supporting the conservation movement was that the Academy was a non-partisan society, not supported by public funds, and not seeking any private or group benefits apart from those which would accrue to all the people of the state from the more efficient use of natural resources. Their suggestion was favorably received, and Cottam and Woodbury were authorized to develop a program. One immediate result was a symposium at the 1937 spring annual meeting on the proper utilization and protection of the natural resources of Utah. At the fall meeting in 1937 the Friday evening public session was devoted to the topic "How Can We Conserve the Human Resources of Utah?"
The 1944 fall meeting of the Academy held another symposium on conservation in Utah, this time by the Biological Sciences Sections, meeting jointly. According to Cottam at the close of this symposium a resolution was passed asking the president of the Academy to appoint a conservation committee from the membership, the duties of which would be to survey ways and means of attacking some of the urgent conservation problems confronting the state. It was assumed that the ultimate objective of the committee would be to secure some legislation. Dr. Cottam served as president of the Academy in 1944-45, and so it fell his lot to appoint the committee. Dr. Woodbury was asked to serve; other members were Vasco Tanner, George Hansen, and Ross Hardy. At the first meeting of the committee, Dr. Woodbury reviewed the earlier action of the old Utah Natural Resources Association and suggested a revival of the attempt to get a state department of conservation. The committee felt that the problems were too great and the time too short for any legislative action in 1945, but Dr. Woodbury's drive, together with interest by legislators after the state legislature convened, led to the drawing up and introduction of a bill (House Bill 219) that proposed the creation of a department of conservation. Continuing the story in Dr. Cottam's words:
The conservation committee continued its activities. In 1946 Dr. Ross Hardy succeeded Dr. Woodbury as chairman. A major effort was a symposium at the annual spring meeting of 1948 on "Conservation of Natural Resources in Utah." Twenty people participated and considered virtually every aspect of the subject. The Academy's general plan for conservation was reviewed and the economics assessed; the chairman of the committee discussed the program for action; and the symposium was published and widely distributed. However, as far as this writer has been able to ascertain no further bills were introduced, and the Academy's interest in the matter waned. Indeed it appears that even resolutions have lost their appeal and are seldom considered. With a crowded schedule at the annual business meeting, there is scarcely time to discuss and act upon controversial matters, especially since in recent years the spring and fall meetings have been reduced to a half-day Friday afternoon session for papers followed by an evening banquet and program.
In scrutinizing the early programs a few items are of special interest. The Second Annual Meeting on April 9-10, 1909, was called the "Darwin Centennial Meeting" (actually the semi-centennial) commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of his famous book on the origin of species which was published in 1859. A paper on "Darwin the Man" was given by W. W. Henderson, one on "Factors in Zoological Evolution," by John Sundwall, and one on "Factors in Botanical Evolution," by C. T. Vorhies. The Third Annual Meeting in 1910 featured the first presidential address by President Dr. W. C. Ebaugh. The title is not indicated. At the second session on Saturday morning there were, among others, three papers on the animals, plants, and water of Great Salt Lake suggesting a symposium although it was not so labeled. At the Thirteenth Meeting in 1920 the Friday evening session featured a symposium of several papers on the "Constitution of Matter" and the presidential address was part of this. The 1920 meeting also featured the first luncheon meeting, complimentary to members through the courtesy of the University of Utah. President John A. Widtsoe of the University of Utah gave an address at this time. The Fourteenth Annual Meeting of 1921 followed the same plan. The symposium was on "Forest Conservation in Utah." The president at the time was C. F. Korstian of the U.S. Forest Service, and his presidential address was part of the symposium. A quasi-symposium occurred the following day when seven papers were given by mines and mineral industry personnel on oil shale and allied topics.
At the Sixteenth Annual Meeting, held at the University of Utah April 6-7, 1923, a "Pasteur Symposium" was held commemorating the one-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Louis Pasteur. An interesting debate occurred at the Eighteenth Annual Meeting April 3-4, 1925, which drew a little heat. Dr. Willard Gardner of Utah Agricultural College presented a paper entitled "Secular Trend in Precipitation Data" in which he stated that the trend of precipitation in the West was persistently upward while that of the eastern portion of the United States was as persistently downward. He stated that in the course of about one-hundred years the two would meet. In the discussion following the paper, J. Cecil Alter of the U.S. Weather Bureau and for many years editor of the Utah Historical Quarterly, took exception to Gardner's statement. He contended that no such reliance could be placed upon the data obtained from die records of the Weather Bureau and that when taken over long periods of time the data showed little or no tendency either to continue in a definite direction or to become periodic. Neither was willing to concede to the other's point-of-view. Finally, Alter requested that there be written in the records of the Academy his opinion that precipitation in the West was not permanently increasing nor was that of die East decreasing indefinitely. Thus time will tell who was right.
From time to time the Great Salt Lake received further attention. At the fall meeting of 1932. three papers were presented on the evaporation, hydrology, and bird rookeries of the lake. At the meetings of June 12-15. 1933. in conjunction with the Pacific Division of the AAAS, a divisional symposium of six papers was held on scientific problems of die lake, plus another separate paper, a moving picture on the bird life, and an excursion to Bird (Hat) Island. At the spring meeting in 1960 an evening symposium was held on many features of the lake.
Not often, but occasionally, social events were held in connection widi the annual meetings. On May 22, 1936. at the University of Utah, a biologist dinner preceded die general session, and following the general session an Academy dance was held, courtesy of the Music Department. At the 1940 annual meeting, again at the University of Utah, a social gathering was held just before die annual banquet.
For a time general themes were selected appropriate to the place of die meeting and the host institution. For instance at the fall meeting in 1937. held at Weber College. Ogden, die Friday evening banquet featured a discussion on the status of sciences, arts, and letters in Ogden. For the annual meeting in 1938. both President George Thomas of the University of Utah and President E. G. Peterson of L^tah State Agricultural College offered to serve as host institution to the Academy. Logan was selected because of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the College, and the theme of the Academy meeting was pertinent to the College's anniversary-. At the fall meeting at Brigham Young University in 1938. the banquet program featured Utah Valley artists. At a general meeting following, there was a memorial centered on die life interests of Professor Harrison R. Merrill, who died on August 20. 1938. A souvenir program was distributed at the banquet.
As noted, at the initial meeting of the Academy it was suggested that excursions should be made. While there was no immediate follow-up, the idea lay dormant and then germinated when a committee was eventually appointed on convention trips. At the business session of the Fifteenth Annual Meeting in 1922, the chairman of the committee, Richard R. Lyman, suggested a number of drives and excursions suitable for afterconvention trips. This stimulated action, for in connection with the fall meeting of 1922 a post-session excursion up Logan Canyon was scheduled. In 1923 at the fall meeting held at Brigham Young University there was an excursion to Timpanogos Cave in American Fork Canyon. It appears from the incomplete record that the idea again became dormant, but was revived at the fall meeting of 1931 held at Ogden. A pre-convention Friday afternoon field trip was conducted to the newly completed Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge west of Brigham City. About the only vestige of this type of activity today is found occasionally in the Geology Section of the Academy meeting in conjunction with the Geological Society of Utah. The program features an annual field trip. At the fall meetings of the Academy for 1939 held at Ogden, the geology and history groups held a combined trip to visit Miles Goodyear's cabin and Devils Gate at the mouth of Weber Canyon.
As the Academy grew, there was greater diversification of interests. At a general meeting on April 3, 1920, Dr. E. E. Ericksen suggested that the scope of the Academy be broadened to include papers on topics in the social sciences, pedogogy, and history and that the program be divided into appropriate sections. The matter was referred to the council. Apparently the idea was not well received for many more years elapsed before formal action was taken to expand the Academy as well as change its name and structure. In the meantime attempts of other groups to associate with the Academy of Sciences were evident. Milton Bennion, dean of the State College of Education at the University of Utah, suggested that the Friday evening session of the annual meeting to be held April 8-9, 1927, be devoted to a symposium on the subject "Problems of College Teaching." One can infer that there was considerable opposition to this for the request was later withdrawn.
At the council meeting on April 2, 1921, it was decided to hold an additional meeting of the Academy each year, preferably in the fall, since the annual meeting was held in the spring. Accordingly the first fall meeting was held at Ogden on November 25, 1921. Thirteen papers were given in two sessions. The second fall convention was held at L T tah State Agricultural College October 27-28, 1922. From these beginnings it became a regular feature to have two meetings per year. The annual meeting continued for several more years in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah while the fall meetings were held at either the Agricultural College at Logan, Brigham Young University at Provo, or Weber College in Ogden. When semi-annual meetings were established, the program was arranged so that the Friday evening meeting would be semipopular and of general appeal. The other sessions were largely technical.
In 1938 the tradition of the annual meeting at the University of Utah was broken, and a new procedure started of regular rotation of the annual meeting between the several universities and colleges of the state. Ultimately the determining factor of where the annual meeting was held became the institutional affiliation of the president of the Academy. This led to choosing the president-elect, with a few exceptions, from the institution where the meeting would take place.
Some years after the original Ericksen proposal, the idea of expanding the Academy was again broached. At the Nineteenth Annual Meeting April 3, 1926, Dean Milton Bennion asked if it were not possible to form separate divisions of the Academy, one for the natural sciences and another for the humanities. In the ensuing discussion the concensus was that the attendance would not justify this. One concession was made, however, that the papers be grouped according to different fields of interest. Dean Bennion was evidently persistent, for at the Twentieth Annual Meeting six papers in the field of education were given at the Friday evening session. At the subsequent fall meeting the number of papers was about normal — the usual number being about thirty. But at the Twenty-First Annual Meeting in 1928, the total number of papers given dropped to eight. Perhaps this was a reaction to education infiltrating a meeting of an Academy of Sciences!
The next development, according to the minutes of the council meeting on June 11, 1933, was when the general secretary, Yasco M. Tanner, proposed that the activities of the Academy be carried on under the leadership of the chairmen of several sections, namely, the Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Applied Sciences, Social Sciences, and Arts and Letters. A committee of two consisting of L. L. Daines and Lowery Nelson was selected to consider the matter further and make recommendations. They reported favorably suggesting at the same time the addition of "Arts and Letters" to the title of the society. Their rationale was that in a small state such as Utah, with potential membership in a scientific body being necessarily restricted and with limitations on resources particularly for research and publication, it was better to have one strong, diversified, statewide organization than numerous specialized societies. Accordingly in 1934 at the annual meeting, the name of the Utah Academy of Sciences was formally changed to the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. Only four divisions were established, however. They were the Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and Arts and Letters. Chairmen were chosen by the council to head each of the divisions to serve indefinite terms. Probably because of this drastic change and the necessity of strong leadership to get the new organization underway, all of the officers of the preceding year were re-elected. This is the only time in the history of the Academy that this has been done. Despite this reorganization the membership only increased from 125 to 150.
The council continued to consist of the officers and three additional members. The division chairmen selected by the council were not necessarily members of the council. In 1939-40 a change was made whereby the division chairmen were elected by the membership rather than appointed. Finally in 1945 constitutional amendments were passed making the divisional chairmen members of the council, each to serve two years. They were to have staggered terms, two being elected each year. A division could have one or more sections. The council representative for the division was empowered to appoint section chairmen either for the year or for each meeting.
About this time another move was made that strengthened the leadership of the Academy. The position of vice-president, who is elected by the membership, was changed, and he became not only the vice-president but the president-elect. This gave him a year in which to become oriented and plan his program. Furthermore, he remained on the council for one more year as immediate past-president to give the Academy the benefit of his experience. Other changes effected were for the secretarytreasurer to be selected by the council for a five-year term. These two moves made for continuity of leadership.
Having made the step of expanding the Academy, for the next few years the council wrestled with the twin problems of bringing the new groups into active participation in the Academy affairs and of having programs that would appeal to the varied interests now represented. At a meeting of the council on November 18, 1933, it was decided that at the next annual meeting, dramatic art and musical numbers should be featured in order to draw Utah artists into the arts and letters portions of the Academy. At another meeting on March 24, 1934, close cooperation was urged with the Utah Educational Association. Another suggestion was that a general topic should be selected on which to build a program. The theme was to be announced early so that the divisional chairmen could arrange a suitable program. Cooperation was urged between divisions. The two divisions that have worked together most closely throughout the years are the Social Sciences and Arts and Letters.
With grants from the National Science Foundation involving sizeable sums, it was felt desirable to incorporate the Academy. This was accomplished with the help of Calvin A. Behle, Salt Lake attorney, at the annual business meeting on April 16, 1960. The officers at that time were the incorporators. The structure of the Academy was preserved except that an additional member was added to the council, a member-at-large to be elected by the membership.
While the presidents have provided leadership during their yearly terms of office, much of the success of the society has been due to the dedicated service of those holding the office of secretary-treasurer. Their significant role has been touched on by Tanner.
Recognition of outstanding Utah scholars and leaders in the sciences and arts and letters was instituted in 1940. Two Distinguished Service
Awards are given, one for science and one for arts and letters. Recipients are individuals closely connected with intellectual development in Utah. They need not be members of the Academy, but members are given preferential consideration. They need not reside within the state at the time the award is made. Tradition has resulted in a rotational scheme whereby one year the award is made in the physical sciences and the next year in the biological sciences. Similarly the other award alternates between the social sciences and the humanities. Selections are made by a committee of five with staggered terms of five years each. During his last year the person retiring from the committee serves as chairman. Prospective recipients may be submitted by the membership but most nominations arise within the committee. The final selections of the committee must be approved by the council. The two awards each year are presented at the luncheon or banquet at the annual meeting. A biographical sketch detailing the accomplishments of the recipient is read at the time of presentation of the award. The accounts and pictures of the recipients are published subsequently in the Proceedings. Upon a few occasions awards have been made posthumously. In 1965 another type of award was instituted, a Meritorious Teaching Award. This award is presented annually to two high school teachers in the same general fields in which the Distinguished Service Awards are made.
In 1967 three additional awards were announced. The Willard Gardner Prize in the natural sciences was made possible by an endowment fund created by the family of Willard and Viola Hale Gardner. The Charles Redd Prize in the humanities and social studies is supported from an endowment fund established by the family of Charles and Annaley Naegley Redd. These prizes are to be awarded in recognition of some significant contribution in the sciences, or for the betterment of mankind, within the State of Utah during the five years preceding the award. The winners are chosen by a committee appointed by the officers of the Academy. The two awards are made alternately at such times as the committee identifies a contribution of merit and as the amount of the endowment fund permits disbursement of an amount in excess of $1,500. It is hoped that one award can be made annually. The third of these new awards is the recently instituted Academy Proceedings Award, to be given annually for the best paper contributed to the Proceedings during the academic year. This award is for not less than $500.00 and was also made possible through an endowment from the Charles and Annaley Naegley Redd family.
Serving as sort of a "super academy" of nationwide scope is the American Association for the Advancement of Science which was founded in 1848. State academies of science are invited to affiliate with the AAAS in which case they have representation on the council. In addition they may appoint a delegate to the Academy conference held each year. A small amount of the annual dues of each AAAS member in a state is routed back to state academies for grants to students for research projects. The AAAS has regional divisions with which the state academies also affiliate for regional meetings. The Utah Academy affiliated early in its existence with the Pacific Division of the AAAS and much later with the national organization. Notice of the latter move together with a brief history of the Utah Academy was presented by Tanner.
The Pacific Division of the AAAS expressed a desire to meet in Salt Lake City on June 22-24, 1922. After much debate the council decided that the Academy would accept the responsibility and so notified the AAAS and the University of Utah, the host institution and headquarters for the sessions. The Pacific Division of the AAAS decided to meet in Salt Lake City again in 1933. While the council decided not to assume prime responsibility for the meetings this time as it had done in 1922, it did actively participate in the program. The meetings were again held at the University of Utah. It was at this time that the Academy sponsored the symposium on "Scientific Problems of Great Salt Lake." For the third time the Pacific Division of the AAAS approached the Utah Academy about holding its annual meeting in Utah, suggesting June of 1942, for the Twenty-Sixth Annual Meeting. The Academy decided to accept responsibility to the extent that it would act as a coordinating agency between the Pacific Division and local cooperating groups. It was further decided that it would be most appropriate for the meetings to be held at the University of Utah. The theme selected for a symposium at the general divisional meeting was "The Great Basin, with Emphasis on Glacial and Postglacial Times." Outstanding scientists participated. The council decided to postpone the annual meeting of the Utah Academy for 1942 so as to meet with the AAAS. Accordingly on Monday evening June 15, the Academy held a general session for election of officers, election of members and fellows, and presentation of Academy awards, and the president's address by Reed W. Bailey. At the conclusion of this, several section meetings were held where numerous papers were given.
In 1950 the Utah Academy held its regular spring meeting in April but scheduled an additional session in conjunction with the AAAS which met at the University of Utah in mid-June.
In 1958 the Pacific Division of the AAAS met again in Utah, but this time at Logan where Utah State University was the host institution. Apparently the Utah Academy had little to do with the planning and did not even conduct a meeting of its own in conjunction with the larger meetings. The Academy did, however, serve as cosponsor with the Pacific Division of the divisional symposium held at the initial general session on Monday evening June 16. The symposium was on the "Cenozoic History of the Western United States—Geomorphic, Climatic, Geological." Ten years later, the Pacific Division of the AAAS held its Forty-Ninth Annual Meeting at Utah State University, Logan, June 24-29, 1968, but as before the Utah Academy did not participate actively.
The idea of sponsoring a junior academy was first advanced by the immediate past-president, Bertrand F. Harrison, at a meeting of the council in 1954. His suggestion was considered at length, favorably acted upon, and machinery set in motion under the president, Lincoln Ellison. It was the general feeling that sponsorship of a junior academy would be an effective way of furthering the Academy's objectives. It was decided to restrict it, at least initially, to a junior academy of science. In addition to the real need to stimulate interest in science among students of high school age, it was felt that several phases of arts and letters were already receiving attention locally by high schools through such activities as speech contests and music festivals. To expedite this new program, a junior academy committee was selected and Ellison agreed to serve as chairman. An initial meeting for both teachers and students was arranged at Utah State Agricultural College on February 16, 1955, to discuss the formation of the Junior Academy of Sciences. Plans were made for student participation in the spring meeting of the Utah Academy. Accordingly, at the annual meeting on May 13, twelve students from four high schools presented papers. Some were accompanied by demonstrations. This was in effect the first meeting of the Junior Academy. At the fall meeting of the Academy on November 19, 1955, at the University of Utah, a symposium was held on "How a Junior Academy Could Help the Teaching of Science in Secondary Schools." The second meeting of the Junior Academy was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Utah Academy at Brigham Young University on May 12, 1956. This was in the nature of a science fair organized by Bertrand F. Harrison. The third Junior Academy meeting was held at the time of the annual meeting of the Academy on May 4, 1957, at the University of Utah. Co-chairmen were Bertrand F. Harrison and Orson Whitney Young. Thirty-five students from high schools throughout the state presented projects. During the spring of 1957, Dr. I. Owen Horsfall suggested that a statewide mathematics contest might well be sponsored by the Junior Academy and this activity was launched under the chairmanship of Clarence R. Wylie, Jr., of the University of Utah. Competing initially were 149 students. Another move was to allocate funds received from the AAAS to meritorious students to assist them in science research projects.
At the business meeting of the Academy held on November 9, 1957, a constitutional amendment was passed creating the Junior Academy as a fifth division of the Utah Academy, with its appointed chairman to be a member of the council. Lincoln Ellison was selected as division chairman. Science fairs continued to be the most popular activity and indeed dominated the Junior Academy for many years.
In 1958 a music composition competition was started as an annual event. In 1960 the Junior Academy co-sponsored, with the Granite School District, an exhibition of the art work of high school students. Subsequent to an application made in 1959, the following year a sizeable grant was made to the Utah Academy by the National Science Foundation for a visiting scientist program. This was renewed each year through 1967. Under the direction of O. Whitney Young, an excellent program developed of sending specialists, as representatives of the Academy, to high schools throughout the state to stimulate interest in the various branches of science. In 1966 Dr. Young was succeeded by Lane A. Compton as director of the program. Although science reporting antedated the science fair by a year, it did not receive a great deal of attention until 1965 when a second type of grant from the National Science Foundation was obtained to enhance this aspect of science training and encourage individual research by high school students under the guidance of specialists. Director of this program was also Dr. Compton. This program is still in operation at the date of this writing.
The strength of a scientific society is reflected largely in its publications and it is to the credit of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters that it has a journal of fairly long duration and continuity. However, the Proceedings of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters has not realized its full potential; it has been a constant struggle to keep the publication alive, let alone expand it. The principal trouble has been lack of adequate finances. As of the date of this writing, forty-four volumes have appeared together with a Cumulative Index through Volume XXXV.
Policy on publications has vascillated through the years. Soon after the expansion of the Academy to include arts and letters as well as science, a proposal came to the council at its meeting in 1933, that the Academy publish an Anthology of Utah Verse. It was decided to make a contribution to the extent of $100.00. A second venture of this sort came in 1939 when the council authorized publication of a memorial volume of poems and articles by Harrison R. Merrill entitled Utah Sings. This had been prepared in collaboration with Elsie Talmage Brandley. The work met with such favorable response that a second edition was published. About 1939 two publications per year were authorized. One was to be the annual Proceedings and in addition one or more mimeographed publications. Precisely what resulted in the last regard is obscure but two items have come to the writer's attention. Neither bears a date of issue or any identification of miscellaneous papers. One was a report by the late Elmer R. Smith on the Negro in Utah. The other is a humanities symposium. In recent years other miscellaneous publications have appeared. The symposium on "Conservation of Natural Resources in Utah," presented at the spring meeting in 1948, was reprinted and issued as a separate publication. To commemorate the semi-centennial anniversary of the Academy there was published in 1958 a booklet entitled Fifty Years of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. This was prepared under the direction of I. O. Horsfall. It contains some history of the Academy but is devoted in large part to Junior Academy activities and the program of the Fiftieth Anniversary Meeting.
In 1940 the Academy published a Newsletter but it was allowed to lapse. It was revived in 1958, and has continued to date. For awhile it was an interim Newsletter appearing sometime during the summer between spring and fall meetings but of late it has been appearing in March and October to announce the spring and fall meetings. Council activities, news items, committee activities, and other items are also reported.
A number of independent societies find it convenient to meet in connection with the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters and coordinate their activities with those of the appropriate section. Perhaps the closest working relationship was that of the Geological Society of Utah and the Geology Section of the Physical and Earth Sciences and Mathematics Division of the Academy. For many years the president of the Geological Society served as chairman of the Geology Section and the meetings of the two organizations were as one. The Utah Library Association meets regularly as a section of the Arts and Letters Division. The Archaeological Society of Utah and the Utah Genetics Society occasionally meet in conjunction with the Utah Academy.
From this historical resume it is evident that the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters has long been and continues to be an important
factor in the intellectual life of the state. The Academy is somewhat unique in that its organization encompasses the arts and letters in addition to science. This feature at once constitutes both the strength and weakness of the society. Its strength is that it brings together scholars from all educational institutions and disciplines in the state. Furthermore it effects a liaison between scientists in academic circles and industry. The tradition of rotating meeting places and officers from different fields and institutions transcends institutional rivalries. The weakness is that with such a diffuse coverage there is by and large no great loyalty engendered. This statement must be qualified, however, for there is more interest in the Academy in some areas than others. For instance, with the sciences, the biological scientists have from the very beginning constituted the backbone of the organization. The geologists have been active supporters through the years. The physicists and chemists in contrast have afforded comparatively poor support until late years. Except for one brief period those in the medical sciences have not been active in Academy affairs.
This apathy may be not so much a mark of failure of the Utah Academy as it is a sign of the times, for it conforms to the pattern of academies elsewhere in the country. The probable explanation is that this is a day of specialization. There are hundreds of professional societies, each holding annual meetings, publishing journals, and drawing the primary loyalties of specialists in the field. Furthermore this is a day of easy and rapid travel with funds available to attend meetings afar. Consequently the state academy is regarded in many circles merely as a place for graduate students to gain experience in presenting papers. Some go so far as to argue that the day of the state academy is over; that little worthwhile is accomplished at this level. The other side of the argument is that specialization has proceeded so far that it is now more desirable than ever before, that people in different disciplines associate with and communicate with their colleagues in other fields and thereby broaden their horizons and forge common goals.
The Utah Academy seems to have maintained its momentum through the years fairly well, indeed better in the writer's opinion than most academies. With dedicated leadership and a dynamic program the Academy will doubtless continue to grow. In its second fifty years there should be far greater strides than during the first half century of activities. There is much solid ground of accomplishment, tradition, and effective organization to build on.
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