 Historical Astronomy Division |
 |
Dates: September 7-9, 1941
Place: Yerkes Observatory, Williams Bay, Wisconsin
Number of Members in Attendance: 136 Total; 21 Female; 115 Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 19 Total; 4 Female; 15 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: 46
Officers:
President, Joel Stebbins 1940-1943
Vice-President, H.R. Morgan 1940-1942
Vice-President, Otto Struve 1941-1943
Secretary, Dean B. Mclaughlin 1941-1942
Treasurer, Keivin Burns 1941-1942
Councilors, Christian T. Elvey 1939-1942, Charles H. Smiley 1939-1942, Georg Van Biesbroeck 1939-1942, Charlotte Moore Sitterly 1940-1943, J.A. Pearce 1940-1943, H.M. Jeffers 1940-1943, S.B. Nicholson 1941-1944, W.W. Morgan 1941-1944, and F.L. Whipple 1941-1944.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: Mr. Jan Schilt was selected to be the Society's member on the Division of Physical Sciences on the National Research Council. Mr. James Stokley was selected as the Society's representative on the American Documentation Institute, Mr. Frederick Slocum, a representative at the Centennial Celebration of Fordham University, and Messrs. Henry Norris Russell and Joel Stebbins, representatives of the Society at the University of Chicago's semi-centennial celebration.
New Committees: Committee on Policy, composed of Charles H. Smiley, Chair, H.R. Morgan, and D.H. Menzel; Committee on Publications, composed of Joel Stebbins, Dean B. Mclaughlin, Dirk Brouwer, H.R. Morgan, and Henry Norris Russell; Committee on the Interests of Young Astronomers, Composed of C.D. Shane, Chair, R.C. Williams, and F.L. Whipple.
Old Committees: Committee on Publications ??
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Sixty-sixth Meeting of the AAS was held at the Yerkes Observatory, Williams Bay, Wisconsin, from Sunday to Tuesday, September 7-9, 1941, at the invitation of Dr. Otto Struve, Director of the Yerkes Observatory. Living accommodations were furnished by the George Williams College Camp on Lake Geneva, directly below the Observatory, and sessions for scientific papers were held in the basement beneath the rising floor of the 40-inch dome. The Council held two meetings of its own at which it approved in principle the proposal that the Society take over the publication of the Astronomical Journal, and that Dirk Brouwer be appointed its Editor. As reported above, a Committee was formed to act in the transfer of ownership of the Astronomical Journal from the Dudley Observatory to the Society, and to formulate the general policy of the Society in regard to journals and publications. The Council also approved the proposed collaboration with the Astrophysical Journal, whereby the Society would appoint the collaborating Editors of that journal and the members would be offered a reduced rate of subscription. The meeting of the Society was followed by a three-day symposium on astronomical spectra, under the auspices of the Yerkes Observatory, as part of the program of the semi-centennial celebration of the University of Chicago. A large fraction of the members and their guests, who attended the Society Meeting, attended this symposium as well.
Dates: December 28-30, 1941
Place: Cleveland, Ohio
Number of Members in Attendance: 91 Total; 16 Female; 75 Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 3 Total; 0 Female; 3 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: 27
Officers:
President, Joel Stebbins 1940-1943
Vice-President, H.R. Morgan 1940-1942
Vice-President, Otto Struve 1941-1943
Secretary, Dean B. Mclaughlin 1941-1942
Treasurer, Keivin Burns 1941-1942
Councilors, Christian T. Elvey 1939-1942, Charles H. Smiley 1939-1942, Georg Van Biesbroeck 1939-1942, Charlotte Moore Sitterly 1940-1943, J.A. Pearce 1940-1943, H.M. Jeffers 1940-1943, S.B. Nicholson 1941-1944, W.W. Morgan 1941-1944, and F.L. Whipple 1941-1944.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: None
New Committees: None
Old Committees: Publication Committee
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Sixty-seventh Meeting of the AAS was held at Cleveland, Ohio, from Sunday to Tuesday, December 28-30, 1941, at the invitation of Professor J.J. Nassau, Director of the Warner and Swasey Observatory of the Case School of Applied Science. Headquarters were at the Wade Park Manor, a residential hotel in the University Circle District. A conference of teachers of astronomy was held Sunday evening in the Ball Room of the Hotel. Dr. Frederick Slocum delivered a lecture on "Stellar Distances." after the lecture, Major O.E. Henderson spoke of the need for aerial navigators, and of the role astronomers could play in instruction. Three sessions for papers were held in the Ball Room of the Wade Park Manor on Monday morning and afternoon, and Tuesday afternoon. On Tuesday morning, a session at the Warner and Swasey Observatory was devoted to a symposium on the schmidt-type telescope and its work. Monday evening, Dr. Harlow Shapley delivered a public lecture in Severance Hall on "Galactic Explorations with the Newer Telescopes," which was well attended. The Council held meetings Sunday and Monday afternoons. Probably the Most important actions taken were the adoption of recommendations concerning the administration of the Astronomical Journal, recently acquired by the Society, and the ratification of the affiliation between the Society and the Astrophysical Journal. Special subscription rates to Society members were approved. The meeting came to an end at the Society Dinner, which was held Tuesday evening in the Ball Room of the Wade Park Manor.
Dates: June 12-14, 1942
Place: New Haven, Connecticut
Number of Members in Attendance: 88 Total; 22 Female; 66 Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 12 Total; 2 Female; 10 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: 28
Officers:
President, Joel Stebbins 1940-1943
Vice-President, Otto Struve 1941-1943
Vice-President, J.H. Moore 1942-1944
Secretary, D.B. Mclaughlin 1942-1943
Treasurer, Keivin Burns 1942-1943
Councilors, Charlotte Moore Sitterly 1940-1943, J.A. Pearce 1940-1943, H.M. Jeffers 1940-1943, S.B. Nicholson 1941-1944, W.W. Morgan 1941-1944, F.L. Whipple 1941-1944, W.J. Eckert 1942-1945, F.A. Fath 1942-1945, and B.J. Bok 1942-1945.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: None
New Committees: Teachers' Committee, composed of Alice H. Farnsworth, Chair, Marjorie Williams, J.J. Nassau, and C.C. Wylie.
Old Committees: Publication Committee
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Sixty-eight Meeting of the AAS was held at New Haven, Connecticut, from Friday to Sunday, June 12-14, 1942, on the invitation of Yale University and of Dr. Dirk Brouwer, Director of the Yale University Observatory. Most members stayed at the Hotel Taft, across from the New Haven green and the Yale Campus. Sessions for papers were held in the auditorium of the Sterling Law Building. A teachers' conference was held Friday morning on the general topic of "The Teaching of Navigation." Charts and equipment for use in navigation classes were exhibited; Drs. J.Q. Stewart and N.L. Pierce led the discussion. On Friday evening, Dr. W.J. Eckert, Director of the Nautical Almanac Office, gave an instructive lecture on "The Construction of the Air Almanac." The Council held meetings Friday morning and Saturday afternoon. One important action was the approval of recommendations of the Committee on Publications concerning the policy and procedure in regard to the publication of future reports of Society meetings, and the discontinuance of Publications of the American Astronomical Society as such. Beginning with the Seventieth Meeting, the abstracts of papers and reports of observatories will be published in the Astronomical Journal. General accounts of meetings of the Society will be published in Popular Astronomy. Another important action taken by the Council Was the giving of official status to the Teachers' Committee. The meeting ended after a splendid Society dinner, held Saturday evening at Wilcox's Restaurant beside the bay at West Haven.
Dates: December 28-30, 1942
Place: Evanston, Illinois
Number of Members in Attendance: 28 Total; 2 Female; 26 Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 6 Total; 0 Female; 6 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: 34
Officers:
President, Joel Stebbins 1940-1943
Vice-President, Otto Struve 1941-1943
Vice-President, J.H. Moore 1942-1944
Secretary, D.B. Mclaughlin 1942-1943
Treasurer, Keivin Burns 1942-1943
Councilors, Charlotte Moore Sitterly 1940-1943, J.A. Pearce 1940-1943, H.M. Jeffers 1940-1943, S.B. Nicholson 1941-1944, W.W. Morgan 1941-1944, F.L. Whipple 1941-1944, W.J. Eckert 1942-1945, F.A. Fath 1942-1945, and B.J. Bok 1942-1945.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: None
New Committees: None
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Sixty-ninth Meeting of the AAS was held at Evanston, Illinois, Monday to Wednesday, December 28-30, 1942, on the invitation of Dr. Oliver J. Lee, Director of the Dearborn Observatory of Northwestern University. Most of the Members and their guests stayed at Zeta Tau Alpha House, which also served as headquarters for the meeting. Sessions for papers were held Tuesday morning and afternoon. On Wednesday morning, a symposium was held on "Science Courses in the War Effort;" invited speakers were Fred Fagg, Vice-President of Northwestern University, Professor G. Donald Hudson, of the Department of Geography, Commander S.D.A. Cobb, of the Department of Naval Science and Tactics, and Mr. E.L. Edmondson, Director of Aeronautics and Co-ordinator of C.A.A. War Training Service. Several members took part in the discussion which followed; among these were Drs. O.J. Lee and Newton L. Pierce. The Society Dinner was held on Tuesday evening at the Vera Megowen Tea Room.
Dates: May 28-30, 1943
Place: Harvard College Observatory, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Number of Members in Attendance: 72 Total; 22 Female; 50 Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 4 Total; 1 Female; 3 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: 19
Officers:
President, Harlow Shapley 1943-1946
Vice-President, J.H. Moore 1942-1944
Vice-President, Robert R. Mcmath 1943-1945
Secretary, Dean B. Mclaughlin 1943-1944
Treasurer, Keivin Burns 1943-1944
Councilors, S.B. Nicholson 1941-1944, W.W. Morgan 1941-1944, F.L. Whipple 1941-1944, W.J. Eckert 1942-1945, F.A. Fath 1942-1945, B.J. Bok 1942-1945, Harold D. Babcock 1943-1946, Dirk Brouwer 1943-1946, and J.J. Nassau 1943-1946.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: Mr. E.P. Hubble was selected to be the Society's Member on the Division of Physical Sciences of the National Research Council.
New Committees: None
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Seventieth Meeting of the AAS took place from Friday to Sunday, May 28-30, 1943, at the Harvard College Observatory, Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the invitation of Dr. Harlow Shapley, Director. Headquarters for the meeting were at the Commander Hotel, about a five-minute walk from the Observatory. All sessions were held in the library-auditorium of Building D of the Observatory. A teachers' conference was conducted Friday evening, at which Dr. Joel Stebbins spoke on "Copernicus and the Modern Revolution," and Dr. Charles H. Smiley on "Emergency Navigation with Limited Equipment." The Society Dinner took place Saturday evening at the Harvard Faculty Club. An important matter to raise here is that resumes of all meetings up to the Seventieth have been published in Publications of the American Astronomical Society, volumes 1 to 10 inclusive. This publication will cease with volume 10. Henceforth, accounts of meetings from the Seventy-first onwards will be published in Popular Astronomy.
Dates: November 5-7, 1943
Place: Cincinnati Observatory, Cincinnati, Ohio
Number of Members in Attendance: ?? Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 5 Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: ??
Officers:
President, Harlow Shapley 1943-1946
Vice-President, J.H. Moore 1942-1944
Vice-President, Robert R. Mcmath 1943-1945
Secretary, Dean B. Mclaughlin 1943-1944
Treasurer, Keivin Burns 1943-1944
Councilors, S.B. Nicholson 1941-1944, W.W. Morgan 1941-1944, F.L. Whipple 1941-1944, W.J. Eckert 1942-1945, F.A. Fath 1942-1945, B.J. Bok 1942-1945, Harold D. Babcock 1943-1946, Dirk Brouwer 1943-1946, and J.J. Nassau 1943-1946.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: None
New Committees: None
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): Sir Harold Spencer Jones, the Astronomer Royal of England.
Notes of Interest: The Seventy-first Meeting of the AAS took place from Friday to Sunday, November 5-7, 1943, at the invitation of Dr. Elliot Smith. Before the Society could meet, however, Dr. Smith passed away, and his place was ably filled by Dr. Everett I. Yowell, the recently retired Director of the Cincinnati Observatory. It was at this meeting that Raymond Walters, the President of the University of Cincinnati, announced the appointment of Dr. Paul Herget as Director of the Cincinnati Observatory. On Saturday afternoon, November 6, Dr. Joel Stebbins delivered his retiring presidential address on "The Law of Diminishing Returns;" this was immediately followed by symposium on "Dwarf Stars and Planet-like Companions." Council decisions of note were the awarding of the Annie J. Cannon Prize to Miss Antonia C. Maury, and keeping the format of the Astronomical Journal the same as the Physical Review.
Dates: June 28-29, 1944
Place: Hall of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Number of Members in Attendance: 88 Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 14 Total; 5 Female; 9 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: 24
Officers:
President, Harlow Shapley 1943-1946
Vice-President, Robert R. Mcmath 1943-1945
Vice-President, J.A. Pearce 1944-1946
Secretary, D.B. Mclaughlin 1944-1945
Treasurer, Keivin Burns 1944-1945
Councilors, W.J. Eckert 1942-1945, F.A. Fath 1942-1945, B.J. Bok 1942-1945, Harold D. Babcock 1943-1946, Dirk Brouwer 1943-1946, J.J. Nassau 1943-1946, John S. Hall 1944-1947, N.U. Mayall 1944-1947, and Peter Van De Kamp 1944-1947.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: Mr. John C. Duncan was elected a member of the Division of Physical Sciences of the National Research Council to represent the AAS.
New Committees: None
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Seventy-second Meeting of the AAS took place on Wednesday and Thursday, June 28-29, 1944, in the Hall of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The headquarters of the meeting was at the Hotel Benjamin Franklin, and during its course visits were made to Benjamin Franklin's Grave, the Betsy Ross House, and Independence Hall. On Wednesday afternoon, after the Business Meeting concluded and a few technical papers were presented, the session was then turned over to a teacher's conference which concentrated on two main themes - the teaching of navigation, and what sort of astronomy should be taught in post-war liberal arts colleges. After the Society Dinner later that night, members and their guests repaired to the Fels Planetarium, where an impressive demonstration had been arranged. Towards the end of the meeting, directions were given for transportation to the main observatories in the area, namely, Flower, Cook, Sproul, and Haverford - in an age of gasoline rationing and "A" books, probably few, if any, visited all four.
Dates: June 8, 1945
Place: Harvard College Observatory, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Number of Members in Attendance: 39 Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: ?? Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: 0
Officers:
President, Harlow Shapley 1943-1946
Vice-President, J.A. Pearce 1944-1946
Vice-President, Alfred H. Joy 1945-1947
Secretary, Dean B. Mclaughlin 1945-1946
Treasurer, Keivin Burns 1945-1946
Councilors, Harold D. Babcock 1943-1946, Dirk Brouwer 1943-1946, J.J. Nassau 1943-1946, John S. Hall 1944-1947, N.U. Mayall 1944-1947, Peter Van De Kamp 1944-1947, N.T. Bobrovnikoff 1945-1948, A.D. Maxwell 1945-1948, and R.M. Petrie 1945-1948.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: None
New Committees: Russell Committee (To solicit funds for the Russell Lectureship), consisting of Harlow Shapley, Chair, Walter S. Adams, Joseph C. Boyce, Theodore Dunham Jr., Luther P. Eisenhart, Charles A. Federer, Alfred H. Joy, Dean B. Mclaughlin, W.F. Meggers, Charlotte Moore Sitterly, and Percy Witherell.
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Seventy-third Meeting of the AAS was held on Friday, June 8, 1945, at the Harvard College Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The records are not entirely clear on this point, but it seems that this gathering consisted of a single business meeting - no scientific sessions took place - probably because of war-time travel restrictions. Even so, as mentioned above, the Russell Lectureship Committee was established.
Dates: February 1-2, 1946
Place: Columbia University, New York, New York
Number of Members in Attendance: 147 Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: ?? Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: 42
Officers:
President, Harlow Shapley 1943-1946
Vice-President, J.A. Pearce 1944-1946
Vice-President, Alfred H. Joy 1945-1947
Secretary, Dean B. Mclaughlin 1945-1946
Treasurer, Keivin Burns 1945-1946
Councilors, Harold D. Babcock 1943-1946, Dirk Brouwer 1943-1946, J.J. Nassau 1943-1946, John S. Hall 1944-1947, N.U. Mayall 1944-1947, Peter Van De Kamp 1944-1947, N.T. Bobrovnikoff 1945-1948, A.D. Maxwell 1945-1948, and R.M. Petrie 1945-1948.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates:
New Committees: Foreign Aid Committee
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Seventy-fourth Meeting of the AAS took place on Friday and Saturday, February 1-2, 1946, at Columbia University in New York City at the invitation of Dr. Jan Schilt. There were four sessions devoted to papers, one to a symposium on double stars carried over from the previous meeting, and one to a teachers' conference. A session of the Executive Committee of the American Section of the International Astronomical Union was held Friday afternoon, and questions pertaining to the forthcoming Copenhagen Conference of the Executive Committee of the Union were discussed. Following this, the teachers' conference took place under the chairmanship of Professor Marjorie Williams. The Society Dinner was held that night at the Men's Faculty Club. Just before dinner, the Mexican Ambassador, His Excellency Sr. Antonio Espinosa De Los Monteros, acting for the President of Mexico, Avila Camacho, presented the Order of the Aztec Eagle to Dr. Henry Norris Russell. At the conclusion of the ceremony, waiters brought in trays of cocktails, which were quickly consumed. It was later discovered that the cocktails had been brought in by mistake, and that they were really intended for a group of engineers next door. The Saturday session was devoted entirely to the double star symposium, as noted above. The meeting ended late Saturday afternoon, the program of papers was rushed towards the end, and a general wish was expressed that the atmosphere of future meetings would be less hectic, possibly going back to three day meetings.
Dates: September 8-11, 1946
Place: University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
Number of Members in Attendance: ?? Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 13 Total; 4 Female; 9 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: about 40
Officers:
President, Otto Struve 1946-1949
Vice-President, Alfred H. Joy 1945-1947
Vice-President, Donald H. Menzel 1946-1948
Secretary, C.M. Huffer 1946-1947
Treasurer, J.J. Nassau 1946-1947
Councilors, John S. Hall 1944-1947, N.U. Mayall 1944-1947, Peter Van De Kamp 1944-1947, N.T. Bobrovnikoff 1945-1948, A.D. Maxwell 1945-1948, R.M. Petrie 1945-1948, H.L. Alden 1946-1949, Ida Barney 1946-1949, and O.C. Wilson 1946-1949.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: None
New Committees: None
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Seventy-fifth Meeting of the AAS took place from Sunday to Wednesday, September 8-11, 1946. At the invitation of Dr. Joel Stebbins. The dates were set after it became certain that the men's dormitories on Lake Mendota would be available. All the scientific sessions were held in the Play Center of the Wisconsin Union. A vote of thanks by acclimation was given Dr. Keivin Burns for his five years of service as Treasurer of the Society. Similarly, a vote of thanks was extended to Dr. Dean B. Mclaughlin for his seven years as Society Secretary. His advice, expressed at the conclusion of the Seventy-fourth Meeting, That the Society should go back to three day meetings was substantiated at the Seventy-fifth - the sessions gave one the impression of freedom from hurry.
Dates: December 27-30, 1946
Place: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Number of Members in Attendance: ?? Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 15 Total; 2 Female; 13 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: ??
Officers:
President, Otto Struve 1946-1949
Vice-President, Alfred H. Joy 1945-1947
Vice-President, Donald H. Menzel 1946-1948
Secretary, C.M. Huffer 1946-1947
Treasurer, J.J. Nassau 1946-1947
Councilors, John S. Hall 1944-1947, N.U. Mayall 1944-1947, Peter Van De Kamp 1944-1947, N.T. Bobrovnikoff 1945-1948, A.D. Maxwell 1945-1948, R.M. Petrie 1945-1948, H.L. Alden 1946-1949, Ida Barney 1946-1949, and O.C. Wilson 1946-1949.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates:
New Committees: None
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: AAAS
Honorary Member(s): Dr. Megh Nad Saha of Calcutta, India, Professor Gavrill A. Tikhov of Russia, Professor Bertil Linblad, Upsala, Sweden, Dr. Jan Oort, Leyden, Netherlands, Professor E.a. Milne, Oxford, England, and Dr. Bernard Lyot of France.
Notes of Interest: The Seventy-sixth Meeting of the AAS was held on December 27-30, 1946, Friday to Monday, in Cambridge, Massachusetts in conjunction with the AAAS, and in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Harvard College Observatory on its present site. Because of the Centennial Celebration, a special kind of program had been arranged with four symposia on interstellar matter, electronic and computational devices, eclipsing binaries, and the gaseous envelope of the earth. This meeting also made astronomical history because Henry Norris Russell Himself gave the first Russell Lecture on "A Study of Eclipsing Binaries." Harvard University was the recipient of a portrait of Harlow Shapley commemorating 25 years of his directorship of the Harvard College Observatory. The Society Dinner was held at the Continental Hotel Sunday evening, followed by a joint meeting with Sigma Xi at the Sanders Theater, where Dr. Shapley gave his lecture as retiring President of the AAS and Xmas Lecturer of Sigma Xi. After dinner, the Society President, Dr. Otto Struve, announced the election of six honorary members, as noted above, and presented the fifth Annie J. Cannon Prize to Mrs. Emma Williams Vyssotsky. Because of ill-health, Mrs. Vyssotsky was unable to receive the prize in person - her husband accepted the award for her.
Dates: September 3-6, 1947
Place: Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
Number of Members in Attendance: ?? Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: ?? Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: 50
Officers:
President, Otto Struve 1946-1949
Vice-President, Donald H. Menzel 1946-1948
Vice-President, Paul W. Merrill 1947-1949
Secretary, C.M. Huffer 1947-1948
Treasurer, J.J. Nassau 1947-1948
Councilors, N.T. Bobrovnikoff 1945-1948, A.D. Maxwell 1945-1948, R.M. Petrie 1945-1948, H.L. Alden 1946-1949, Ida Barney 1946-1949, O.C.wilson 1946-1949, C.D. Shane 1947-1950, J.L. Greenstein 1947-1950, and P.M. Millman 1947-1950.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: Mr. B.K. Bok was elected a member of the Division of Physical Sciences of the National Research Council for the term 1947-1950.
New Committees: None
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): Professor V. Ambartzumian of Leningrad, Ussr.
Notes of Interest: The Seventy-seventh Meeting of the AAS was held on September 3-6, 1947, Wednesday to Saturday, at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The Council accepted a gift of $3000 from Jessie Stevenson Kovalenko in memory to his wife. The Council also elected V. Ambartzumian to honorary membership, as noted above, and announced that Walter S. Adams had been chosen as the next Russell Lecturer. The remainder of Thursday afternoon, September 4, 1947, was devoted to a symposium on "Stellar Atmospheres", consisting of papers by Messrs. Bengt Stromgren, P.C. Keenan, Otto Struve, Lawrence Aller, Andrew Mckellar, and Alfred H. Joy. On Friday afternoon, a teachers' conference was held with Dr. J. Allen Hynek presiding. The teaching of celestial mechanics and the computation of orbits was stressed. On Saturday morning, members and their guests travelled to the Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, by private car and bus to more fittingly celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Yerkes Observatory as well as the AAS. During the proceedings at Yerkes, Dr. Joel Stebbins, Director of the Washburn Observatory and for many years Secretary of the AAS, was called upon to present a special paper he had prepared pertinent to the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the AAS. After luncheon, which was served at the George Williams College Camp on Lake Geneva, the meeting was formally closed.
Dates: December 28-31, 1947
Place: Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Number of Members in Attendance: ?? Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 30 Total; 5 Female; 25 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: 51
Officers:
President, Otto Struve 1946-1949
Vice-President, Donald H. Menzel 1946-1948
Vice-President, Paul W. Merrill 1947-1949
Secretary, C.M. Huffer 1947-1948
Treasurer, J.J. Nassau 1947-1948
Councilors, N.T. Bobrovnikoff 1945-1948, A.D. Maxwell 1945-1948, R.M. Petrie 1945-1948, H.L. Alden 1946-1949, Ida Barney 1946-1949, O.C.wilson 1946-1949, C.D. Shane 1947-1950, J.L. Greenstein 1947-1950, and P.M. Millman 1947-1950.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: None
New Committees: None
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Seventy-eighth Meeting of the AAS was held Sunday to Wednesday, December 28-31, 1947, at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, upon the invitation of Dr. J. Allen Hynek. Members and guests were comfortably housed and dined in Neil Hall, a large dormitory for women on campus. The sessions were held in the Social Administration Building. The only item of business which was transacted was the adoption of a revised schedule of life-membership fees. On Monday evening, the second Henry Norris Russell Lecture was given by Dr. Walter S. Adams, Emeritus Director of the Mount Wilson Observatory, who spoke on "Gaseous Clouds in Interstellar Space." Tuesday was the day set aside for a visit to the Perkins Observatory at the invitation of its Director, Dr. N.T. Bobrovnikoff. In three chartered buses and several private automobiles, the entire group of members and guests were transported some 20 miles north to an all-day symposium on "The Relation Between Spectral Characteristics and Motions of Stars." The Society Dinner was held at the Faculty Club, followed by the usual speeches. The final session took place the next morning, at the end of which Dr. Struve Declared the meeting closed.
Dates: June 28, 1948 - July 1, 1948
Place: Pasadena, California
Number of Members in Attendance: More than 150; ??Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 34 Total; 2 Female; 32 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: More than 70
Officers:
President, Otto Struve 1946-1949
Vice-President, Paul W. Merrill 1947-1949
Vice-President, Fred Whipple 1948-1950
Secretary, C.M. Huffer 1948-1949
Treasurer, J.J. Nassau 1948-1949
Councilors, H.L. Alden 1946-1949, Ida Barney 1946-1949, O.C. Wilson 1946-1949, C.D. Shane 1947-1950, J.L. Greenstein 1947-1950, P.M. Millman 1947-1950, Lyman Spitzer Jr. 1948-1951, Leo Golberg 1948-1951, and G.E. Kron.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: None
New Committees: None
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: Astronomical Society of the Pacific (Asp)
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Seventy-ninth Meeting of the AAS was held Monday to Thursday, June 28 - July 1, 1948 in Pasadena, California, in association with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP). On Monday evening, at the invitation of the Director, Dinsmore Alter, several hundred people received a breath-taking exhibition at the Griffith Planetarium. Tuesday afternoon was devoted to an excursion to Mount Wilson. The Society Dinner was held at the Athenaeum Club on the campus of the California Institute of Technology. At the conclusion of this meal, the President of the AAS, Dr. Otto Struve, spoke of the serious deficiency in funds for publication, and was able to announce two substantial gifts to the Society, One from Mr. L.E. Peterson of Milwaukee, and the other from a Mr. Sullivan of Indianapolis. The climax of the meeting was the visit to Palomar Observatory on Thursday. All were struck by the enormous size of the dome, the telescope, and by the instrumental accessories. A short program was conducted on the floor of the dome, presided over by the Director of the Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories, Dr. Ira Bowen, at which Dr. John A. Anderson described the making of the mirror and other optical parts, and Dr. Bruce H. Rule told about the mechanical problems encountered and how they were solved. The meeting ended on likely programs to be undertaken by the 200-inch telescope.
Dates: December 28-31, 1948
Place: Yale University Observatory, New Haven, Connecticut
Number of Members in Attendance: 180 Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 15 Total; 1 Female; 14 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: ??
Officers:
President, Otto Struve 1946-1949
Vice-President, Paul W. Merrill 1947-1949
Vice-President, Fred Whipple 1948-1950
Secretary, C.M. Huffer 1948-1949
Treasurer, J.J. Nassau 1948-1949
Councilors, H.L. Alden 1946-1949, Ida Barney 1946-1949, O.C. Wilson 1946-1949, C.D. Shane 1947-1950, J.L. Greenstein 1947-1950, P.M. Millman 1947-1950, Lyman Spitzer Jr. 1948-1951, Leo Goldberg 1948-1951, and G.E. Kron 1948-1951.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: None
New Committees: None
Old Committees: Teachers' Committee additional members: Freeman Miller, Chair, Thornton Page, Victor Goedicke, John Streeter, and Fred Whipple.
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): Bengt Stromgren (resigned as Honorary Member to stand for 1952 Elections)
Notes of Interest: At the invitation of Professor Dirk Brouwer, the Eightieth Meeting of the AAS was held on December 28-31, 1948, Tuesday to Friday, at the Yale University Observatory in New Haven, Connecticut. Members and their guests Stayed in Timothy Dwight College, a dormitory unit of Yale University; scientific papers were presented in W.L. Harkness Hall. This was the first meeting at which parallel sessions were held. On Thursday morning, one session was devoted to spectroscopy, while another dealt with general subjects. That afternoon, there were three invited papers on micro-wave astronomy and, at the same time, a teachers' conference on the astronomy curriculum in american colleges and universities. As Mentioned above, the following members have been added to the Teachers' Committee: Freeman Miller, Chair, Thornton Page, Victor Goedicke, John Streeter, and Fred Whipple. In a closing speech after the Society Dinner, Dr. Otto Struve announced that the next Russell Lecturer was to be Professor S. Chandrasekhar.
Dates: June 19-23, 1949
Place: Dominion Observatory, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Number of Members in Attendance: 147 Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 9 Total; 1 Female; 8 Male
Total Membership: 675
Number of Papers Presented: 60
Officers:
President, Alfred H. Joy 1949-1952
Vice-President, Fred Whipple 1948-1950
Vice-President, Dirk Brouwer 1949-1951
Secretary, C.M. Huffer 1949-1950
Treasurer, J.J. Nassau 1949-1950
Councilors, C.D. Shane 1947-1950, J.L. Greenstein 1947-1950, P.M. Millman
1947-1950, Lyman Spitzer Jr. 1948-1951, Leo Goldberg 1948-1951, G.E. Kron 1948-1951, G.M. Clemence 1949-1952, G.P. Kuiper 1949-1952, and Andrew Mckellar 1949-1952.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: None
New Committees: Constitution Committee (To revive an amendment to the Constitution), consisting of Messrs. Harlow Shapley, Alfred H. Joy, and C.M. Huffer.
Old Committees: Teachers' Committee - Addition of Dr. Fletcher Watson.
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): A. Kopff, Heidelberg, Germany
Notes of Interest: At the invitation of Professor C.S. Beals, the Eighty-first Meeting of the AAS was held at the Dominion Observatory, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from June 19-23, 1949, Sunday to Thursday. Members and their guests were housed in the Lord Elgin Hotel, and scientific sessions were held in the auditorium of the National Research Council. On Tuesday afternoon, there was a symposium on meteoric astronomy featuring invited papers by Messrs. Charles P. Olivier, Peter M. Millman, L.A. Manning and Oswald G. Villard, D.W.R. Mckinley, and Fred L. Whipple. The main event of the meeting was the third Russell Lecture given in the auditorium of Victoria Memorial Museum by Dr. S. Chandrasekhar on "Turbulence - a Physical Theory of Astrophysical Interest." A special committee to revive a proposed amendment to the Constitution, which had failed earlier in the day, was formed consisting of Messrs. Harlow Shapley, Alfred H. Joy, and C.M. Huffer. An amendment to the By-laws to increase the annual membership fee from three dollars to five dollars passed without opposition. As mentioned above, Dr. Fletcher Watson was added to the Teachers' Committee. At the last session, an ovation was given to Dr. Otto Struve for his monumental efforts as President of the AAS. The meeting concluded Thursday evening with the Society Dinner at the Chateau Laurier Hotel. Three tours were arranged the following morning for those who had the time and wished to take advantage: one, to the Bureau of Mines, two, to the Radio Field Station of the National Research Council, and, three, to the Mechanical Engineering Laboratories of the National Research Council.
Dates: December 28-31, 1949
Place: Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
Number of Members in Attendance: ?? Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 27 Total; 3 Female; 24 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: ??
Officers:
President, Alfred H. Joy 1949-1952
Vice-President, Fred Whipple 1948-1950
Vice-President, Dirk Brouwer 1949-1951
Secretary, C.M. Huffer 1949-1950
Treasurer, J.J. Nassau 1949-1950
Councilors, C.D. Shane 1947-1950, J.L. Greenstein 1947-1950, P.M. Millman 1947-1950, Lyman Spitzer Jr. 1948-1951, Leo Goldberg 1948-1951, G.E. Kron 1948-1951, G.M. Clemence 1949-1952, G.P. Kuiper 1949-1952, and Andrew Mckellar 1949-1952.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: None
New Committees: None
Old Committees: Executive Committee of the USA Section of the International Astronomical Union, now consisting of J.J. Nassau, Chair, O. Struve ex-officio as the American Vice-President of the Union, A.H. Joy ex-officio as President of the AAS, C.M. Huffer ex-officio as Secretary of the AAS, Ira S. Bowen, and Harlow Shapley.
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Eighty-second Meeting of the AAS was held on December 28-31, 1949, Wednesday to Saturday, at the Steward Observatory of the University of Arizona in Tuscon, Arizona. Members and their guests were housed in Yuma Hall, and the sessions were held in the Chemistry-Physics Building. On the afternoon of the first day, a symposium on current problems of Schmidt telescopes was organized. The concluding paper of Friday morning was the address of the retiring President of the AAS, Dr. Otto Struve, on "Spectroscopic Binaries." In his absence, the paper was read in part by C.M. Huffer and in part by Thornton Page. Again, Dr. Alfred H. Joy, the current President of the Society, called attention to the stupendous amount of work done by Dr. Struve on behalf of the society. In the afternoon, a symposium on some problems with "Dwarf Stars" was held. That evening, an elegant Society Dinner took place at the Hotel El Conquistador. On this occasion, it was announced that the next International Astronomical Union Meeting would be held in Leningrad, Russia, probably in August, 1951. It was also announced that the Executive Committee of the USA Section of the International Astronomical Union consists, at present, of J.J. Nassau, Chair, Otto Struve ex-officio as the American Vice-President of the Union, A.H. Joy ex-officio as President of the AAS, C.M. Huffer ex-officio as Secretary of the AAS, Ira S. Bowen, and Harlow Shapley. After the meeting, many people set out for Nogales, Mission San Xavier, or the Sahauro National Monument.
Dates: June 18-21, 1950
Place: University of Indiana, Bloomington, Indiana
Number of Members in Attendance: ?? Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 17 Total; 0 Female; 17 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: 57
Officers:
President, Alfred H. Joy 1949-1952
Vice-President, Dirk Brouwer 1949-1951
Vice-President, C.S. Beals 1950-1952
Secretary, C.M. Huffer 1950-1951
Treasurer, J.J. Nassau 1950-1951
Councilors, Lyman Spitzer Jr. 1948-1951, Leo Goldberg 1948-1951, G.E. Kron 1948-1951, G.M. Clemence 1949-1952, G.P. Kuiper 1949-1952, Andrew Mckellar 1949-1952, A.E. Whitford 1950-1953, R.J. Trumpler 1950-1953, and P.C. Keenan 1950-1953.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: Mr. J.J. Nassau was elected a representative of the AAS on the National Research Council.
New Committees: None
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Eighty-third Meeting of the AAS was held from Sunday to Wedneasday, June 8-21, 1950, at the University of Indiana, Bloomington, Indiana. Members and their guests were put up at the men's quadrangle; sessions for papers were held in the lecture room of the Business and Economics Building. Tuesday morning started out with a series of three papers which had been arranged in partial celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Kirkwood Observatory. The three speakers were Messrs. Dirk Brouwer, Gerard P. Kuiper, and Paul Herget. A fourth member, Professor L.E. Cunningham, was unable to be present and his paper was read by title only. The topics dealt with the minor planets in memory of Professor Kirkwood, the discoverer of the Kirkwood Gaps in the system of minor planets, and in the ring system of Saturn. Next came a quick inspection of the Link Observatory, some 35 miles north of Bloomington (transportation by private car), the telescopes of which were donated to Indiana University by Dr. Goethe Link. The meeting concluded with a special dinner in Alumni Hall of Indiana Union, and the presentation of the Annie J. Cannon Prize to Helen Sawyer Hogg.
Dates: December 27-29, 1950
Place: Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania
Number of Members in Attendance: ?? Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 26 Total; 3 Female; 23 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: ??
Officers:
President, Alfred H. Joy 1949-1952
Vice-President, Dirk Brouwer 1949-1951
Vice-President, C.S. Beals 1950-1952
Secretary, C.M. Huffer 1950-1951
Treasurer, J.J. Nassau 1950-1951
Councilors, Lyman Spitzer Jr. 1948-1951, Leo Goldberg 1948-1951, G.E. Kron 1948-1951, G.M. Clemence 1949-1952, G.P. Kuiper 1949-1952, Andrew Mckellar 1949-1952, A.E. Whitford 1950-1953, R.J. Trumpler 1950-1953, and P.C. Keenan 1950-1953.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: None
New Committees: None
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: At the invitation of Professor Louis C. Green, the Eighty-fourth Meeting of the AAS was held at Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania, on December 27-29, 1950, Wednesday to Friday. The scientific sessions were held in the large lecture room of the Haverford Union Building. On Thursday evening, Dr. Harlow Shapley delivered the annual Russell Lecture on "The Inner Metagalaxy." By almost unanimous vote sections 2 and 5 of the Constitution were amended to read as follows: Section 2. The Council shall consist of the Officers, the two available Ex-Presidents whose presidential terms have most recently expired, provided they have served their full terms, and of nine Councilors elected from the membership of the Society. . . Section 5. The term of Office shall be two years for the President, two years for the Vice-Presidents, three years for the Secretary, three years for the Treasurer, and three years for each of the nine Councilors. The President shall be nominated only from those members of the Society who have served at least one year on the Council. The President, Vice-President and the nine Councilors shall not be eligible for immediate re-election. It was also decided that no future life memberships be accepted. The Society Dinner was held Friday evening.
Dates: June 20-23, 1951
Place: Washington, DC
Number of Members in Attendance: ?? Total; ?? Female; ?? Male
Number of New Members Admitted: 24 Total; 3 Female; 21 Male
Total Membership: ??
Number of Papers Presented: 58
Officers:
President, Alfred H. Joy 1949-1952
Vice-President, C.S. Beals 1950-1952
Vice-President, C.D. Shane 1951-1953
Secretary, C.M. Huffer 1951-1952
Treasurer, J.J. Nassau 1951-1952
Councilors, G.M. Clemence 1949-1952, G.P.kuiper 1949-1952, Andrew Mckellar 1949-1952, A.E. Whitford 1950-1953, R.J. Trumpler 1950-1953, P.C.keenan 1950-1953, Martin Schwarzschild 1951-1954, Milton L.humason 1951-1954, and S. Chandrasekhar 1951-1954.
Ex-President(s),
Members/representatives/delegates: None
New Committees: None
Old Committees: None
Held in Conjunction With: None
Honorary Member(s): None
Notes of Interest: The Eighty-fifth Meeting of the AAS took place on June 20-23, 1951,
Wednesday to Saturday, in Washington, DC, celebrating, in part, the 100th anniversary of the
founding of the Nautical Almanac Office and, in part, the 50th anniversary of the founding of the
National Bureau of Standards. Headquarters for the meeting were in the Wardman Park Hotel;
sessions for papers were in the lecture room of the East Building of the Bureau of Standards.
(There seems to be a page missing in the micro-film record of this meeting). The Society Dinner
was held in the cafeteria of the Naval Observatory. It Should be mentioned that the cafeteria was
built during WWII, is now no longer needed and, hence, no longer exists. Dr. Lyman Spitzer Jr.
and AAS President Alfred H. Joy discussed the Astronomical Journal and the Astrophysical
Journal. While the Society is near an agreement with the latter, further action is dependent on
revision of the By-laws at the Xmas meeting next. The classes of membership have also been
modified as follows: 1. Active Members, 2. Associate Members, and 3. Sustaining Members. As
mentioned in the summary of the previous meeting, life memberships were abolished, except for
those already in force.