Minutes of the Meeting
of the Ohio Academy of History
Columbus, April 2, 1955
The annual spring meeting of the Ohio
Academy of History was held
at the Ohio State Museum, April 2, 1955.
Two sessions were scheduled for 10 A.M. The chairman of
one, Wilfred
E. Binkley of Ohio Northern University,
introduced Charles B. Forcey of
Miami University, who presented a paper
entitled "Progressivism, Fore-
runner of Fascism?" Remarks were
offered by Louis Filler of Antioch
College and Thomas LeDuc of Oberlin
College. The other section was
conducted by Donald Grove Barnes of
Western Reserve University. Two
papers were read: "The Addled
Parliament of 1614: The Collapse of the
Elizabethan System" by Thomas L.
Moir of Heidelberg College, and "The
Growth of Ministerial Responsibility to
Parliament in Later Stuart England"
by R. Clayton Roberts of Ohio State
University. Charles R. Mayes of Ohio
University was the discussant.
The luncheon at the Ohio State
University Faculty Club was attended
by 111 persons, an increase of forty
percent over 1954. William D. Over-
man of the Firestone Library and
Archives, president of the Academy, pre-
sided. Harold J. Grimm of Indiana
University and formerly of Ohio State
University, was presented the annual
Certificate of Award in recognition
of his book, The Reformation Era,
1500-1650. Paul I. Miller of Hiram
College, chairman of the committee on
awards, announced the choice of
this work as the outstanding historical
achievement by a member of the
Academy in 1954. The luncheon address
was then delivered by Paul A.
Varg of Ohio State University, whose
subject was "The Missionary in
China and American Far Eastern
Policy."
At 2 P.M. two more sessions took place
at the Museum. One was a panel
discussion on "The Freshman History
Course," directed by William L.
Wannemacher of Kent State University.
Participants were Irwin Abrams of
Antioch College, Frank L. Esterquest of
Western College, Paul I. Miller
328
OHIO ACADEMY OF HISTORY 329
of Hiram College, and Charles R.
Ritcheson of Kenyon College. The other
session, under the chairmanship of
Benjamin H. Pershing, who also of-
fered comments later, featured two
papers: "Ethan Allen Brown and Ohio's
Canal System" by John S. Still of
The Ohio Historical Society, and
"Marshall Field and Company and the
Economic Development of the
American West" by Robert W. Twyman
of Bowling Green State University.
The business meeting conducted by
President Overman concluded the
day's activities. The
secretary-treasurer in his report reviewed the Academy
meeting at Kenyon College in October,
1954, and revealed that copies of
the resolution for a state archives
adopted one year before had been trans-
mitted, as instructed, to various state
officials. Erving E. Beauregard of the
University of Dayton, chairman of the
committee on membership, an-
nounced that of the 265 persons in Ohio
eligible 124 are now dues-
paying members of the Academy. This is a
net increase of twenty-two new
members. Through its chairman, Landon
Warner of Kenyon College, the
committee on nominations offered the
following slate of officers, who were
then unanimously elected to serve for
the year 1955-56: president, Eugene
H. Roseboom of Ohio State University;
vice-president, Grover C. Platt of
Bowling Green State University;
secretary-treasurer, John S. Still of The
Ohio Historical Society.
Watt P. Marchman of Hayes Memorial,
chairman of the committee on
publications, rendered the following
report:
According to the Constitution of The
Ohio Academy of History, under
Section V, Item (4), we find stated:
"A Committee on Publications of
which one member shall be the editor of
the Ohio State Archaeological and
Historical Quarterly shall consider possible arrangements for publication of
papers at the meetings of the
Academy."
With this directive before them, the
members of the Committee met in
Fremont, Ohio, on the afternoon of March
23, 1955, and they wish to
make this report:
Part I: When the Committee on Publications was included in the
Con-
stitution, it was the intention (by
having the editor of the Ohio His-
torical Quarterly as a member), that the Proceedings of the Academy would
be printed in the Quarterly of
the state historical society. Since that time,
however, with the reorganization of the
Ohio Historical Society and re-
vision of its publications program, the Ohio
Historical Quarterly can no
longer publish articles which do not
have a direct or indirect bearing on
the subject of Ohio and the Northwest
Territory.
Therefore, because of the fact the
original plan of the Academy's Com-
mittee on Publications cannot now bear
fruit by having the Academy's
Proceedings included in the Quarterly
of the state historical society, and
330 THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
because there are no funds available
through membership in the Academy
for purposes of a publications program,
your Committee offers for con-
sideration by the Academy its first
suggestion: That the Committee be
dropped from the Constitution.
Part II: The Committee offers as its second suggestion, for
consideration
by members of the Academy: That the
Committee on Publications be con-
tinued under the following conditions:
1. The Academy authorize it, or empower
it, to raise funds from private
sources, in the name of the Academy, for
purposes of publishing the Pro-
ceedings of the Academy; and
2. The Academy authorize the Committee
to act as an editorial board in
preparing the manuscripts for
publication, serving with an editor appointed
by the President of the Academy, a new
or "guest" editor to be selected
each year; and
3. If the Committee on Publications,
under this plan, can successfully
raise from Foundations and other private sources the
estimated $1,000 or
$1,500 needed each year for printing and
mailing, it is recommended that
the Academy make it a requirement for
each speaker who delivers a paper
before the Academy, to submit a copy of
his paper to the Committee on
Publications at the time of delivery, to
be published in the Proceedings of
the Academy for that year.
4. It is further suggested, under this
plan, that a copy of the published
Proceedings be furnished free to each
member of the Academy, and copies
be made available at small cost to
others.
Respectfully submitted:
Watt P. Marchman, Chairman
James H. Rodabaugh
James M. Smith
A motion to approve Part II of the
report was made and seconded,
whereupon it was unanimously approved by
the members present.
William L. Wannemacher of Kent State
University, chairman of the
committee on the teaching of history,
distributed copies of a six-page re-
port on the types of freshman history
courses currently being taught in Ohio
colleges, the text-books used, the
credit hours allowed, the systems of col-
lateral reading employed, and the extent
to which the courses are required
for graduation. The report was approved
and, at the chairman's suggestion,
an expression of gratitude was voted to
Carl H. Roberts of Ohio University
and Francis P. Weisenburger of Ohio
State University for their work on
the state committee on teacher
certification. In addition, a vote of thanks
to the committee on the teaching of
history was proposed and unanimously
approved.
OHIO ACADEMY OF HISTORY 331
The secretary read a letter from John
Hall Stewart of Western Reserve
University, who was unavoidably absent,
reporting progress on the part
of the standing committee on materials
for the study of history, of which
he is chairman.
The following resolutions, prepared by
William J. McNiff of Miami
University, who had to leave the
meeting, were read by the secretary and
were unanimously adopted:
Resolved, that the gratitude of the members of the Ohio Academy
of
History be expressed to the program
committee, to Miss Hilda M. Bowers
and Mrs. S. Winifred Smith of The Ohio
Historical Society, and to the
Ohio State University Faculty Club for
their respective contributions to
the success of this meeting.
Resolved, that the sympathy of the Ohio Academy of History be
extended
to the families of our late colleagues,
Professor Summerfield Baldwin of
the University of Akron, Professor
George W. Eddy of Youngstown Col-
lege, the Very Rev. William J. Gauche of
Our Lady of Cincinnati College,
and Professor Emeritus Edgar H. McNeal
of Ohio State University, all of
whom died within the past year, in
recognition of their long and valuable
service to the field of history and to
its students.
In the nature of new business, A. T.
Volwiler of Ohio University in-
vited the Academy to hold its fall
meeting at Athens next October. The
invitation was enthusiastically accepted
and the executive Committee was
instructed to set the exact dates.
The president expressed his appreciation
to his fellow officers and to
the committee members listed below,
after which the meeting adjourned.
Committee on Awards: Paul I. Miller,
Hiram College, chairman; Paul F.
Bloomhardt, Wittenberg College; Reginald
C. McGrane, University of
Cincinnati; William J. McNiff, Miami
University.
Committee on Membership: Erving E.
Beauregard, University of Dayton,
chairman; Helen Kaslo, College of
Wooster; Sister Mary Theresa, Mary
Manse College.
Committee on Nominations: Landon Warner,
Kenyon College, chair-
man; Raymond W. Bixler, Ashland College;
Robert W. Hilliard, Ohio
Northern University; A. T. Volwiler,
Ohio University.
Committee on Program: Grover C. Platt,
Bowling Green State Uni-
versity, chairman; Thomas LeDuc, Oberlin
College; Rev. Herman J.
Muller, S. J., John Carroll University;
B. H. Pershing, Wittenberg College.
332 THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Committee on Publications: Watt P.
Marchman, Hayes Memorial Library,
chairman; James H. Rodabaugh, Ohio
Historical Society; James M. Smith,
Ohio State University.
Standing Committee on Materials for the
Study of History: John Hall
Stewart, Western Reserve University,
chairman; Clayton Ellsworth, College
of Wooster; Stanley P. Gustely, Simon
Perkins Junior High School, Akron;
George F. Jenny, Ohio Historical
Society; Carl H. Roberts, Ohio University.
Committee on the Teaching of History:
William L. Wannemacher, Kent
State University, chairman; Donald P.
Gavin, John Carroll University;
Carl G. Klopfenstein, Heidelberg
College; Willard A. Smith, University
of Toledo.
JOHN S. STILL
Secretary-Treasurer