MINUTES OF
THE OHIO ACADEMY OF HISTORY
Columbus, Ohio
April 3, 1954
The Ohio Academy of History held its
annual spring meeting at Colum-
bus, April 3, 1954. Registration was
followed at 10 A. M. by two
concur-
rent sessions at the Ohio State Museum.
At one, with Robert Hilliard of
Ohio Northern University as chairman,
James H. Rodabaugh of the Ohio
Historical Society presented a paper on
"Opportunities for Writing and
Research in Ohio History." Comments
were made by Randolph C. Downes
of the Historical Society of
Northwestern Ohio and Watt P. Marchman
of the Hayes Memorial Library. Presiding
over the other session was
William L. Fisk of Muskingum College. He
introduced Sherman B.
Barnes of Kent State University, who
read a paper entitled "Notes on
Theological Liberalism in the United
States to 1865." Commentators
were the Rev. Carl L. Steinbicker of
Mount St. Mary's of the West and G.
Wallace Chessman of Denison University.
Two additional sessions were held at the
museum in the afternoon, at
one of which Foster Rhea Dulles of Ohio
State University presided and
R. Stanley McCordock of Bowling Green
State University presented a paper
on "The Atlantic Charter." The
commentary was supplied by Eugene C.
Murdock of Rio Grande College and Elbert
B. Smith of Youngstown Col-
lege. At the same time, Richard G.
Salomon of Kenyon College served
as chairman of the other session, at
which "Aristotle and Economic Theory
in the Thirteenth Century" was the
subject of a paper read by Kimon
Giocarinis of Hiram College. Remarks
were offered by Clifton E. Van
Sickle of Ohio Wesleyan University and
Summerfield Baldwin of the Uni-
versity of Akron.
The luncheon meeting at Pomerene Hall,
Ohio State University, was at-
tended by seventy-eight of the
ninety-one registrants. William E. Smith
of Miami University spoke on "The
Tribulations of a Buckeye Banker in
the Nineteenth Century."
The ensuing business meeting was
conducted by Robert L. Jones of
Marietta College, president of the
academy. The report of the secretary-
treasurer, including the announcement
that 115 persons are now taking
advantage of the joint membership in the
academy and the Ohio Historical
Society, was read and approved. Clarence
H. Cramer of Western Reserve
University, chairman of the committee on
awards, announced the choice of
283
284
Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly
The Mind of the Middle Ages by Frederick B. Artz of Oberlin College
as the outstanding historical
achievement by a member of the academy in
1953. The nominating committee through
its chairman, Grover C. Plat??
of Bowling Green State University,
proposed for the year 1954-55 the
following slate of officers who were
then unanimously elected: president,
William D. Overman, director of the
Library and Archives of the Firestone
Tire and Rubber Company, Akron; vice
president, Eugene H. Roseboom
of Ohio State University; and
secretary-treasurer, John S. Still of the Ohio
Historical Society.
William L. Wannemacher of Kent State
University, chairman of the
committee on improvement of teaching,
distributed copies of a report pre-
pared by the committee. Embraced in the
report was a series of recom-
mendations, each of which was discussed
and approved by vote with the
exception of one, which provided for
action previously taken. The recom-
mendations, as adopted with amendments,
follow:
1. In April, 1953, the Academy adopted a
resolution on minimum col-
lege preparation for teacher
certification in our primary and secondary
schools. This resolution was submitted
to the Ohio State Department of
Education with the expressed hope that
the department of education would
raise its minimum requirements for
teaching history.
This year the Committee on Improvement
of Teaching recommends that
this resolution be submitted to the
presidents of all Ohio colleges and uni-
versities, to deans of colleges of
education, and heads of departments of
education in all Ohio colleges and
universities, and to all boards of education,
superintendents of schools, and
secondary school principals.
2. In 1953 the Ohio General Assembly
passed an act creating an Ohio
School Survey Committee to study laws
pertaining to public school educa-
tion in Ohio. This committee has
appointed a special committee known as
the Teacher Education and Personnel
Committee, The Ohio Survey, under
the chairmanship of Dean Robert I.
White, Kent State University. It is
recommended that a committee be
appointed by the president to appear
before the Teacher Education and
Personnel Committee to present the
views of the Ohio Academy of History on
teacher certification for the
teaching of history in Ohio schools.
3. It is further recommended that the
same committee referred to in
"2" above appear before the
Ohio School Survey Committee and urge that
any contemplated revision of the Ohio
State laws on course requirements
in our secondary schools provide that:
"Every High School shall include
The Ohio Academy of History 285
in the requirements for graduation from
any curriculum one unit of Ameri-
can History and one unit of World
History."
4. To aid teachers in our primary and
secondary schools, it is recom-
mended that the president of the Ohio
Academy of History appoint
a standing committee of five to seven
members to prepare and revise from
year to year a minimum reading list, or
bibliography, of books which all
public schools be urged to purchase. It
is further recommended that this
committee make a continuing survey of
visual aids available for use in
public schools and that this information
be made available to the public
schools. In appointing this committee it
is strongly recommended that
it include representatives of the
primary and secondary schools, a librarian,
and the supervisor of education of the
Ohio Historical Society.
5. To promote closer contact between
teachers of history in colleges
and secondary schools and to assist
professional growth, it is recommended
that the Ohio Academy of History invite
and urge teachers of history
in our secondary schools to attend and
participate actively in meetings of
the Ohio Academy of History. It is
further recommended that the pos-
sibility be explored of sponsoring
regional meetings of all teachers of
history--secondary and college--to
encourage a closer relationship between
teachers of history.
6. It is recommended that at each annual
meeting of the Ohio Academy
of History one session be devoted to
problems of teaching history, testing
procedures, curriculum, and related
matters.
7. To continue the study of history
teaching, it is recommended that the
present special Committee on Improvement
of Teaching be replaced by a
standing Committee on the Teaching of
History in Ohio. It is further
recommended that some continuity of
personnel be maintained on this com-
mittee and that appointments to it be
made by the president of the Ohio
Academy of History by June 1st,
following the annual meeting in April.
With no intention of infringing upon the
freedom of action of this
committee, it is suggested that the
following items might be worthy of
examination:
a. A review of past actions and
recommendations of the Committee on
Improvement of Teaching with a view
toward determining whether any
of these require further attention.
b. A new study of history curricula in
Ohio colleges and universities as
a supplement to the excellent study made
some five years ago. Require-
ments for majors and minors in history
should be included in this.
286 Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly
c. A survey of history requirements (not
majors or minors) for grad-
uation from our colleges and
universities.
d. A study of the quality of teaching in
colleges and universities and
suggestions for improvement.
H. Landon Warner of Kenyon College then
offered the following resolu-
tion which was unanimously approved:
Whereas, the state of Ohio in its 150 years of existence has
accumulated
vast quantities of official records in
the various departments, divisions,
bureaus, and other offices and agencies
of government; and
Whereas, the proper preservation and 'administration of these
official
public records is of the greatest
importance to the various departments,
divisions, bureaus, and other offices
and agencies of government, to scholars
and students, and to the general public;
and
Whereas, the State of Ohio has no comprehensive program for the
administration of state archives;
therefore, be it
Resolved, that the Ohio Academy of History, in annual meeting,
April 3,
1954, hereby urge the governor and
members of the general assembly to
consider the need for a state archival
administration for Ohio and take steps
to provide such administration; and be
it
Resolved, further, that the president and secretary of the
academy be and
they are hereby instructed to
communicate these resolutions to the governor,
the lieutenant governor, and the speaker
of the house of representatives.
Dr. Warner also extended an invitation
to the academy to hold its fall
meeting at Kenyon College, October 29
and 30. By a show of hands, the
members voted to meet at Kenyon on those
dates.
Resolutions were adopted extending
thanks to the program committee, to
the retiring officers, and to Mrs. S.
Winifred Smith and Mrs. Hilda Greenlee
of the Ohio Historical Society for their
assistance in making arrangements
for the meetings and the luncheon.
Committees for the past year appointed
by President Jones were as follows:
Awards--Clarence H. Cramer, Western
Reserve University, chairman;
Paul I. Miller, Hiram College; Paul A.
Varg, Ohio State University; C. Wil-
liam Vogel, University of Cincinnati.
Membership--Warren L. Hickman, Ohio
Northern University, chairman;
Sister Mary Teresa, Mary Manse College,
Toledo; Alfred A. Skerpan, Kent
State University; Helen Kaslo, College
of Wooster.
The Ohio Academy of History 287
Nominations--Grover C. Platt, Bowling
Green State University, chairman;
H. Landon Warner, Kenyon College; Hilmar
G. Grimm, Capital University;
Thomas H. LeDuc, Oberlin College.
Program--Frederick D. Kershner, Jr.,
Ohio University, chairman; James
M. Smith, Ohio State University; John F.
Oglevee, Bowling Green State
University; Irwin Abrams, Antioch
College.
Publications--William L. Fisk, Muskingum
College, chairman; Richard
C. Knopf, Anthony Wayne Parkway Board;
Dwight L. Smith, Miami Uni-
versity; David Lindsey, Baldwin-Wallace
College.
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.
Respectfully submitted,
JOHN S. STILL
Secretary-Treasurer