Minutes of the Fall Business Meeting
Of the Ohio Academy of History,
Tiffin, October 12, 1956
The fall meeting of the Ohio Academy of
History was held at
Heidelberg College.
The president of the Academy, Dr.
Grover C. Platt, called the
business meeting to order and requested
Dr. Robert W. Twyman of
Bowling Green to act as temporary
secretary for the purpose of
taking minutes. Thirty persons were
present.
The president called the attention of
those assembled to the
fact that the Ohio Historical Society
had raised its annual dues for
joint membership in the Society and in
the Ohio Academy of History
from $2.50 to $5.00. For the purpose of
obtaining an expression of
opinion on this matter, Dr. Platt threw
the general question of
continuation of the joint membership
open to discussion from the
floor.
Dr. Davison of Heidelberg moved that
the Ohio Academy of
History retain its joint membership
with the Ohio Historical
Society at the new fee of $5.00. The
motion was seconded. During
the discussion on this motion the
question arose as to whether the
Ohio Academy of History could operate
separately from the Society;
that is, did it have any continuing
organization or staff to handle
its affairs. The question also arose as
to how the new fee of $5.00
would be spent and by whom. Dr. Platt
said he understood that
$4.00 of the amount would be spent by
the Ohio Historical Society
and $1.00 by the Ohio Academy of
History. He also expressed the
opinion that if the Ohio Academy of
History severed its relationship
with the Society, the former would
suffer great disadvantages. Dr.
Platt then revealed the results of a
mail vote taken in the spring
of 1956 which indicated that 31 out of
the 36 members of the
Academy who voted, favored continuing
the joint membership with
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THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
the Society despite the increase in the
fee. The question was asked:
how many Ohio historians have a joint
membership? Mr. Caren
estimated that a little over 100 did
have. Dr. Davison's motion was
then brought to a vote by a show of
hands and it passed unanimously.
Dr. Weisenburger moved that the
executive committee be in-
structed to bring up the issue of
separate membership at the spring
meeting--that is, the question should
be discussed at that time
whether a person could be a member of
the Academy and not the
Society if he wished. It was seconded.
After a brief discussion Dr.
Weisenburger's motion was passed by
show of hands, 17 to 11.
The president then brought up Professor
Fred Kershner's sug-
gestion that the annual portion of the
program devoted to a dis-
cussion of the teaching of history
henceforth be held at the fall
meeting instead of the spring meeting.
Dr. Platt reported that in a
mail vote conducted on this question,
20 members of the Academy
voted in favor of the suggestion and 13
opposed it. He then asked
if this meeting wished to take any
action. During the discussion from
the floor it was proposed that the
Academy discontinue having a
session on the teaching of history at
either meeting. Dr. Platt noted
that the Academy has a standing
committee studying the teaching of
history. It was moved by Dr. Miller
that the Academy discontinue
further sessions on the teaching of
history after this year. The
motion was seconded. In the discussion,
those opposing the motion
suggested the Ohio Academy of History
sessions in the past had
attempted to be too much like the
A.H.A. meetings with written
papers on minor questions of history.
The teaching of history was
important and the Academy must work to
keep history alive. Those
favoring the motion wondered if it were
fruitful to discuss it so
often. It was then suggested that the
morning session of the spring
meeting be used to discuss the question
instead of the afternoon,
that it would be more popular. Dr.
Platt called attention to the
fact that the Academy's constitution
requires the president to ap-
point a committee on the teaching of
history and requires that one
session each year be devoted to the
subject. Dr. Miller's motion was
put to a vote by a show of hands and
was declared lost (6 voted in
favor of the motion; no count was taken
of those opposed).
OHIO ACADEMY OF HISTORY 89
Dr. Platt then raised the question
again of whether the members
wished to have the session on teaching
in the spring or in the
fall. After some discussion the motion
was put to continue the
session on teaching at the spring
meeting along with the rest of the
history program. It was seconded. An
amendment was offered to
the effect that the session on the
teaching of history be held only in
alternate years. The chair ruled that
this amendment was opposed
to the general purpose of the motion
and therefore was out of order.
The motion was put to a vote by show of
hands and declared to be
carried (4 votes against; no count
taken of those favoring).
The president then posed the question
of whether the business
session at the spring meeting should be
held during the luncheon or
later in the afternoon. Dr. Platt
revealed that a mail vote on the
question had resulted in 19 votes
favoring holding the session imme-
diately after the luncheon and 15
favoring holding it at the end of
the day. Without a formal motion it was
generally agreed that the
question should be brought up at the
next spring luncheon and
decided then.
Dr. Platt announced the appointment of
a committee on awards,
chaired by Father Shiels, and asked
those assembled to be sure to
submit any books they had written in
the past year or any sug-
gestions they had to offer.
The meeting then adjourned.
GROVER C. PLATT
President
ROBERT W. TWYMAN
Temporary Secretary