THE OHIO STATE
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING
April 6, 1945
The annual meeting of the Ohio State
Archaeological and
Historical Society convened in the
auditorium of the Ohio State
Museum at 10:30 A.M., April 6, 1945. The meeting
was called
to order by Mr. Arthur C. Johnson,
President of the Society.
Other members of the Board of Trustees
present were Mr.
Wolfe, Mr. Amos, Mr. Eagleson and Mr.
Florence. Considering
present day difficulties in transportation,
there was a representa-
tive number of additional members
present. President Johnson
welcomed the members and stated that
they had been urged to
attend this meeting for the purpose of
transacting vital business
of the Society.
The first item of business considered
was action upon the
minutes of the last meeting which was
held in 1942. These had
been published and were in the
possession of all members of the
Society. Mr. Eagleson moved that the
reading of the minutes of
the last meeting be dispensed with and
that they be approved
and placed on file. This motion was
seconded by Mr. Rigney
and was adopted. While no annual meeting
was held in 1943 or
1944, yet the annual reports of the
Director, Secretary, and
Treasurer were made and published in the
July-September issues
of the Quarterly for 1943 and
1944.
The next matter to claim the attention
of the members was
action on the revised constitution which
had been drafted by a
committee to supersede the proposed
constitution of 1942. This
committee consisted of Mr. Rightmire,
chairman, assisted by
Mr. Eagleson, Mr. Wolfe and Mr. Holzer.
In accordance with
the provisions of the existing
constitution, this revision had been
submitted to all members by mail with
the privilege of voting
concerning its adoption. Mr. Rigney
moved that the proposed
constitution be adopted. His motion was seconded by Mr.
189
190 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
Charles A. Jones. President Johnson
called on the Secretary for
a report of the votes which had been
received by mail; the sec-
retary stated that seventeen ballots had
been returned, all of
which favored the adoption of the
constitution. A vote on the
constitution was taken and unanimously
passed. Words of ap-
preciation were expressed and by motion
made by Mr. Volwiler
and seconded by Mr. Rigney, the Society
expressed its thanks to
Dr. Rightmire and his associates for
their excellent work.
The President spoke of the peculiar
situation arising from
the fact that since the last regular
meeting of the Society, the
terms of all trustees chosen by the
Society had expired and he
appointed a nominating committee
consisting of Mr. J. F. At-
wood, Mrs. George Marvin, Mr. Charles A.
Jones and Mr.
Eugene Rigney to recommend nominations
for these offices.
The President asked for a report from
the Secretary concerning
any nominations by mail and also gave an
opportunity for nomina-
tions from the floor. The Secretary reported that Professor
Eugene Van Cleef of the Department of
Geography of Ohio
State University had been nominated by
mail, his nomination
being supported by three members of the
Society. The President
asked the nominating committee to make
note of this nomination.
After the nominating committee retired,
the President intro-
duced Mr. Delf Norona, a member of this
Society and vice-
president of the West Virginia
Historical Society, and Mr. Claude
F. Walker of Darien, Connecticut. Mr.
Walker is a member of
the Society and is establishing a
memorial collection in the
Society's Library.
The annual reports of the Director,
Secretary and the
Treasurer were distributed to members
since they had been printed
in advance. Their reading was dispensed
with, but the chairman
asked the Director and Secretary to make
a few comments.
After brief remarks, with some
explanations, the reports were
approved and made a matter of record.
The chairman spoke of the realization
that the Society is at
the first main crossroads of its
history. He referred to the
adoption of the new constitution, the
approaching retirement of
its chief administrative officers and the
nearing completion of the
MINUTES OF BUSINESS MEETING 191
archaeological activities for which the
Society was initiated. He
referred to the devoted labor of Mr.
Mills and his successor,
Mr. Shetrone, and said that he
considered this phase of the
Society's work practically completed. He
suggested that the new
major project of the Society be the
development of the Library
and publications. He gave special credit
to the work of the
Director for his Ohio archaeology and to
the Secretary-Librarian
for his work in connection with the
six-volume History of the
State of Ohio, edited by Mr. Carl Wittke. Mr. Johnson asked
that there be a resolution passed
recommending that the trustees
prepare a program for the next annual
meeting in which one
feature shall be the honoring of the
retiring officials whenever
such retirement takes place. Mr. Wolfe
moved that such a reso-
lution be adopted and his motion was
seconded by Mr. Eugene
Van Cleef and was unanimously approved.
The President then called for the report
of the nominating
committee which made the following
recommendations for trus-
tees: for one year, Mr. Weygandt, Mr.
Spetnagel, and Mr.
Johnson; for two years, Mr. Hayes, Mr.
Florence, and Mr.
Rightmire; for three years, Mr. Miller,
Mr. Holzer, and Mr.
Wittke. The committee also recommended
the consideration of
Mr. Van Cleef to fill any vacancy that
may occur. Mr. Atwood,
as chairman of the committee, moved that
the recommendations
of the nominating committee be accepted.
This motion was
seconded by Mr. Wolfe and the report was
approved by vote of
the members present.
Mr. Johnson then offered an opportunity
for open discussion
by any member who wished to address the
meeting on any sub-
ject. Mr. Rigney commended the gift of
the "Our House"
property to the Society and recommended
that Dr. and Mrs.
Holzer be granted benefactor memberships
in the Society in
recognition of their gift. This motion
was seconded by Mr.
Wolfe and approved.
The chairman commented on the activities
of various local
historical societies throughout the
State and mentioned especially
the work of. Mr. Eugene Rigney in
connection with the Ross
County Historical Society and
recommended that this Society
192
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
send greetings to Mr. Rigney and to the
Ross County Historical
Society.
The chairman called upon Mr. Walker to
say a few words.
Mr. Frank C. Caldwell, honorary curator
of the Society's electri-
cal exhibit, suggested that a collection
of pictures of the various
centers of activity over the State,
under the supervision of the
Society, be made, which would show the
work the Society is
doing to promote museum activities outside Columbus. The
chairman called attention to the
activities of the Society along
this line and mention was made of the
exhibit of a number of
these localities by large photographs in
the rotunda of the
museum. Attention was also called to
various loan exhibits of
pictures promoted by the Society and
particularly to the collec-
tion of paintings of historic houses now
on exhibit, the work of
Mr. Ralph Fanning of the fine arts
department of Ohio State
University.
Plans had been made by the Board of
Trustees several
months ago to make the annual meeting in
1945 a commemora-
tive occasion celebrating the sixtieth
anniversary of the organiza-
tion of the Society. Due to existing war
conditions, however,
this was not possible. In order to make
note of the occasion,
Mr. James H. Rodabaugh, research
associate on the staff of the
Society, was asked to prepare a brief
paper featuring particularly
the last ten years of the Society's
activities (since the previous
period had been covered by articles
which appeared in the
Quarterly, the last one having been published in the July-Septem-
ber issue of 1935). Mr. Rodabaugh read a
paper, entitled, "The
Historical Society in a Changing
World," which is published in
full in the present issue of the Quarterly.
The chairman reported that Governor
Frank Lausche had re-
appointed Mr. Eagleson for a term of
three years as a member
of the Board of Trustees, and that he
was considering a new
appointee to take the place of Mr.
William E. Levis who has
resigned.
Mr. Rigney asked that some recognition
be made of the
150th Anniversary of the establishment
of the Zane Trace and it
MINUTES OF BUSINESS MEETING 193
was suggested that the matter be brought
before the Board of
Trustees and other administrative
officials for consideration.
By motion the meeting was adjourned.
ARTHUR C. JOHNSON, SR.,
President
HARLOW LINDLEY,
Secretary