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Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



united their interests, and in 1889 the residence of the late Mr. 

 William Thaw, on Fifth Street in Pittsburgh, was rented as a tem- 

 porary home for the Academy, the writer becoming the first Presi- 

 dent, Mr. George H. Clapp the Secretary, and Mr. C. C. Mellor 

 the Treasurer. Mr. Mellor threw himself with his wonted enthu- 

 siasm into the work, and when the Carnegie Library- of Pittsburgh 

 was dedicated in 1895, he with his associates of the Academy had 

 succeeded in filling the rooms assigned to the museum with a very 

 creditable display of objects representing not only the natural 

 sciences, but also local history. 



Upon the dedication of the Library Mr. Carnegie, with that 

 magnificent generosity which has always characterized him, an- 

 nounced his intention of making permanent provision for the sup- 

 port of the Museum and the Department of Fine Arts, which were 

 intended to be housed under the same roof with the Library, and 

 for this purpose stated that he had chosen a certain number of 

 gentlemen, in whose wisdom he had confidence, to administer the 

 affairs of these two departments, for which he gave an endowment 

 amounting to the sum of one million of dollars. This sum has 

 since been greatly increased by Mr. Carnegie. Among the gentle- 

 men selected by Mr, Carnegie as the trustees of this fund was the 

 friend of his boyhood, Mr. Mellor. When the preparation of a 

 constitution and a set of by-laws for the government of the body 

 was proposed, Mr. Mellor became a member of that committee, 

 and the writer, who happened to be the chairman, vividly recalls 

 the interest and enthusiasm with which he embarked upon his 

 duties. The task was most congenial to him. He became the 

 chairman of the committee appointed to administer the affairs of 

 the Museum, and from 1896, until his last illness made it impos- 

 sible for him to attend the meetings, with unflagging zeal and the 

 keenest enthusiasm followed every step of the development of the 

 Museum and of the Institute of which it is a component part. He 

 often said that he regarded his appointment as one of the trustees 

 of the Carnegie Institute, as "the greatest honor of his life." But 

 the appointment was to him more than an honor. When Mr. 

 Mellor assumed a position it was for service, and there is no de- 

 partment of the varied activities of the Institute, which under the 

 fostering hand of Mr. Carnegie has grown to be one of the fore- 



