1922] Twenty Years op the N. C. Academy of Science 49 



State their work would have been much harder and might not have 

 succeeded. 



The first meeting at Trinity College was quite a success but the 

 second at the University (in the fall of 1903) was rather a frost, only 

 two persons outside of the University, the president, Dr. Edwards, 

 and I being in evidence on the first day of the meeting, though a 

 few more turned up next day. Even the secretary was away in 

 Texas attending a cotton boll weevil meeting or convention. Never- 

 theless the meeting was by no means a failure and the successful 

 meeting at Wake Forest next spring dispelled all doubts as to the 

 success of the Academy. 



During its early years, in fact up to 1910, the membership of the 

 Academy averaged about forty to fifty, but in that year an inten- 

 sive campaign for new members was put on and the membership 

 doubled. Since then the membership has oscillated between seventy 

 and eighty but in the last two years has gone well over a hundred and 

 shows signs of never again dropping below that number. It may 

 be noted here that the campaign for membership was incited by the 

 uneasiness of our esteemed secretary. Dr. Gudger, who was easily de- 

 pressed by a slight drop in the Academy's bank balance, which, how- 

 ever, never at any time got dangerously low. 



Of the Academy's hard working secretaries (Franklin Sherman, 

 1902-1905, F. L. Stevens, 1905-7, E. W. Gudger, 1907-1918, Bert 

 Cunningham, 1918-1919, and 1921- . . . ., and R. W. Leiby, 1919-1921), 

 two deserve especial mention, Mr. Sherman who piloted the Academy 

 through its first perilous years, and Dr. Gudger who for eleven years 

 faithfully sat at the receipt of custom, always with a genial smile, 

 always on the job, and always with a nice little balance to the 

 Academy's credit, though its occasional downward trend invariably 

 disturbed his equanimity for the time being. His departure from the 

 state was a great loss and he will long be missed by his old associates. 



In its course of existence the Academy has lost quite a number 

 of its prominent members, a few by death, more by removal from the 

 state. Thus Mr. Ashe and Professor Kesler left the state very 

 soon after its organization, Messrs. Stevens, Butler, Baskerville, Pear- 

 son, and Gudger, each shortly after the expiration of his presidential 

 term. Dr. J. J, Wolfe and Dr. J. S. Lanneau, both ex-presidents 

 and both sturdy pillars of the Academy, as well as Dr. Baskerville 

 have died within the past three years. 



