REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 17 



Compton, Illinois ; Vannevar Bush, Washington, D. C. ; and Frederic 

 C. Walcott, Connecticut. 



Proceedings. — The annual meeting of the Board of Regents was 

 held on January 12, 1915, with the following members present : Chief 

 Justice Harlan F. Stone, Chancellor; Representative Clarence Can- 

 non ; citizen regents Harvey N. Davis, Arthur H. Compton, and Van- 

 nevar Bush, and the Acting Secretary, Dr. Alexander Wetmore. 



The Acting Secretary presented the annual report covering the 

 activities of the parent institution and of the several Government 

 branches, including the financial report of the executive committee, 

 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1944, which was accepted by the 

 Board. The usual resolution authorizing the expenditure by the Sec- 

 retary of the income of the Institution for the fiscal year ending June 

 30, 1946, was adopted by the Board. 



The annual report of the Smithsonian Art Commission was pre- 

 sented by the Acting Secretary and accepted by the Board. The 

 Commission on December 5, 1944, held its first meeting since the com- 

 mencement of the war, and took action on the acceptance of numerous 

 works of art which had been offered to the Institution in the interim, 

 including a number of paintings which had been purchased by the 

 Council of the National Academy of Design from the fund provided by 

 the Henry Ward Ranger bequest and were eligible for acquisition by 

 the National Collection of Fine Arts under the provisions of this 

 bequest. Vacancies on the Commission were caused by the death of 

 Charles L. Borie, Jr., John E. Lodge, and Frederick P. Keppel, and 

 the Commission recommended to the Board the names of George 

 Hewitt Myers, Archibald G. Wenley, and Robert Woods Bliss to fill 

 these vacancies, the recommendations being approved by the Board. 

 Paul Manship was elected chairman of the Commission to succeed 

 Mr. Borie, and Dr. Alexander Wetmore was elected secretary. 



In connection with the proposed centennial celebration of the Insti- 

 tution during August 1946, the appointment of the following com- 

 mittees was announced : By the Chancellor, regents Bush, Delano, and 

 Walcott, with the Chancellor as chairman; by the Acting Secretary, 

 Messrs. Graf, Clark, True, and Roberts, with the Acting Secretary 

 as chairman. 



A report was received from the special committee of regents ap- 

 pointed at the last annual meeting of the Board to consider the policy 

 of the Institution with respect to the tenure of office and retirement 

 provisions for the office of Secretary, and the several recommendations 

 made by the special committee were adopted by the Board. In ac- 

 cordance with this procedure, the resignation of Dr. Charles G. Abbot 

 as Secretary was accepted, and he was, by resolution, appointed as 

 research associate of the Institution. 



