December, 1958 



Mills: From 1858 to 1958 



99 



ciety's Museum to the Illinois State Lab- 

 oratory of Natural History. We have 

 also discussed the development of the 

 State Entomolojjist's Office from 1867 

 and have seen this office united with the 

 State Laboratory in their research duties 

 to form the State Natural History Sur- 

 vey in 1917. 



A new type of administrative responsi- 

 bility' was set up in the Civil Administra- 

 tive Code of 1917, which has remained 

 essentially unchanged to the present time. 

 The Code (Illinois General Assembly 

 1917:34) stated that: 



Unless otherwise provided by law, the func- 

 tions and duties formerly exercised by the 

 State entomologist, the State laboratory of 

 natural history, the State water survey and 

 the State geological survey and vested by this 

 Act in the department of registration and 

 education, shall continue to be exercised at 

 the University of Illinois in buildings and 

 places provided by the trustees thereof. 



Within the Department of Registra- 

 tion and Education was established a 

 Board of Natural Resources and Conser- 

 \ation ; this Board is the responsible agent 

 for the activities of the Natural History, 

 Geological, and Water Surveys. The 

 charge (Illinois General Assembl\' 

 1917:34) under which this group has 

 worked through the years has been to 



1. Consider and decide all matters pertain- 

 ing to natural history, geology, water and 

 water resources, forestry, and allied research, 

 investigational and scientific work; 



2. Select and appoint, without reference to 

 the State civil service law, members of the 

 scientific staff, prosecuting such research, in- 

 vestigational and scientific work; 



3. Co-operate with the ITniversity of Illi- 

 nois in the use of scientific staff and 

 equipment ; 



+. Co-operate with the various depart- 

 ments in research, investigational and scien- 

 tific work useful in the prosecution of the 

 work in any department. 



The Board consists of the Director of 

 the Department of Registration and Edu- 

 cation, who is chairman, the President of 

 the University of Illinois or his repre- 

 sentative, the President of Southern Illi- 

 nois University or his representative, all 

 of whom are ex officio members, and, in 

 addition, experts in the fields of geology, 

 biology, chemistry, forestry, and engineer- 

 ing who must have had a minimum of 10 

 years of experience in their professions. 

 Expert members are appointed by the 



Governor and they have traditionally held 

 long appointments. The biological scien- 

 tists who have given or are giving of their 

 time in this important state activity were 

 or are William Trelease, John M. Coul- 

 ter, Henry Cowles, Ezra J. Kraus, Carl 

 G. Hartman, Lewis H. Tiffany, and Al- 

 fred E. Emerson. 



The present Board consists of Director 

 Vera M. Binks, Dean William L. Everitt 

 (the representative of President David D. 

 Henry of the University of Illinois), 

 President Delyte W. Morris of Southern 

 Illinois University, Dr. Walter H. New- 

 house, Dr. Roger Adams, Mr. Robert H. 

 Anderson, Dr. Lewis H. Tiffany, and 

 Dr. Alfred E. Emerson. 



The Board meets quarterly, receives 

 reports from the Chiefs, counsels with 

 them on their research programs, appoints 

 their scientists, and examines and approves 

 their budgets. 



To return now to 1917: When the re- 

 organization took place, Forbes, who was 

 Director of the State Laboratory of Nat- 

 ural History and State Entomologist, 

 was retained as Chief of the Natural His- 

 tory- Survey. He remained as Chief until 

 his death in 1930, and was extremely 

 alert mentally until 9 days before his 

 death. 



Not long after the turn of the century. 

 Dr. J. W. Folsom of the University of 

 Illinois Department of Entomology was 

 walking down a street in Urbana when 

 he discovered a youngster who was en- 

 grossed in observing a colony of ants. 

 Folsom engaged the boy in conversation 

 and was impressed with his interest and 

 knowledge. Thus began a close and per- 

 sonal relationship between Dr. Folsom 

 and young Theodore Henry Frison. 



Frison was born in Champaign, Illi- 

 nois, on January 17, 1895, and was edu- 

 cated in the schools of that city. Through 

 Dr. Folsom he became acquainted with 

 Dr. Forbes, and these two scientists al- 

 lowed the boy to attend University 

 courses prior to high school graduation 

 (Campbell 1946). Frison was in the army 

 for a short time in 1918, after which he 

 returned to the University, which award- 

 ed him all of his degrees. After short pro- 

 fessional appointments in Wisconsin and 

 New Jersey, and upon receiving his Ph.D. 

 degree, he joined the staf¥ of the Natural 



