WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 61 



From Senator Duncan U. Fletcher, of Florida: 



I knew Doctor W J McGee personally and admired him greatly. 

 He was a thinker, public spirited and patriotic. His scientific at- 

 tainments were of the highest order, and he was so modest and gentle 

 he made warm friends on every hand who can never forget, "The 

 tender grace of the years that are dead." 



The Mississippi to Atlantic Inland Waterway Association was very 

 proud of his favor. I first met him at Columbus, Ga., some five 

 years ago, when I was elected President. He made a fine speech then 

 and every year thereafter until this, when he sent us a strong and 

 encouraging message since he could not attend our convention. 



From Wm. L. Hall, of the United States Forest Service: 



In 1911, when after years of delay the Government entered upon 

 a policy of acquiring National Forests in the Appalachian Region and 

 I was called upon to take part in the work, I found a most helpful 

 friend and adviser in Doctor McGee. 



The work was new and presented numerous problems. Many in- 

 deed had regarded these problems as so grave and difficult of solu- 

 tion as to question the wisdom of the Government's undertaking the 

 acquisition of such lands at all. The conditions under which we had 

 to work at first were not favorable. Large sums had been made avail- 

 able with but little time to use them. Machinery for the work was 

 lacking. Land owners, in not a few cases realizing this situation, en- 

 deavored to turn it largely to their profit by offering lands at exorbi- 

 tant prices. Manifold chances were presented for unfortunate mis- 

 takes which would quickly have brought the work into question, and 

 blighted the hopes of those who saw in the movement an opportunity 

 to conserve, develop, and rightly utilize the Appalachian Region. 



In this situation I turned for advice and counsel to a number of 

 men who had given deep thought to the welfare of this most inter- 

 esting section. In Doctor McGee I found a man of broad under- 

 standing of the questions involved and of deep sympathy for the 

 plan. No other man with whom I conferred seemed more accurately 

 to appraise the scope of the work which had been undertaken and to 

 fit the work into its place in the conservation movement. He saw 



