MEMOIR OF CHARLES EMERSON BEECHER 543 



of Dana's classes at Yale, and in 1892 he was made Assistant Professor 

 of Historical Geology in the Sheffield Scientific School, serving in this 

 capacity until 1897, when he became Professor of Historical Geology and 

 a member of the governing board in the Sheffield Scientific School. In 

 1899 he succeeded the late Professor Marsh as curator of the geological 

 collections, and was made a member of and secretary to the board of 

 trustees of the museum. In 1902 his title was changed to that of Univer- 

 sity Professor of Paleontology. He was eminently successful as a teacher, 

 both with undergraduates and with advanced students, his enthusiasm 

 and kindliness of character at once arousing their interest and devotion. 



Beecher received the degree of Ph. D. from Yale in 1889, his thesis be- 

 ing a memoir on the Ordovician Braehiospongidse. In 1899 he was elected 

 a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a foreign correspond- 

 ent of the Geological Society of London. In 1900 he was elected Presi- 

 dent of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, and filled this 

 office for two years. He was also a member of the American Association 

 of Conchologists, Geological Society of Washington, Boston Society of 

 Natural History, and Malacological Society of London. 



Some time before Beecher was graduated from the University of Mich- 

 igan, the desire of his youth to follow as his life's work the study of fossils 

 became a conviction. The year before his graduation he is seen worship- 

 ping at the shrine at Albany, where many another paleontologist had 

 preceded him on the same errand. Clarke describes Beecher's introduc- 

 tion at Albany in the following interesting way : 



"Ona hot summer day in 1877, pale with weariness, he staggered with pack on 

 back into the laboratory of Professor James Hall at Albany. He had sought what 

 to him had seemed the fountainhead of knowledge of his fossils. It had been the 

 goal of many a youthful dream to show to the author of the Paleontology of New 

 York the treasures he had found. The great and keen-eyed Hall ever had an 

 appreciative reception for such endeavor. With the most friendly concern he 

 refreshed and nursed this acolyte, and, when strength had returned, expressed a 

 lively interest in his efforts and his ambitions. On going away Beecher had 

 promised to come back to Albany when his college course was done and join Hall's 

 corps of workers on paleontology. So, in the summer of 1878, the year of his grad- 

 uation, he became assistant to Professor Hall, entered upon his work, and was 

 received with genuine enthusiasm." 



Beginning with the summer of 1880 and continuing into 1883, he read, 

 according to a list still extant, more than 18,000 pages of standard liter- 

 ature. During the 10 years with Hall he assisted very largely in the 

 preparation of the Paleontology of New York, treating of the Lamelli- 

 branchiata, Gasteropoda, Cephalopoda, and Bryozoa; and to a less extent 

 on the volumes pertaining to the Pteropoda and corals. These were great 

 days of preparation and they bore most valuable fruit later on. 



