AWARDS OF CERTIFICATES OF MERIT AT THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY MEETING

As ONE FEATURE of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Botanical Society of America, the Society authorized the awarding of Certificates of Merit to fifty persons who were judged to have made outstanding contributions in botanical science. A committee was appointed by past-president Tippo in December of 1955 to handle this matter. In addition to the writer, who served as chairman, the following persons were members of this committee: Ronald Bamford, University of Maryland; Norman Boke, University of Oklahoma; Pierre Dansereau, University of Montreal; James Jensen, Iowa State College; Rodgers McVaugh, National Science Foundation; and Donald Rogers, New York Botanical Garden. Nominations for these awards were solicited not only from members of the committee itself, but also from members and friends of the Society. A notice requesting the submission of such nominations was published in the April issue of the Plant Science Bulletin where it was assumed that it would come generally to the attention of members of the Society. Nearly two hundred persons were nominated for these awards; most of the nominations were accompanied by a statement of the qualifications of the nominee for such a distinction. From among these nominees the fifty recipients of the awards were selected by group judgment of the entire committee as expressed through a series of ballots. An appropriate citation was also prepared by members of the committee for each recipient. The committee also had the responsibility of designing and having printed a suitable certificate to be presented to each of the recipients. In this matter we were greatly assisted by the advice and counsel of Savoie Lottinville of the University of Oklahoma Press and James Hendrickson of William E. Rudge's Sons of New York City. Announcement of the awards, together with a reading of the appropriate citations, was made a prominent feature of the program at the annual banquet of the Society held at the University of Connecticut on August 29, 1956. All recipients had been notified in advance of their selection and it was gratifying that approximately half of them could be present on this occasion to receive the award in person. In concluding this brief account, it may be appropriate to add that the committee is under no illusion that it has selected the fifty outstanding botanists of this continent. This would be a task beyond human capabilities. In the committee's judgment, however, all recipients are highly deserving of the recognition which has been given them. Since it is the intention of the Society that the practice of making such awards, on a smaller scale, will be continued for future meetings, other botanists deserving such a distinction will undoubtedly be so recognized in the years to come.' Following is the list of the recipients of these awards and the accompanying citations: HENRY ARDELL ALLARD, for his pioneer investigations of photoperiodism in plants and for his long continued contributions to our knowledge of this phenomenon and to other areas of botanical science. EDGAR ANDERSON, for his extensive contributions to the general problems of evolution; including the species problem, self-sterility, and particularly his sponsorship of the idea of introgressive hybridization. DIXON LLOYD BAILEY, discerning analyst and interpreter of the concepts of plant pathology, enriching influence in the lives of his associates, and outstanding contributor to the vigor of scientific study in Canada. IRVING WIDMER BAILEY, plant anatomist and inspiring teacher, for his outstanding contributions on the structure of the cell wall and the histology of the cambium, and for his application of anatomy and morphology to problems of evolution of angiosperms. HARLEY HARRIS BARTLETT, for his unflagging support and encouragement of the whole field of botany and its students, and for his diverse contributions to paleobotany, enthnobotany, ecology and systematics. GEORGE WELLS BEADLE, for his long list of contributions to the cytogenetics of Zea mays and Drosophila and the tremendous impetus he has lately given to the field of physiological and chemical genetics, particularly in Neurospora. ERNST ATHEARN BESSEY, who with an undeviating zeal for accuracy has fashioned our generation's magisterial presentation of the science of mycology. SIDNEY FAY BLAKE, for his scholarly contributions to the taxonomy of the Compositae and other vascular plants, and to our knowledge of the floras of the world. EMMA LUCY BRAUN, for her contribution to our knowledge of the origin and structure of the Eastern American deciduous forest. Her criti-