The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-12-28
HONoRED FOR SERVICE
TO GEOGRAPHY

III GtU6RApKl
Washington. y. c.. Dec, Elm rec
ognttion of eminent service "for the
Increase and difYusion of geographic
knowledge eight men have been
awarded life membership In the Ma
tional Geographic Society 1t was an
nounced today. follow ing n meeting OF
the society's board OF managers at Its
Washington headquarters
The comforting OF this honor upon
mon who have rendered distinguished
service In the geographic field Was
made possible b ythe Jane NJ, Smith
life membership fund, created when
Miss Jane NJ. Smith. of Pittsburgh.
Pa, beQueathad fund OF 5000, tho
income OF which. she stipulated. should
he used to elect life members To the
National Geographic society.
The eight men were thus elected
life members of the society are: Will
liam r. Holmes Rear Admiral Joseph
Strauss, L. s. N: r. W. Nelson Frank
q, Carpenter. Professor Robert F.
Griees. Walter r. Swingle. 0. r. Cook.
Stephen r. Mather.
Only five other life membership
have been awarded previously under
the provisions Of Miss Smiths beauest,
those beiffg to Hiram Bingham. Al
fred II. Brooks, william H. Dali,
George KEENAN, and Henry Pittier.
Reasons underlying the choice OF
the eight men whose names were an
nounced today reveal a fascinating
story OF geographic achievement
ranging from the Introduction OF the
ineect which made California fig-grow-
ing practicable. to the studies which
made possible the laying OF the North
Sea Mine Rarrage
! Ono of the recipients. Prof. Robert
+. GrigKs. WAS included for discover
ing something new to the eye of man
| on this globe, the now famous valley
Of ten thousand smokes, in Alaska,
! Another. O. r. Cook. was elected be-
| cause he had part In digging up a
+, lost city, Machu picchu, which re-
vealed such pre- Columbian secrets as
ifs magnificent monuments and the
hanging gardens where It Is thought
the humble potato originated.
| 1t was Waiter r. Swingle whose
| name ever will be associated with the
American raising OF Smyrna figs, for,
until he introduced the insect reces-
sary for fertilization OF this variety, at
! Fresno, Cal, In 1899, the imported
fig trees grew, but bore no fruit Mr..
Swingle also devised numerous i'm :
provements to microscopes, made aC-
riculturai explorations In many lands.
originated Citranees by Adjudication,
, In Florida. and introduced the date
palm, pistachio nut and other plants
OF Mediterranean origin into the
United States
Checking Gc-manys U-boat war
fare BY the North Sea- harrage Is uni
vnrsaily accounted to have been q ma
5or factor in the allied victory, Pre-
li,ninary to this gigantic task n need
full element to the success or the on.
Grafton was study of the geography
OF the North Sea region--a study made
! by Rear Admiral Joseph Strauss Be-
sides this recent mark of distinction.
Admiral Strauss already was known
FOR his invention ~ the superposed tur.
ret system OF mounting guns on bat
tleships for his part in the blockade
! OF the Cuban coast. fer his expert
| mental work in torpedoea, and for his
writings on ordnance and ba!listics
Known TO e-~'Y student of animal
life Is the work OF Edward w. Nelson
chief Of the L. s. Biological survey
who has contributed notably to the in
Formation concerning animal life OF
North America from the time when
he conducted l<oneer scientific explor-
atoms In Alaska. forty years ago, to
his more recent expectations to ex.
anime the zoology and botany of Mex-
leo Results of n major line of his
investigations have been published by
the National Geographic society In a
volume entitled wild Animals OF
North America
/ No fess important than the increase
OF geogra phic knowledge. the Nationa,
Geogra phfc society has always held
Is It's dinusion and on this basic, es-
Eeciafiy. recognition was accorded
Frank @ Carpenter. First as a news
paper correspondent. later ga travel
writer, and also as an autlncr OF some
remarkable school Biographies Mfr.
Carpenter stimulated interest In geo.
graphic knowledge. and made intel
! ligtble to the general public q vast
amount of informative data
| Like the ear Ter award made TO
Hiram Bingham, Prof Griggs was
honored for service rendered to science
while Mt the head of a National Geo
graphic society expedition. Prot
Griggs has led all five Of the sooiety's
expeditions to Mt. Katmai. the world 4
largest volcano, in Alaska. and In ad :
dition to the valuable data these expe-
Editions brought back. distinctive
achievement was the discovery OF the
! valley OF ten thousand smokes" "A
patch OF this globe In the making
, which has not only unique scientific
interest. but is O phenomenon of such
socnic beauty that II has been set aside
by presidential proclamation. as a ma :
tton1l monument.
William Henry Holmes. now head
curator. anthropology. National MI
scum. has left his impress both in
science and art. in the former field
his work in ethnology, archaeology. and
geology all have valuable geogrnp hical
bearings.
In recognition OF his substantial
service In the upbuilding OF the ma
tional park system. OF the marked i'm
petus he has given to interest IN our
own natural beauties and wonders.
and his success in making Of these,
national play places popular resorts