The meeting was called to order by President Pruyser. About 40 people were in attendance. The 1973 minutes of the business meeting were accepted as previously printed in the Journal. Walter Houston Clark then read a memorial to Horace Kallen:
In the early days of our Society, when we first began to hold Spring meetings at Columbia University to match the Fall meetings at Harvard, I was introduced to Horace Kallen, the literary executor of William James and then semi-retired. I had known of his reputation as a prominent scholar and was glad to enlist his interest in SSSR. His beautifully clear and incisive language made him a leader in our deliberations, and he always gave generously of his advice and his not inconsiderable administrative abilities in our affairs. We honored him by electing him our President, and it was about this time that he served on the publication committee that voted to establish the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion - principally because Horace persuaded the Kaplan Foundation to give $5000 as a grant with which to start it. Therefore it is with a special sense of loss that we note his death during the summer of 1974. He was in his eighties when he attended his last meeting in Boston and participated in a program featuring past presidents.
It is thus that those who, in their younger days, were strong in the affairs of the Society pass on while an account of their efforts, the Society that they served endures.
Following the reading of the memorial, Clark moved that a copy of the memorial be published in the Journal and also be sent to Professor Kallen's family. Benjamen Nelson moved that an additional copy of the memorial be sent to the Dean of the Graduate School, New School for Social Research, where Kallen had been a faculty member. Both motions passed.
Executive Secretary D'Antonio summarized his annual report (which is elsewhere printed in this Journal). He noted that a total registration of about 2500 appeared at these 1974 meetings, but it is not yet known what proportion of that figure represents registration through SSSR alone. His report was adopted.
Treasurer Mills reported on his budget for 73-74 and included an oral summary of the proposed and adopted 74-75 budget. His report was accepted.
President Pruyser announced that the council terms of Samuel Blizzard and David Moberg had come to an end and that Donald Capps and Robert Friedrichs had been elected as new council members.
He further announced the following:
The creation of the search committee for a new executive secretary.
The various underwriting projects which the council has supported for the encouragement of both research and the publishing of research findings. Specifically, he announced that the council has allocated some funds to underwrite the possible creation of a dissertation-monograph series with Scholars Press.
Vatro Murvar made some announcements regarding the 1975 meetings, of which he is program chairman.
From the floor, discussion arose regarding the wisdom of meeting on an annual basis (as was done in 1974) with AAR, SBL, etc. Arguments on both sides were expressed, and President Pruyser tried to express the sense of the meeting by saying that occasional joint meetings are acceptable to the membership but not as a usual annual thing. More discussion followed. One suggestion made was that meetings be held in the same city and at the same time but in different hotels. Another suggestion was that the member of AAR who is designated social science section leader of the AAR program also be a member of SSSR. Since this is not a decision of SSSR alone, David Moberg moved that the AAR be informed of this discussion and that the SSSR council in 1975 bring up the question of possible long range collaboration. The motion was passed.
Jeff Hadden then suggested that in the next general mailing to the SSSR membership a brief questionnaire be included to determine members' wishes regarding questions of how often we meet with other societies and what such other societies might be. This suggestion also was moved and adopted.
President Pruyser then expressed thanks to Max Stackhouse, who served as 1974 program chairman and to Jan Raymond, his assistant. He also thanked Dr. D'Agostino, who served as local arrangements chairman and Mrs. Murray, his assistant. A note of special thanks was expressed to Lillian D'Antonio for her superb help to the Society, not only at convention time but throughout the year.
Executive Secretary William D'Antonio then moved that a letter of gratitude be sent to the President of the University of Connecticut, President
Glen Ferguson, expressing the Society's appreciation for the help given
it by his university. David Moberg then offered the following resolution
of gratitude.
In acknowledgment of his distinguised fulfillment of the prodigious task of editing the JSSR for the past three years, of publishing 1500 pages of excellent materials, of improving the Journal's appearance, of eliminating delays between the publication and delivery dates, of enduring the unheralded drudgery of dealing with thousands of pages of unpublished manuscripts, of suffering the agony of many decisions about manuscripts on which the reviewers disagreed, and of expending untold energy, fruitful creativity, and good judgment in the entire editorial process, the SSSR hereby expresses its enthusiastic gratitude to Benton Johnson and extends its best wishes for a wealth of delayed gratification for a job well done.