Canon Guilbert Elected Historical Society President
Diocesan Press Service. June 23, 1975 [75236]
AUSTIN, Tex. -- The Rev. Canon Charles M. Guilbert, San Francisco, was elected President of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church in its annual meeting held in Austin, Texas, May 31, 1975. Canon Guilbert succeeds Mr. Dupuy Bateman, Jr., who had served one term and declined reelection.
Also elected were Dean Roland Foster of General Theological Seminary. vice president, the Rev. Frank Sugeno, secretary, and the Rev. Frank Doremus. treasurer.
Elected to the Board of Directors were: Dr. Nelson Burr, Bishop Robert F. Gibson, Dr. Stanford E. Lehmberg , the Rev. Massey H. Shepherd, Jr. , the Very Rev. Preston Wiles, the Rev. John F. Woolverton, Dr. Charles Lee, and Mr. Bateman.
Canon Guilbert, long a member of the Board, recently retired as Secretary-Treasurer of the General Convention. He is now resident in San Francisco.
During the meeting the Society heard the report of the Archivist of the Episcopal Church, Dr. V. Nelle Bellamy. She reported that the work of expanding the facilities of the Archives in Austin has been completed and that the work of cataloguing of books and records is preceding satisfactorily. Notable among these are the William Scarlett Papers which are now ready for researchers and scholars, the Japan Papers of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society papers and records from 1820 -1919, and National Council and Executive Council records.
Dr. Bellamy also reported that with the assistance of the staff of the Executive Council and the services of a staff member of the United Presbyterian Church Department of History and Archives. a Records Management Program has been established at 815 Second Avenue, whereby the papers and records of the Executive Council and the General Convention will be in manageable form when they are sent to the Archives in Austin.
The Historical Society is involved in plans for a Bicentennial Exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Fine Arts during the 1976 General Convention. A photographic display of early documents of the Episcopal Church in America will be included, as will be memorabilia and artifacts of Church leaders of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Dr. Bellamy reported that the Archives is in constant use by scholars and serious researchers. Completion of installation of additional equipment and cataloguing of needed documents has made the work of research easier.
The Society in its meeting heard a progress report from its ad hoc Long Range Planning Committee. The added space made available by the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, with the furniture and equipment purchased by grants from the Friends of the Archives, has made possible a greater degree of preservation of valuable papers and documents. It is expected the space available will be completely filled by 1984 at which time other quarters, or additional space, must be. sought. An additional staff member will be needed during the coming year but space does not allow for more professional staff at this time.
The Long Range Planning Committee reported that the location of the Archives is important and should be in or near a theological seminary with a good library. A nearby university with a good department of history is also to be desired.
The Historical Society receives the major portion of its funds from the General Convention under a contract for archival preservation and maintenance. The dues of members provide the publishing costs of THE HISTORICAL MAGAZINE, a quarterly journal of interest to historians. Friends of the Archives, an unorganized group of interested supporters of the Society, last year provided funds for new equipment and supplies, and for some of the costs of cataloguing and indexing. It is hoped this source of income can be developed and that an endowment fund can be raised to provide greater support for the work of the Society.
The Society's meeting recessed May 21 to reconvene in Portland, Oregon, June 25, for a concurrent meeting with diocesan and parish historians.