This information is from the four histories of the Idaho Academy of Science. The histories of the first, second, third and fourth decades were compiled by M. Jerome Bigelow and Earl J. Larrison (first decade), Alvin R. Aller (second decade), Harry Fritchman and Alvin Aller (third decade), and Jack Dalton (fourth decade). See the note at the end of this page for more information.
Academies of Science were well-established and flourishing in many states by the middle of the 20th century, but Idaho, with its scattered pockets of population and its exhausting distances had not yet organized such an Academy. In the Fifties, however, there was a rapid change in this picture. The tremendous scientific establishment of the National Reactor Testing Station or "NRTS" (later named the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory or "INEEL") was built in the Upper Snake River desert. More and more sophisticated industries were settling in Idaho; technology was becoming research-oriented. Two waves of GI-Bill students had "washed over" the Colleges and University [singular, because there was only one in Idaho then], leaving previously undreamed-of scientific and technological capability in terms of new faculty and facilities. Finally, the scientific preeminence of the United States was under serious challenge by the Soviet Union with the launch of its first Sputnik.
On Saturday, May 10, 1958, a group of about fifty scientists and educators met in the Science Building of [then] Boise Junior College to organize an Idaho Academy of Science. The meeting was temporarily chaired by William H. Baker of the University of Idaho, who explained the purpose of the meeting and asked for an expression of the intention of the body. It was moved, seconded, and unanimously passed that an Idaho Academy of Science be established. The following officers were then elected:
William H. Baker, University of Idaho - Temporary President
Gordon Dixon, Ricks College - Temporary Vice President
Paul W. Healy, NRTS - Temporary Secretary-Treasurer
A Committee was appointed to prepare a Constitution and By-Laws; Earl Larrison was Chairman; Alvin Aller and Gordon Dixon were also members.
The attendance list of the organizational meeting on May 10, 1958:
Alvin R. Aller, Northwest Nazarene College, Nampa (Biological Science)
Frederick D. Baker, Idaho State College, Pocatello (Bacteriology)
H. Fred Baldridge, Meridian High School, Meridian (Biology)
Charles H. Barnstein, Idaho State College, Pocatello (Pharmacy)
Harold J. Beach, Mountain Home High School, Mountain Home (Chemistry)
Bernice Bjornson, Boise High School, Boise
Elsie M. Buck, Boise Junior College, Boise (Mathematics)
Archer B. Carpenter, Boise (Weather Bureau)
Janet M. Cruikshank, Wendell High School, Wendell
L. E. Davis, Boise High School, Boise
Robert Day, Carey High School, Carey (Science)
Dorothy D. Faris, Idaho State College, Pocatello (Microbiology)
DeLance F. Franklin, Parma (University of Idaho Experimental Station)
Harry K. Fritchman II, Boise Junior College, Boise (Biological Science)
John J. Gallagher, Pocatello
Aurthur R. Gittins, University of Idaho, Moscow (Entomology)
Stanford Harrison, Emmett High School, Emmett (Physics)
Gilbert J. Hunt, College of Idaho, Caldwell (Chemistry)
A. Isotoff, Idaho State College, Pocatello (Geology)
Earl J. Larrison, University of Idaho, Moscow (Zoology)
A. L. Lillibridge, Idaho State College, Pocatello (Engineering)
Lyle J. Lowder, Ricks College, Rexburg, (Biological Sciences)
S. R. Meadows, Idaho State College, Pocatello (Physics)
Clifford Miller, Boise High School, Boise (Chemistry)
John C. Murphy, Idaho State College, Pocatello (Biological Sciences)
D. J. Obee, Boise Junior College, Boise (Biological Sciences)
Edward W. Owens, Aberdeen (University of Idaho Experimental Station)
Cecil P. Pollard, Boise High School, Boise (Biology)
Lorin W. Roberts, University of Idaho, Moscow (Biological Sciences)
J. H. Roblyer, College of Idaho, Caldwell
Lydia Rogers, Cambridge High School, Cambridge (Mathematics and Science)
R. Robert Romanko, Parma (University of Idaho Experimental Stations)
William E. Saul, Idaho State College, Pocatello (Botany)
William L. Smallwood, Mountain Home High School, Mountain Home (Biology)
J. B. Spulnik, Boise Junior College, Boise (Chemistry)
Jeanne G. Sterns, Boise Junior College, Boise (Physics)
A. E. Taylor, Idaho State College, Pocatello (Chemistry)
Harold M. Tucker, College of Idaho, Caldwell (Biology)
Ralph R. Wilson, Idaho State College, Pocatello (Forestry)
The Second Organizational Meeting was held on Saturday, November 1, 1958, again at Boise Junior College. The Constitution was unanimously adopted, committees were appointed and a membership drive was planned. Following an evening banquet, Morlin Nelson presented an illustrated talk on falconry.
A list of known (and probable) charter members is presented below. Additions and corrections to this list should be submitted to the IAS Historian or Executive Director.
Loring Beals, Morlan W. Nelson, Robert D. Bratz, Harold K. Nielsen, Franklin Cole, Donald J. Obee, Lorin W. Roberts, William E. Saul, N. Marie Higgins, William L. Smallwood, Gilbert J. Hunt, Duane LeTourneau, Edmund E. Tylutki
Dean Allen, Leland Hepworth, Frederick Baker, Allen J. Hollenbeck, H. Fred Baldridge, George H. Hunter, Charles H. Barnstein, Junius Larsen, Harold J. Beach, Lyle J. Lowder, Aldrich Bowler, Norman Mayer, Elmer J. Burleigh, John C. McCarter, Archer B. Carpenter, George A. McHugh, Jeannette Collins, Henry L. McMurry, Janet M. Cruikshank, Clifford Miller, Clyde Davis, Cornielia Munroe, John E. Davis, J.E. O'Connell, L. E. Davis, Dale Orkney, Robert Day, Lorentz C. Pearson, Mickey Dean, Cecil P. Pollard, John E. Evans, Alfred M. Popma, Delance F. Franklin, Lydia Rogers, John J. Gallagher, R. Robert Romanko, J. H. Gipson, Jr., Charles W. Steffens, C. M. Goethe, James J. Swisher, Jr., Ross S. Hadfield, Donald Tillotson, Stanford Harrison, James N. Werry, Paul W. Healy, Ralph Wilson, Philip A. Heft, Mary V. Zaehringer, Edwin Fast, John L. McMullen
| Year | Institution, Location | Presiding President |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 (May) | Organized, Boise Junior College, Boise, Idaho | William H. Baker |
| 1958 (Nov.) | Boise Junior College, Boise, Idaho | Willam H. Baker |
| 1959 | University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho | William H. Baker |
| 1960 (April) | Idaho State College, Pocatello, Idaho | William H. Baker |
| 1960 (Dec.) | University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho | Albert E. Taylor |
| 1961 | The College of Idaho, Caldwell, Idaho | Albert E. Taylor |
| 1962 | University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho | Donald J. Obee |
| 1963 | Northwest Nazarene College, Nampa, Idaho | H. Walter Steffens |
| 1964 | Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho | Lyle M. Stanford |
| 1965 | Boise College, Boise, Idaho | Ray J. Davis |
| 1966 | University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho | Malcolm Renfrew |
| 1967 | The College of Idaho, Caldwell, Idaho | Boyd Henry |
| 1968 | Ricks College, Rexburg, Idaho | Gordon Dixon |
| 1969 | Northwest Nazarene College, Nampa, Idaho | Gilbert Ford |
| 1970 | Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho | William Saul |
| 1971 | University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho | Edmund Tylutki |
| 1972 | Boise State College, Boise, Idaho | Harry K. Fritchman |
| 1973 | College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls, Idaho | Ruthann LeBaron |
| 1974 | Ricks College, Rexburg, Idaho | Lorentz Pearson |
| 1975 | The College of Idaho, Caldwell, Idaho | John Wilmorth |
| 1976 | Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, Idaho | William N. Laval |
| 1977 | Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho | Alan Linder |
| 1978 | Northwest Nazarene College, Nampa, Idaho | Darrell L. Marks |
| 1979 | University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho | Jean'ne Shreeve |
| 1980 | Boise State University, Boise, Idaho | Jack L. Dalton |
| 1981 | College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls, Idaho | Mary Jane Fisher |
| 1982 | Ricks College, Rexburg, Idaho | Edmund Williams |
| 1983 | The College of Idaho, Caldwell, Idaho | Donna L. Parsons |
| 1984 | Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, Idaho | Ross Floyd |
| 1985 | Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho | Rodney R. Seeley |
| 1986 | Northwest Nazarene College, Nampa, Idaho | Francis A. Sharpton |
| 1987 | University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho | Duane LeTourneau |
| 1988 | Boise State University, Boise, Idaho | Russell J. Centanni |
| 1989 | INEL/Eastern Idaho Technical College, Idaho Falls, Idaho | Philip A. Anderson |
| 1990 | College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls, Idaho | Frances Golding |
| 1991 | Ricks College, Rexburg, Idaho | Lorentz Pearson |
| 1992 | Albertson College of Idaho, Caldwell, Idaho | William H. Clark |
| 1993 | Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, Idaho | Ron Stoffer |
| 1994 | Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho | Joan McCune |
| 1995 | Northwest Nazarene College, Nampa, Idaho | David A. Redfield |
| 1996 | University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho | Arthur R. Gittins |
| 1997 | INEL/E. Idaho Technical College, Idaho Falls, Idaho | Evan E. Filby |
| 1998 | Boise State University, Boise, Idaho | Edward R. Matjeka |
| 1999 | North Idaho College, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho | A. Dale Marcy |
| 2000 | College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls, Idaho | Rexford K. Widener |
| 2001 | Albertson College of Idaho, Caldwell, Idaho | Donald H. Mansfield |
| 2002 | BYU - Idaho, Rexburg, Idaho | Jerry Scrivner |
| 2003 | Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, Idaho | Brent Bradberry |
| 2004 | Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho | René Rodriguez |
| 2005 | Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho | Thomas E. Mangum |
| 2006 | University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho | J. D. Wulfhorst |
| 2007 | Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho | Richard D. Boardman |
Note: The presiding president was not necessarily from the hosting institution until 1966.
The preceding historical information was excerpted from the historical sketches of the IAS published on its 10th, 20th 30th and 40th anniversaries and several other sources. Limited copies of the three original historical publications are still in print. There is a good supply of the fourth one from the Academy's 40th Anniversary celebration in 1998 at Boise State University. Photocopies are available (at a small cost) and can be requested from the IAS Executive Director at:
909 Lucille Ave.
Pocatello, ID 83201-2542
or via e-mail at: IdAcadSci@aol.com.
For more information, contact:
Idaho Academy of Science
909 Lucille Ave.
Pocatello, ID 83201-2542
Phone: (208) 234-7001
E-mail: IdAcadSci@aol.com