ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS DURING 1997-98

The Society had a quieter year than in 1996-97, but it has as usual awarded grants, prizes and a scholarship, and it has continued with its publications programme, with its support for Leeds City Museums and Art Galleries and for the University of Leeds Department of Music, and with its programme of events for members.

Innovations during 1997-98 included the first award of the Arthur Chadwick Memorial Prize, instituted in memory of Dr A.C. Chadwick, Secretary of the Society from 1977 to 1996, and President from 1995 until his death in May 1997; and a more ambitious form of Annual General Meeting (held at the Leeds Club), when the business meeting itself was followed by a reception, buffet, and guest lecture. Details of these and other activities are set out below.

Scholarships, prizes and grants

The Society continued to provide a research scholarship at the University of Leeds; the holder during 1997-98, Alex James Clark of the School of Chemistry, successfully completed the third year of his doctoral studies and is now close to submitting his thesis.

The first Arthur Chadwick Memorial Prize was awarded to Philip Smith, a finalist in the University of Leeds School of Biology.
The Society's annual prize for modern languages was awarded to Linda Griffin of the University of Leeds Department of East Asian Studies.

During session 1997-98 special grants were awarded to the following:

• The Yorkshire branch of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, towards the costs of a public lecture on artificial intelligence delivered by Professor Kevin Warwick.
• The Leeds International Medieval Congress, in the form of bursaries enabling a number of postgraduate students from Eastern Europe to attend the 1998 meeting.
• The Leeds branch of the National Osteoporosis Society, towards the costs of distributing educational resource packs to Leeds schools.
• David Cantor, towards the costs of his place on the Cambridge Jatumpamba Cloudforest Project in Ecuador.
• the Howler Monkey Bilsa Rainforest 1998 Expedition.
• The University of Leeds Department of German, to support the publication of a collection of essays entitled Cousins at One Remove: Anglo-German Studies, 2 [to be paid in 1998-99].

Publications

One publication was issued during 1997-98:  The Use of Nidderdale Marble and Other Crinoidal Limestones in Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire, by Keith Blacker and Murray Mitchell, which formed Vol. XII, Part 1, of the Scientific Section of the Proceedings of the Society.

Support for University of Leeds concerts

The Society continued its financial support for the Department of Music's programme of concerts and recitals. As usual, the name of the Society, as sponsor, was attached to one of the evening concerts, and members of Society were particularly invited. The concert in question, given by the Department of Music Orchestra directed by Eno Koço, featured music by Weill, Lutoslawski and Shostakovitch.

Other events for Members

As mentioned above, the Annual General Meeting of December 1997 was held in the spacious surroundings of the Leeds Club. The formal business was followed by a reception and buffet for members and their guests, and then by an illustrated lecture by Dr Evelyn Silber, Director of the Leeds City Museum and Art Galleries, on the work of the sculptor Henri Gaudier-Breszka. Two special visits for members were also arranged in the course of the year: to the site of the excavation, in Leeds, of the ancient King's Mill, and to Lotherton Hall, where members were able to picnic in the grounds after viewing the house and its collections after normal visiting hours.

Support for Leeds City Museum and Art Galleries

The Society was represented by the Secretary, Dr John Lydon, at meetings of the City Council's Museum Steering Group, which is debating issues surrounding the future of the Museum. Dr Silber, the Director of the City Museum and Art Galleries, was also invited to address the Society's Council on the subject. In addition the Society made a grant towards the publication costs of the first issue of the Leeds Museums and Galleries Review, which was distributed free of charge to all members of the Society.