Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science

NECROLOGY Will E. Edington, DePauw University Wilbur Adelman Cogshall Mendon, Michigan Rockford, Illinois February 8, 1874 October 5, 1951 The real history of astronomy in the United States goes back only a little over a century to the founding of the Yale Observatory in 1830. This was followed by the founding of the Harvard Observa- tory in 1839, the U. S. Naval Observatory in 1840, and the University of Cincinnati Observatory in 1843. During the first half of the last century astronomy was taught in many colleges and universities as a part of a junior or senior course in navigation or natural philosophy. The nineteenth century produced not over a dozen Americans who, during that century, made significant contributions to astronomical knowledge, and one of these was Daniel Kirkwood, (1814-1894), who came to Indiana University in 1856 and remained there thirty years. He was sometimes referred to as "The Kepler of America." Kirkwood Observatory at Indiana University was named in his honor. The first Director of Kirkwood Observatory was John A. Miller, (1859- 1946), an Indiana University alumnus, who was Professor of Mathe- matics and Astronomy at Indiana University from 1894 to 1906. During Dr. Miller's directorship graduate study in astronomy was developed and the first A.M. degree in astronomy granted in 1899. It was three years later before the next two advanced degrees were granted and the recipient of one of these was Wilbur Adelman Cogshall, who had come to Indiana University in 1900 as an instructor in mechanics and astronomy. Wilbur Adelman Cogshall was born in Mendon, Michigan, on February 8, 1874. Following the completion of his public school education he entered Albion College and received the B.S. degree in 1895. He spent three of the next four years as an Assistant in the Lowell Observatory at Flagstaff, Arizona. In November, 1900, the Board of Trustees of Indiana University appropriated the money for the instru- ment and the erection of Kirkwood Observatory, and the new building was completed in January, 1901, and the new 12 inch refractor was installed and in use early in February, 1901. Professor Cogshall, who had come to Indiana University in the Fall of 1900, reported on the results of his and Dr. Miller's observations of Mars, at the Fall Meet- ing of the Academy. He spent the year 1903-1904 as a Fellow at the Yerkes Observatory of the University of Chicago and on his return he was promoted to Assistant Professor of Astronomy. In 1906 Dr. 17 18 Indiana Academy of Science Miller left Indiana University to become Director of Sproul Observatory at Swarthmore College and Professor Cogshall succeeded him as Direc- tor of Kirkwood Observatory. In 1908 he was made Associate Pro- fessor of Astronomy and he became a full Professor in 1923. He re- tired in 1944 after forty-four years of distinctive service to Indiana University. Following his retirement he went to Rockford, Illinois, as an ad- viser to an industrial firm in the manufacture of optical equipment for the armed services. In his later years he was a victim of arthritis and he was one of the first arthritis sufferers to be treated with cortisone. His reaction to this treatment was so remarkable that motion pictures were taken of his progress and shown widely to medical societies. He passed away at Rockford on October 5, 1951. Professor Cogshall was one of that outstanding group of astrono- mers including V. M. Slipher, J. C. Duncan, C. 0. Lampland and E. C. Slipher, who received advanced degrees in astronomy from Indiana University. Professor Cogshall became nationally known for his work in locating the center of population of the United States. J. A. Miller and he located it first for 1900 and Dr. Miller reported on it to the Academy in 1901. For the next four decades Professor Cogshall located it and he had hoped to help determine it for 1950, but his illness prevented this. As an astronomer he was known chiefly for his work in solar eclipse observations, although he did some work on double stars and comets. He went to Spain in 1906 with J. A. Miller on an eclipse expedition and while in Europe visited a number of observatories. On another expedition he and Mrs. Cogshall went to> Necrology 19 the Philippines and they visited certain points in China before return- ing. He was either a member of or directed a number of eclipse expeditions in the United States, some of which were outstandingly successful and others total failures because of clouds. Probably his most successful work was on the total eclipse of the sun in 1918 which he observed at Brandon, Colorado. Two of his disappointing expeditions were the total eclipse of 1923, when he set up his instruments at Ensenada, California, and the total eclipse of 1932, when he watched the rain fall at Fryburg, Maine, during the eclipse. Professor Cogshall was a most interesting teacher with a keen sense of humor and a gracious and charming personality. He taught from practical experience and he possessed considerable mechanical ability which was shown in his construction of a reflector telescope which was finally mounted and housed in a building two miles east of Bloomington. He loved to work with students and he was active in the development of the Indiana Union and served on its Board of Directors continuously, except for one year, from the time of its or- ganization until his retirement. For many years he coached the Indiana University cross country team, and he also played on the Faculty team in the annual Senior-Faculty baseball games. He enjoyed association with the young men in his national social fraternity and in 1942 he was presented with the Alpha Tau Omega fifty year mem- bership scroll. One of his principal hobbies was his interest in pedi- greed registered boxer dogs. Professor Cogshall was an active member of the American Astro- nomical Society. He joined the Indiana Academy of Science in 1905, although he presented a paper in 1901, and he was made a Fellow in 1906. He was President of the Academy for 1915. He served on various Academy committees through the years. He published a number of papers in astronomical journals, and he presented fifteen papers before the Academy of which eight were published in the Proceedings. Alden Hervey Hadley Monrovia, Indiana Anderson, Indiana August 6, 1876 February 26, 1951 In the 80's of the last century Indiana was the home of a number of naturalists some of whom were to gain national and international renown. Among these were many whose special interest at one time or another was ornithology, such men as David Starr Jordan, Barton W. Evermann, Willis Blatchley, Stanley Coulter, Amos Butler and Robert W. McBride. The Indiana Audubon Society was founded in 1886 with R. W. McBride as its first president, just a few months after the founding of the Indiana Academy of Science. The conservation of the natural resources of the State became one of the concerns of the Academy, and its early Minutes record numerous Resolutions and Recommendations on bird conservation. It was only natural that interest in bird life should seem important, for the great Audubon had 20 Indiana Academy of Science lived just across the river at Henderson, Kentucky, and his bird studies and paintings included the birds found in Indiana. About the time of the founding of the Academy a small boy, Alden Hervey Hadley, then only nine years old, became intensely interested in bird life. He was born on a farm in Morgan County, just south of Monrovia, on August 6, 1876. He attended the public schools of Mor- gan County, and by the time that he was fifteen years old he had obtained a brass telescope, as a prize for securing new subscriptions to the Youth's Companion, with which he studied birds. Graduating from Monrovia high school, he entered Earlham College and came under the influence of David W. Dennis and with him presented a joint paper on "Notes on the Birds observed in the vicinity of Wayne County, Indiana," published in the Proceedings for 1897 under his own name. However, after two years at Earlham his health failed and his family moved to Florida where he entered Stetson University and was grad- uated. Later he entered the University of Chicago and received a degree there also in 1900. Earlier he had done some study at Guilford College, in North Carolina, and while still in his teens he had spent some time off the coast of Punta Gorda, Florida, on a sponge fishing boat. Later he traveled thousands of miles on bird studies, exploring the Kankakee Swamp in Indiana before its drainage, and spending a number of months in the upper St. John's marshes in Florida and in the Everglades. Following several years of planning the National Association of Audubon Societies for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals was founded in 1905, and Mr. Hadley, having definitely become a profes- sional ornithologist, became in time Director of Education of the National Audubon Society in New York. In 1924 he joined the Indiana Department of Conservation but two years later he returned to the National Audubon Society as a traveling representative. He went to Florida in 1935 to organize a program of conservation education and to become an extension lecturer for the University of Florida. In 1941 he returned to Indiana, making Mooresville his home, and joined the State Department of Conservation. During the next ten years he de- voted most of his time to traveling over the State giving lectures before public school groups, colleges, universities, luncheon clubs, women's clubs, and garden societies.

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