The enlarged headquarters of the Oceanographic Society, 17 Battery Place, New York City, was the scene of the annual meeting of the Society when John H. Thomas was elected president. This election confirmed the earlier special meeting elections following the death of the president, Lloyd Dalzell. Mr. Thomas is president of John H. Thomas, Inc., ocean engineers and marine consultants, Tarrytown, N.Y. The Oceanographic Society is an incorporated non-profit organization devoted to advancing the exploitative values of the marine sciences for human betterment.
In his acceptance speech, which supplemented the program developed since the special meeting, he confirmed that the Society would continue their student information program, encourage re-evaluation of merchant marine officer training programs, expand their affiliations with correspondents now numbering 47 in countries throughout the world, and continue site evaluation for the world center of oceanography.
Mr. Thomas also expanded upon the progress achieved as a result of the $50,000 evaluation study and program proposal for a world center of oceanography published by the Society in 1965. He exhibited to the board the recent topographic and cartographic workups relating to the present site evaluations.
Elections were also held to fill the vacancies resulting from the expiring terms of the following trustees: Dr. R. Buckminster Fuller, Dr. Athelstan Spilhaus, Adm. John M. Will, USN, (ret.), as well as the vacancy caused by the death of trustee and founding president, Homer H. Evans Jr.
The new trustees elected were: Capt. Richard A. Cahill, Comdr. William D. Derr, USCG, Max C. McLean, Ted A. Short, and Robert J. Lawton, who was also elected secretary. Mr. McLean also was elected vice-president.