The Annual Medal Day Exercises of The Franklin Institute were held on Wednesday, October 19, 1949 in the Benjamin Franklin Memorial Hall. There were approximately 300 persons who attended the dinner and the presentation of the awards. Twenty three of our former medalists were among the guests present.
Prior to the dinner, a reception in honor of the 1949 Medalists was held in the rooms adjoining the Memorial Hall.
The Medal Day Exercises opened with Mr. Guy Marriner, Director of Musicat The Franklin Institute, playing the National Anthem. Mr. Richard T. Nalle, President, officiated at the ceremonies.
The Stated Monthly meeting of The Franklin Institute was held in conjunction with the Medal Day Exercises but the minutes of the previous meeting were not read since they had been printed in full in the JOURNAL. Mr. Nalle reported that Dr. Svedberg had been nominated by the Board of Managers for Honorary Membership in The Franklin Institute, he therefore presented his name to the membership for voting. A motion was made, approved and carried out in parlimentary procedure and Dr. Svedberg was elected to Honorary Membership in The Franklin Institute.
Two of our honored medalists, Dr. The Svedberg of Sweden, and Dr. William Hume-Rothery, of England were unable to be present and their awards were presented in absentia. Mr. Ingemar HAggl6f, Counselor of the Swedish Embassy in Washington, received the award for Dr. Svedberg and Dr. W. A. Macfarlane, Scientific Attach6 of the British Embassy received the award for Dr. Hume-Rothery.
Mr. William Hulse Millspaugh had arrived in Philadelphia with the hope of being present at the presentation of his award but was stricken seriously ill and taken directly to the hospital. Dr. Henry B. Allen, Executive Vice President and Secretary of the Institute, acted as Mr. Millspaugh's proxy.
Dr. Allen presented a short paper on "The Franklin Institute in 1949" and Mr. J. Burton Nichols delivered Dr. Svedberg's address "Giant Molecules in Solution." These papers and the entire proceedings will be printed in full in a subsequent issue of the JOURNAL OF THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE.