"III. That a committee be appointed, who shall attend these meetings, take up collections, etc."
(Committee: Rev. J. A. Duncan, D. D., Rev. A. G. Brown, and Richard Irby, Esq.)
It was resolved that a committee be appointed to mature a plan for the further prosecution of this work, and report to an adjourned meeting at Ashland in June, 1874.
It was resolved that any contributor of $20,000 shall have the privilege of naming a professorship in the College.
It does not appear on the record that any direct and decided benefit resulted from this convention, but it kept the subject before the people, and doubtless bore good fruit in after times.
[Illustration: JOHN T. MOORE, Of the Virginia Conference; Sutherlin
Medalist, 1874.]
At the annual meeting, June, 1874, it was found that, by inadvertence, the amendment to the charter approved April 9, 1874, contained a clause which read as follows:
"[Section] 14. That the said Board of Trustees shall never be less than twenty-four nor more than forty-four, one of whom shall be elected by the Board president thereof; provided, also, that no member of the Faculty or Board of Instruction in the College shall be a member of the Board of Trustees."
This vacated the office of the president of the Board, inasmuch as Dr. Duncan was a member of the Faculty. Steps were taken to have the above clause stricken out by the Legislature.
[Illustration: [Portrait of Thomas Branch, inscribed "Tho. Branch", and captioned "Trustee 1846 President Board of Trustees 1877.">[]