University of Virginia Library

A called meeting of the Board was held on this date in the President's Office at 11 o'clock
with the following present: the Rector, R. Gray Williams, and Visitors Corbitt, Garnett, Goolrick,
Rinehart and Lewis C. Williams, and President Newcomb.

Minutes of the previous meeting, which had been copied and mailed to the members, were approved.

The President made the following announcements:

ENROLLMENT TO DATE 2965.

GIFTS:

         

From the Trustees of the Carnegie Corporation of New York through the American Association for Adult Education for the support of a special publications project in adult education to be undertaken by the University of Virginia	$ 7,500.00
From the General Education Board, for use at the Mountain Lake Biological Station, during the five-year period beginning January 1, 1941	11,800.00
From the General Education Board, for use at the Blandy Experimental Farm, during the period ending December 31, 1941	45,000.00
From the General Education Board, for the purchase of books and library materials in the graduate field of Economics, during the two-year period beginning approximately February 1, 1941	5,000.00
Under the will of the late Kate Willard Boyd, bequeathed in memory of her late husband, John C. Boyd, a graduate of the University of Virginia the sum of	5,000.00

RESIGNATION OF PROFESSOR ARTHUR  FICKENSCHER :

The President announced that Prof.  Fickenscher  had reached the retiring age during this
session and had tendered his resignation to take effect at its close. The following resolution was
adopted:

CHANGE IN TITLE PROFESSOR EARL G. MELLOR:

Upon the recommendation of the President the following was adopted:

PROPOSAL FOR WIDENING RUGBY ROAD:

The President presented a proposal from the City of Charlottesville for the widening of
Rugby Road. Same was considered and the Board was unanimous in its disapporval of this proposal,
and authorized the Buildings and Grounds Committee to carry on further negotiations until a satisfactory
proposal is received.

LITTLE STONY GAME AND FISH PRESERVE, INC. - DEED TO STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT:

The President presented a deed to the meeting by the State Department of Highways by which
a right of way is conveyed by Little Stony Game and Fish Preserve, Inc., over the property of said
corporation in Giles County heretofore leased to the University by contract dated August 26, 1932,
and upon which tract of land the University's Mountain Lake Biological Station is located. Said
deed contains a clause by which The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia unites in said
conveyance and releases to the Department of Highways or to the Commonwealth of Virginia all right,
title and interest held by it in and to the strip of land conveyed by said deed for highway purposes
by virtue of its lease aforesaid.

It was thereupon,

BLANDY EXPERIMENTAL FARM - FOX HUNTING THEREON NOT PERMITTED:

The President presented a communication from the Committee in charge of the Farm with respect
to permitting fox hunting thereon, to the effect that to permit such hunting would seriously interfere
with the operation thereof. The President stated that he was in agreement with the Committee in the

matter, and, upon motion, duly made and seconded, it was

DR. ROBERT M. BIRD - BEQUEST TO THE UNIVERSITY:

Mr. Perkins appeared before the meeting and read two letters from Mr. William S. D. Woods, who
is a son-in-law of the late Dr. Robert Montgomery Bird. One of these letters is addressed to President
John L. Newcomb, under date of January 15th, 1941, and the other to W. Allan Perkins under date of
January 24, 1941. In these two letters Mr. Woods calls attention to the will of Dr. Robert Montgomery
Bird which Mr. Perkins stated was drawn by Dr. Bird at a time when he thought that he would leave a very
considerable estate. The will is very complicated in its provisions and provides, among other things,
that Dr. Bird's estate shall be held by Trustees, and the income be paid to his widow, Mrs. Carrie Reid
Bird, during her life. Upon her death one-third of the estate is to be paid to Dr. Bird's son, Robert,
one third to be held in trust for the benefit of Dr. Bird's sister, Miss Mary Harrison Bird, and the
remaining one-third to be held in trust for the benefit of Dr. Bird's daughter, who is now Mrs. Page
Bird Woods, wife of the said William S. D. Woods. If either Robert or Page outlives Miss Mary Harrison
Bird, they or the survivor shall receive her share. If Robert and Page should both be dead at the time
of the death of Miss Bird, her share of the estate is to be paid to the University for the benefit of the
Library of the School of Chemistry, and if Bob should die prior to the time of Page's death, then on her
death her share is likewise to be paid to the University. The contingencies upon which the University
is to receive anything under this estate are exceedingly remote.

Dr. Bird's estate consists of four shares of stock of Peoples National Bank of Charlottesville,
and a house and lot, No. 41, University Place, upon which there is a lien of $16,500, also a number of
shares of stock of Cold Steam Corporation, a concern which is no longer in existence but which, at the
time Dr. Bird made his will in 1935, promised to be of very considerable value.

The will gives the Trustees power to sell real estate and also to apply such portion of the
principal or corpus of said fund as in their judgement may be proper for the comfort and needs of Dr.
Bird's widow, Mrs. Carrie Reid Bird. Mrs. Bird and Peoples National Bank of Charlottesville were
appointed Executors under said will. The Bank refused to qualify and Mrs. Bird qualified and is acting
alone.

The two children, Robert and Page, and Dr. Bird's sister, Miss Mary Harrison Bird, have all
agreed to transfer and assign all interest they may have in this estate to Mrs. Bird. Mrs. Bird now
offers to buy the contingent interest of the University and pay the sum of $50.00 therefor.

It was, thereupon,

UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATION PREFERRED STOCK - REGISTERED IN NAME OF "WABY AND COMPANY":

The following was adopted:

The meeting then adjourned.