Early in the planning stages of the 100th anniversary meeting, a member suggested that the AHA hold a special dinner to commemorate the occasion. As a result, on the night of December 28, approximately 200 AHA members and staff gathered for a festive occasion in the Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
The purpose of the dinner was not to reinstate the annual dinners which were discontinued in the 1960s; rather, it was to honor the remarkable accomplishment of 100 years of dedicated service to the furthering of history.
Presiding over the assembly was President Arthur S. Link. After his opening remarks, he called upon an older member of the Association and a younger member in the persons of Lynn White, jr., a former AHA president, and Lucy E. Moye, a graduate student at Duke University, to say a few words.
Between the speeches and the toasts, Arthur Link delivered the following message from the President of the United States:
“I am pleased to extend warm greetings and congratulations to all those who have gathered for the Centennial Dinner sponsored by the American Historical Association.
“For one century, your esteemed organization has met the highest standards of scholarship. The Association fosters scholarly research projects through its continuing support of manuscript preservation and its promotion of new avenues of historical study and research. Through your efforts, the teaching of history, especially in our nation’s colleges and universities, has been elevated to new levels.
“I am confident that the American Historical Association, the largest organization of its type in the world, will remain at the forefront of excellence and innovation in the study of our heritage.
“I send my best wishes for a successful occasion and for every future success.”
Other congratulatory messages received and read came from the Australian Historical Association, the National Committee of the Historians of Bulgaria, the Canadian Historical Association, le Comite Francais des Sciences Historiques and l’Academie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, Der Verband der Historiker Deutschlands, Das Nationalkomitee der Historiker der DDR, The Historical Society of Israel, the National Committee of Japanese Historians, the Historical Association, the National Committee of Historians of the Soviet Union, and the Chicago Public Works Historical Society. Professors Thomas Nipperdey (West Germany) and Daizaburo Yui (Japan) were present at the dinner and conveyed personal greetings from their respective associations.
As the gala dinner proceeded to the last course, the lights dimmed and the waiters entered bearing a large birthday cake with 100 candles gleaming brightly. Champagne corks popped, Arthur Link offered a toast, and the first hundred years came to a close.
