CASCA President congratulates the AAS

The following congratulatory address was given on behalf of CASCA by its President to the membership of the American Astronomical Society at the opening session of the AAS's Centennial meeting in June 1999 in Chicago. The text was largely prepared by Richard Jarrell and the Heritage Committee, with some modifications by Michael De Robertis.

Greetings from the Canadian Astronomical Society (May 31, 1999)

I bring you greetings from the Canadian Astronomical Society / Société canadienne d'astronomie, as its current President. Our members offer our colleagues in the American Astronomical Society heartiest congratulations on celebrating your one-hundredth anniversary.

Throughout this past century, a century that has witnessed remarkable progress in our science, you have been, and proudly continue to be, one of the world's pre-eminent organizations for professional astronomers.

Canadian and American astronomers have shared much over the years. Canadians have been members of the AAS since its inception, for example, and many of us have participated in the society as ordinary members by presenting papers, chairing committees and acting as officers. We have hosted your meetings since the first AAS meeting outside the United States in 1911 in Ottawa, including, Montréal, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria and Toronto.

Prior to the foundation of the Canadian Astronomical Society fewer than 30 years ago, the AAS was the primary venue for Canadian astronomers to learn from, and to share their results with you.

One of the strengths of the AAS has been its welcoming of foreign scientists of which we are the largest single national group.

As the 21st century begins, we look forward to meeting the challenges of the exciting and ever-widening frontiers of astronomy even more closely than in the past, as well as to exchange ideas and to foster international scientific relations.

We wish you continued success for the next hundred years.

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