History Strong leadership, clear focus and a pioneer spirit made the dream of a seismological society a reality. San Franciscans were still feeling the aftershocks of the 1906 great earthquake when Professor Alexander G. McAdie described the need for the Seismological Society of America, an organization that would publish “the best information obtainable concerning earthquakes, and in every way work for the benefit and welfare of not only our own community but all mankind, so far as the effects of earth movements are concerned.” ♦ Read some of SSA’s founding documents and board meeting minutes in our centennial coverage in SRL. These volumes also include profiles of unsung heroines of seismology such as Lou Henry Hoover, the first woman to publish a paper in BSSA—and also the First Lady of the United States. (Her presidential husband was an SSA member too.) ♦ For a more general history of the society, read Perry Byerly’s account in BSSA and Ben Howell’s account in SRL. ♦ Throughout our society’s history, our outstanding leaders and members have met and expanded the 1906 vision. Our past presidents and honorary members include some of the most influential researchers in the field of seismology.
