The Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers (CLAG) has prospered for over twenty-five years now, and this anniversary offers the opportunity to celebrate some of the people and events responsible for its continuing success.
As the next generation of Latin Americanist geographers began to practice its craft, it became increasingly apparent that an organization was needed to facilitate communication among them, with fellow geographers in Latin America, and with Latin Americanists in other fields. In response, the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers was born.
There were several steps in the process of confederation. In 1963, for example, the Association of American Geographers inaugurated the Committee on Latin American Geography to encourage interaction among these regional specialists. To further this effort, a group of geographers attending the IX General Assembly of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History met on June 5, 1969, at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. on the invitation of Preston E. James. This group, consisting of John P. Augelli, Arthur L. Burt, Allen Bushong, Robert L. Carnin, Wolfram Drewes, Howard L. Gauthier, Don R. Hoy, Preston E. James, Barry Lentnek, Clarence W. Minkel, Robert E. Nunley, Ross N. Pearson, David E. Snyder, and Robert N. Thomas, concluded that the time was ready for a national conference to share information and stimulate geographical research, teaching, and planning activities.
The group sought and received the support of three influential Latin Americanist geographers, Preston E. James (a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Geography), Arch C. Gerlach (president of the United States National Section of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History), and John P. Augelli (president of the new Latin American Studies Association) in its plans to organize a new professional association. The group established working committees on public relations and publications, local arrangements, pro [end p. 111] grams, and finances, for a first meeting. Barry Lentnek was named chairman of the group and Robert N. Thomas secretary.
Financial support for the first national meeting was one of the principal concerns of the planning committee. Three of the founders, Robert L. Carmin of Ball State University, Don R. Hoy of the University of Georgia, and Barry Lentnek of Ohio State University, wrote a proposal requesting assistance from the Social Sciences Division of the National Science Foundation, primarily to defray travel expenses for twenty-five Latin Americanist geographers invited to attend a national conference that would act as a clearinghouse for ideas on the direction of geographical research in Latin America. Acccording to a draft of the proposal,
Subsequently, Ball State University submitted the grant proposal, which the National Science Foundation funded (as NSF grant 2865) for a meeting in Muncie, Indiana, during 1970. This was followed closely by another grant, this one from the Joint Committee on Latin American Studies of the Social Science Research Council -American Council of Learned Societies, to help pay travel expenses for geographers from Latin American countries to atttend the meeting.
Two major planning meetings preceded the general session scheduled in Muncie. The first planning meeting of the group, now called the Executive Committee of the National Conference of Latin American Geographers, was held October 4, 1969, at Michigan State University. Chairman Barry Lentnek's agenda included formulation of a program for the conference, appointment of session chairs, and choice of a method for publishing the proceedings of the conference. The second planning meeting was held January 10, 1970, at Ohio State University. The agenda again concerned the program for the conference, but there was discussion of other long-range goals, including the means of continuing the initial effort to stimulate research, teaching, and organizational activities that it was hoped the conference would generate.
Even the planning meetings engendered a great deal of interest among Latin Americanist geographers. Well before the conference in Muncie it became apparent that many more than the original twenty-five geographers were committed to the idea of a new association and that they were ready and eager to participate in the 1970 conference. Tom L. Martinson and Robert L. Carmin, co-chairmen of the local arrangements committee, ultimately accommodated nearly sixty participants in ten paper sessions and a total attendance of about twice that number. Because of this demand for greater space the conference was moved from the Ball State University campus to the Roberts Hotel downtown when the meeting was held April 30 - May 3,1970.
The first meeting in Muncie laid the groundwork for a continuing organization, just as the founders hoped. The spirited exchange among the participants at the first meeting, both in the sessions and after hours, has become a hallmark of all CLAG meetings. The commitment to written communication among Latin Americanist geographers has been evident since the first conference proceedings, Geographic Research on Latin America: Benchmark 1970, which attracted considerable favorable comment (see the Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 1973, and the Geographical Journal, 1974). See Table 1 for the continuing record of CLAG publications. During the next decade, at meetings across the United States, in Canada, and in Latin America, CLAG developed its organizational structure, financial resources, contacts with other organizations, and its reputation for the support of geographical research in Latin America.
Barry Lentnek, Robert L. Carmin, and Tom L. Martinson (eds.) Geographic Research on Latin America: Benchmark 1970; Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 1 (Muncie, Indiana: Ball State University, 1971).
Robert N. Thomas (ed.) Population Dynamics of Latin America: A Review and Bibliography; Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 2 (East Lansing, Michigan: CLAG Publications, 1973).
A. David Hill (ed.) Latin American Development Issues: Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 3 (East Lansing, Michigan: CLAG Publications, 1973). [end p. 112]
Richard P. Momsen, Jr. (ed.) Geographical Analysis for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean; Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 4 (Chapel Hill, North Carolina: CLAG Publications, 1975).
Robert J. Tata (ed.) Latin America: Search for Geographic Explanations; Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 5 (Chapel Hill, North Carolina: CLAG Publications, 1976).
Gary S. Elbow (ed.) International Aspects of Development in Latin America: Geographical Perspectives; Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 6 (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1977).
William M. Denevan (ed.) The Role of Geographical Research in Latin America; Part I: English Presentations: Selected Papers and Abstracts; Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 7 A (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1978).
Hector F. Rucinque (ed.) Función de la investigación geográfica en América Latina; Part II: Spanish and Portuguese Presentations: Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 7 B (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1980).
Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers Membership Directory, 1980 (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1980).
William V. Davidson (comp.) Geographical Research on Latin America: A Cartographic Guide and Bibliography of Theses and Dissertations, 1909-1978. Occasional Publications of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 1 (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1980).
Tom L. Martinson and Gary S. Elbow (eds.) Geographic Research on Latin America: Benchmark 1980; Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 8 (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1981).
Oscar H. Horst (ed.) Papers in Latin American Geography in Honor of Lucia C. Harrison. Special Publications of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 1 (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1981).
Guía para estudios post-graduados de geografía en los Estados Unidos de América. Occasional Publications of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 3. (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers,1981).
Oscar H. Horst and Joseph P. Stoltman (eds.) New Themes in Instruction for Latin American Geography. Special Publications of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 2 (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1982).
Barry Lentnek (ed.) Contemporary Issues in Latin American Geography; Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 9 (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1983).
Katherine M. Kvale (ed.) 1984 CLAG Yearbook; Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 10 (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1984).
Lydia M. Pulsipher (ed.) 1985 CLAG Yearbook; Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers Vol. 11 (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1985).
Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers Membership Directory, 1985 (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1986).
David L. Clawson (ed.) 1986 CLAG Yearbook: Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 12 (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1986).
Martha A. Works (ed.) 1987 CLAG Yearbook: Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 13 (Muncie, Indiana: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1987).
Tom L. Martinson, A. Richard Longwell, and William M. Denevan (eds.) 1988 CLAG Yearbook: Proceedings of the Connference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 14 (Auburn, Alabama: Conference of Latin Americanist Geograaphers, 1988).
Robert B. Kent and Vern R. Harnapp (eds.) 1989 CLAG Yearbook: Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 15 (Auburn, Alabama: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1989).
Robert B. Kent (ed.) 1990 CLAG Yearbook: Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 16 (Auburn, Alabama: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1990).
Tom L. Martinson (ed.) Geographic Research on Latin America: Benchmark 1992; Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 17-18 (Auburn, Alabama: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers,1992).
Gary S. Elbow (ed.) Future Directions in Latin Americanist Geography: Research Agendas for the Nineties and Beyond. Special Publications of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Vol. 3 (Auburn, Alabama: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1992).
Gary S. Elbow (ed.) 1993 CLAG Yearbook, Vol. 19 (Austin, TX: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1993).
David J. Robinson (ed.) 1994 CLAG Yearbook, Vol. 20 (Austin TX: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1994).
David J. Robinson (ed.) 1995 CLAG Yearbook, Vol. 21 (Austin TX: Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, 1995).
Provision for a permanent Board of Directors, an annual meeting, and an annual publication was among the priorities of the new organization. At the conclusion of the first Muncie meeting, the organi [end p. 113] zation was still called the National Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers (NCLAG) or, alternatively, the Committee of Latin Americanist Geographers, and the Board of Directors was still an executive committee composed of Muncie paper sesssion chairmen and featured speakers. However, the new group decided to hold another executive committee meeting later in 1970, at the Association of American Geographers meeting in San Francisco, and another general meeting in Boston in 1971, in order to perfect an organizational structure and develop communication skills.
At the executive committee meeting in San Francisco, the results of a poll of Latin Americanist geographers was presented that indicated that they wanted a permanent organization with definite characteristics. They preferred an organizational structure led by a Board of Directors, they wanted an annual meeting, and they were willing to pay an annual fee to belong to this organization. Plans for the Boston meeting were well under way, and many new members were attracted for a membership fee of $3.00. The first quarterly Newsletter, printed on March 20, 1971, was edited by Clarence W. Minkel and Robert N. Thomas at Michigan State Univerrsity. On the masthead of this newsletter first apppeared the name that ultimately was adopted as the official one for the organization: the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers. An organizational structure involving working groups was beginning to develop, and the executive committee decided to hold the next general meeting on April 17, 1971, in Boston, Massachusetts, in conjunction with the annnual convention of the Association of American Geographers. The theme would be "Population Dynamics of Latin America."
The Boston meeting, organized by Robert N. Thomas, was a full-day session with six papers and a business meeting. Over 100 persons attended this meeting, which was a lively exchange among all present. Plans to hold another general meeting in 1971, this time at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, were quickly approved, and plans for a third meeting scheduled for 1973 in Calgary, Canada, were announced. The conference business meeting concerned these general meeting proposals as well as committtee reports on publications, organizational structure, and activities of working groups. Appreciation was expressed to the Association of American Geographers (AAG), which provided space and facilities for the Boston session, helped circulate information on CLAG, and expressed an interest in continued close working relationships with the AAG.
A format involving small-group discussion of important research issues was an innovation at the Syracuse meeting, held December 2-4, 1971. This meeting emphasized the theme "Geographic Research on Problems of Latin American Development and Modernization." Financial support for the meeting was provided by the DellPlain Endowment Fund of Syracuse University and the university itself. At this point a rotation system developed that allowed six new members to join the eighteen-member executive committee annually, as six other members retired. After this third meeting, the general features of the organization were clear, and the membership was active and growing.
Similar formats were followed in subsequent annual meetings, in Calgary, Boca Raton, Chapel Hill, El Paso, Paipa, Rohnert Park, and Muncie again, to complete the cycle of the decade (see Table 2 for CLAG meeting locations). Generally there is an independent annual meeting with a business session at the Association of American Geographers annual convention. Publications consisted primarily of proceedings of conferences until the 1990s, and operating expenses of the organization are met mainly by selling publications and memberships, except when Ball State University, Auburn University, and now the University of Texas have underwritten many operating costs. Special grants or subventions have supported the travel of meeting participants, particularly Latin Americans and geography graduate students.
TABLE 3. CONFERENCE OF LATIN AMERICANIST GEOGRAPHERS HONORS AND AWARDS
1983 William M. Denevan: Outstanding Contributions in Teaching, Research, and Service
1984 Paul Yves-Denis: Outstanding Contributions in Teaching, Research, and Service
1984 Tom L. Martinson: Exceptional Leadership and Service Citation
1985 Oscar H. Horst Outstanding Contributions in Teaching, Research, and Service
1986 Clarence F. Jones: Eminent Latin Americanist Career Award
1986 Billie Lee Turner II: Distinguished Scholarship Award [end p. 115]
1987 Raymond E. Crist: Eminent Latin Americanist Career Award
1987 Levi Marrero: Distinguished Scholarship Award
1989 Dan Stanislawski: Preston E. James Eminent Latin Americanist Career Award
1989 Peter M. Ward: Carl O. Sauer Distinguished Scholarship Award
1990 Clarence W. Minkel: Preston E. James Eminent Latin Americanist Career Award
1990 Campbell Pennington: Carl O. Sauer Distinguished Latin Americanist Career Award
1991 David J. Robinson: Preston E. James Eminent Latin Americanist Career Award
1991 Linda Newson: Carl O. Sauer Distinguished Scholarship Award
1992 Angel Bassols Batalla: Preston E. James Eminent Latin Americanist Career Award
1992 Alfred H. Siemens: Carl O. Sauer Distinguished Scholarship Award
1993 Daniel W. Gade: Preston E. James Eminent Latin Americanist Career Award
1993 Alan Gilbert Carl O. Sauer Distinguished Scholarship Award
1994 Joshua C. Dickinson Preston E. James Eminent Latin Americanist Career Award
1994 William E. Doolittle Carl O. Sauer Distinguished Scholarship Award
1995 George Lovell Carl O. Sauer Distinguished Scholarship Award
1995 Cesar Caviedes Preston E. James Eminent Latin Americanist Career Award
Principal offices of the organization moved with the election of each new Board chairman during the 1970s. At first, the executive offices of CLAG were in East Lansing, Michigan, with Clarence W. Minkel and Robert N. Thomas. Subsequently they moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on the election of David G. Basile as chairman for the 1974-1976 term. From 1976 to 1987 they were in Muncie, Indiana, at Ball State University, and then from 1988 to 1992 were in Auburn, Alabama, at Auburn University, as Tom L. Martinson was chairman of the Board of Directors for two years and then was re-elected to several terms as Executive Secretary. Since 1992, Gregory W. Knapp, based at the University of Texas in Austin, has been the Executive Director of CLAG.
The growth in membership and resources that occurred after the organization moved to Muncie in 1976 led to its legal incorporation as a non-profit organization and application for tax-exempt status from the United States government. The Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers was incorporated in the state of Indiana on April 10, 1978, and was declared federal tax exempt on August 11, 1978.
In order to formalize its relationship with the Association of American Geographers, CLAG established a special interest group within that association. The special interest group has now been instituted as the Latin American Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers, which conducts its own organizational affairs under the auspices of the AAG, including its own officers and by-laws, and the presentation of paper sessions on Latin America at the AAG annual meetings. A special bequest of her late husband's books and field research materials by Mary MacPhail led to the establishment of the Donald D. MacPhail Memorial Information Center in the CLAG Secretariat. This library collection is still maintained by the Department of Geography at Auburn University.
The tenth anniversary meeting, held in CLAG's birthplace of Muncie, Indiana, brought together most of the founders and a new generation of Latin Americanist geographers that had emerged since the organization's founding. Accentuated at this meeting were applied geographical research and the consequences of the profound social, economic, and environmental changes taking place in Latin America. According to the 1980 proceedings editors,
The second theme is a sense of the cloudy future for geography in Latin America. In 1970, funds for research were still reasonably plentiful, graduate students still enrolled in large numbers, and students had reason to expect that upon graduation they would be able to apply their skills to Latin American problems. In 1980, none of these conditions prevailed. Some problems are outside our control but bear directly on the profession. The present world economic decline, for example, will mean that geographers [end p. 116] from the United States will find it more difficult to conduct research in Latin America, and that fewer students will be drawn into geography through exposure in traditional university settings. Within Latin America, pressures will militate against all but the most clearly pragmatic research, presenting barriers to those who wish to conduct geographical investigations and apply spatial knowledge. Population growth threatens to destroy the social and economic gains made by the present generation of Latin Americans, and wholesale destruction of complex ecosystems may cause unforeseen and disastrous consequences for much of the region (Martinson and Elbow, 1980, 1-2).
The second decade of CLAG's existence has been marked by efforts to continue and extend the successes of earlier years. A permanent Secretariat, directed by Tom L. Martinson, was established at Ball State University (and later moved to Auburn University with him and then moved again to the University of Texas when Gregory W. Knapp was named Executive Director) to centralize the administrative functions of the organization, particularly those regarding membership, publications, finances, and communications with other professional organizations. This central office and the financial support of Ball State University, Auburn University, and the University of Texas sustained the organization as its structure and functions were institutionalized. Many other people assumed responsibility for the different aspects of the organization's activities. Vernon Smith, for example, produced the quarterly Newsletter and managed publication sales from the University of Louisville for several years.
The Secretariat was moved to the University of Texas in 1992 when Gregory W. Knapp was named to the new post of Executive Director. The University of Texas Institute of Latin American Studies now manages the membership rolls and publication distribution for CLAG. A special innovation in the late 1990s has been the development of a World Wide Web "home page"on the Internet [http://sites.maxwell.syr.edu/clag/clag.htm] and a regular electronic mail newslist, CLAGnet, both of which have been administered since 1995 by David J. Robinson at Syracuse University.
At its twenty-fifth anniversary, the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers remains a vital and strong organization of productive scholars. Outreach activities, international cooperation, and a continuing professional commitment characterize CLAG's recent activities.
One particularly important event illustrating CLAG's outreach was a special meeting on teaching Latin American geography, co-sponsored by the Latin American Studies Association's Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP), the Lucia Harrison Endowment Fund of Western Michigan University, and the Latin American Studies program at the University of Texas in Austin. This meeting, held in 1981, brought together educators in se [end p. 118] veral areas of geography to understanding contemporary Latin America. The special publication issued after this meeting features presentations by prominent social science educators on the interrelationships between geography and other fields as well as offerings by selected CLAG members on successful Latin American geography classroom methods and techniques. These efforts preceeded the current emphasis on geographic education promoted by the National Council for Geographic Education, the National Geographic Society, and other professional organizations in our discipline.
The tradition of international cooperation in annual meetings has been continued and expanded by sessions in Buffalo, New York, which drew the support and participation of the Ontario (Canada) Cooperative Program for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and the October, 1982 meeting in the Dominican Republic, the second in Latin America, co-sponsored by the Dominican National Section of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History and hosted by José Joaquín Hungría Morell, former Director of the Geographic Institute of the Dominican Republic. The 1987 annual meeting in Mérida, Mexico, chaired by William V. Davidson of Louisiana State University was a particularly successful example of international cooperation. In January, 1988, the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers held another international meeting in San José, Costa Rica, with the cooperation of the Department of Geography at the Universidad Nacional. In 1989 CLAG held another meeting in Latin America, in Querétaro, Mexico. This highly successful meeting was directed by William Doolittle. In succeeding years meetings in Latin America became a higher priority, and some meetings were organized in conjunction with Latin American professional organizations. The 1994 meetting in Cuidad Juárez, for example, was held in conjunction with the Sociedad Mexicana de Geografía y Estadística.
The annual publication has evolved from a Proceedings of the annual meeting to a refereed Yearbook open to contributions from all Latin Americanists. This publication took shape under the direction of Richard Longwell, Chairman of the Board's Publications Committee and subsequently Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Business, industry, and government is another aspect of CLAG' s outreach program. As traditional university teaching positions are limited, many more geographers have entered employment as planners, environmental analysts, cartographers, systems analysts, and location specialists, to name but a few posts. These Latin Americanist geographers form a particularly important segment of CLAG's clientele, and their contacts in non-traditional fields are vital to the organization's growth. Their contributions were recognized in the 1985 annual meeting, held in Washington, DC and chaired by Robert E. Durland and Marvin Gordon.
The twentieth anniversary meeting of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers was held in October, 1990, at Auburn University. This meeting, developed by Tom L. Martinson, who served as Local Arrangements and Program Chair, was the traditional inventory and prospect meeting as presented in 1970 and 1980. Over 150 participants convened in eight inventory and prospect sessions and eight volunteered paper sessions, each chaired by a noted Latin Americanist geographer. An especially noteworthy occurrence was the high level of participation by graduate students and younger scholars.
The Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers faces its share of challenges in the late 1990s and beyond. World economic change, a new set of national priorities that limits support for applied research, and a relatively low visibility for the discipline of geography in the universities will demand an especially creative approach in structure and function for CLAG. But, for an organization with roots that reach back to the last century and branches that extend forward to the next, that future looks bright indeed.
NOTES
... the basic purpose of the conference will be to intensify communication among active Latin American researchers by holding a national conference representing all points of view. The conference will attempt to establish clearly articulated and focused problems facing the geographic student of Latin America (Proposal, n.d., n.p.).
YEAR LOCATION THEME
1970 Muncie, IND Geographic Research on Latin America
1971 Boston Population Dynamics
1971 Syracuse, NY Latin American Development
1973 Calgary, Canada Geographical Analysis for Development
1974 Boca Raton, FL Latin America: Search for Geographic Explanations
1975 Chapel Hill, NC Strategies for Teaching Latin American Geography
1976 El Paso, TX International Aspects of Development in Latin America
1977 Paipa, Col. The Role of Geographical Research in Latin America
1978 Rohnert Park, CA Fieldwork in Latin American Geography
1980 Muncie Geographic Research on Latin America
1981 Buffalo, NY Geography in the Popitical and Socio-economic Development of Latin America
1982 Santo Domingo, DR. The Role of Geographical Research
1984 Ottowa, Canada Latin American Development
1985 Washington, DC Consulting in Latin American Geography
1987 Mérida, Mex. Geographic Research in Mexico
1988 San José, CR. Regions and Regionalism in Latin America
1989 Querétaro, Mex. Latin American Geographical Research
1990 Auburn, AL. 20th Anniversary Meeting
1992 San José, CR. Regions and Regionalism in Latin America
1994 Ciudad Juárez, Mex. Geography Confronting the Challenge of Globalization
1996 Tegucigalpa, Hon. The Changing Environments of Central America
[end p. 114]
Two highlights of CLAG's first decade of conventions were the 1973 and 1977 international meetings in Calgary, Canada and Paipa, Colombia. The Calgary meeting, hosted by Richard P. Momsen, Jr. and with the financial assistance of the Canada Council, the Province of Alberta, and the University of Calgary, attracted a large number of geographers from overseas, particularly Europe and Latin America. These contacts were renewed and strengthened at the Paipa meeting, the first held in Latin America. Hector F. Rucinque at the Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia in Tunja was program chairman of this meeting, which attracted over 300 geographers from around the world. The distinctive CLAG logo, stylized continents of the western hemisphere, was designed by Dr. Rucinque's wife, Claudia, for this meeting and has continued to be a recognizable symbol of our organization. The Colombian Association of Geographers (ACOGE) and the Instituto Geográfico "Agustin Codazzi" offered financial and organizational support for the meeting and the extensive tour of Colombia that preceded the meeting. At this session the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers first award for outstanding teaching, research, and service was presented to Preston E. James. He would be followed in later years by many others, as indicated on Table Three. With these successes, CLAG rose to international prominence.
two broad themes were accentuated at the tenth meeting of CLAG. The first, carried over from the first meeting in 1970, is the call for geographers to apply their skills to the solution of Latin America's multifarious problems. Ten years ago, the call for applied research was seen by some of our colleagues as a turning away from geography's traditional academic orientation and an attack on "pure research". These concerns have eased considerably during the decade of the 1970s, partly through an inncreasing awareness that research interests may not be separated into such categories as "applied" or "pure."
M. Acosta Solis (Board, 1978-81)
John Allensworth (board, 1976-1979)
Miguel Alves de Lima (Board, 1982-1985)
Thomas D. Anderson (Board, 1981-1984)
Gustavo Antonini (Board, 1975-1978)
Homer Aschmann (board, 1980-1983)
John P. Augelli (Board, 1970-1972;1984-1987)
David G. Basile (Board, 1970-1976; Vice Chair, 1973-1974; Chair, 1974-1976)
Bertha Becker (Board, 1978-1981)
Francios Belisle (Board, 1981-1984)
Thomas D. Boswell (Board, 1984-1987
Ray Bromley (Board 1986-1989)
Reuben C. Brooks (Board, 1976-1979)
Clyde Browning (Board, 1974-1979; Secretary-Treasurer, 1974-1976)
Dieter Brunnschweiler (Board, 1977-1980)
Arthur Burt (Board, 1972-75, and 1984-87; Vice Chair, 1972-73; Chair, 1973-74)
Karl Butzer (Board, 1992-1995)
Cesar Caviedes (Board, 1980-1983; 1992-1995; Vice Chair, 1994-1996; Chair, 1996-)
David Clawson (Board, 1987-1990)
Gustavo Contreras (Board, 1979-1982)
Hildegardo Cordova (Board, 1991-1994)
Charles M. Croner (Board, 1975-1978)
William Crowley (Board, 1977-1980 and 1985-1988)
William V. Davidson (Board, 1978-1981; 1987-1990)
Cyrus B. Dawsey, III (Board, 1988-1991)
William M. Denevan (Board, 1970-1973;1979-1982; 1987-1990; Vice Chair, 1988-1990; Chair, 1990-1992)
John DeWitt (Board, 1990-1993)
Joshua C. Dickenson, III (Board, 1970-1974 and 1984-1987; Vice Chair, 1984-1986; Chair, 1986-1988)
Clifton Dixon (Board, 1989-1992)
William E. Doolittle (Board, 1989-1994; Vice Chair, 1990-1992; Chair, 1992-1994)
Steven L. Driever (Board, 1990-1993)
Robert E. Durland (Board, 1975-1978)
Donald Dyer (Board, 1972-1975)
Herb Eder (Board, 1989-1992)
Gary Elbow (Board, 1974-1980; 1986-1989; 1991-1994; Vice Chair, 1976-1978; Chair, 1978-1980)
Barbara E. Friedrich (Board, 1876-1982; Vice Chair, 1978-1980; Chair, 1980-1982)
Daniel W. Gade (Board, 1985-1988)
Howard L. Gautier (Board, 1970-1972)
Pedro Pinchas Geiger (Board, 1985-1988)
Martin I. Glassner (Board, 1977-1980)
Alfonso Gonzales (Board, 1975-1978; 1986-1989)
Linda L. Greenow (Board, 1985-1988; 1991-1994)
Ernst C. Griffin (Board, 1973-1976; 1979-1984; Vice Chair, 1980-1982; Chair, 1982-1984)
Judith Gunn (Board, 1988-1991)
Maria Teresa Gutierrez de MacGregor (Board, 1972-1975)
Vern R. Harnapp (Publications Officer, 1984-1987)
[end p. 117]
Maureen Hays-Mitchell (Board, 1993-1996)
Peter Herlihy (Board, 198601989)
A. David Hill (Board, 1970-1973; ViceChair 1970-1971; Chair, 1971-1972)
Betty Holtzman (Board, 1972-1973)
Oscar H. Horst (Board, 1970-1972)
Don R. Hoy (Board, 1974-1977)
Jose J. Hungria M (Board, 1983-1986)
Preston E. James (Board, 1970-1972; Chair, 1970-1971)
Wellington Jimenez Lopez (Board, 1979-1982)
Carl J. Johannesen (Board, 1974-1977; 1980-1986; Vice Chair, 1982-1984; Chair, 1984-1986)
Robert B. Kent (Board, 1990-1996; Vice Chair, 1992-1994; Chair, 1994-1996)
Gregory W. Knapp (Board, 1990-1993; Executive Director,1992-1996)
Warren D. Kress (Board, 1983-1986)
Katherine M. Kvale (Board, 1982-1985)
Victoria A. Lawson (Board, 1990-1993)
Palmyra Leahy (Board, 1983-1986)
Barry Lentnek (Board, 1970-1973; Chair, 1970)
Silvana Levi de Lopez (Board, 1992-1995)
W. George Lovell (Board, 1991-1994)
A. Richard Longwell (Board, 1983-1986; Vice Chair, 1986-1988; Chair, 1988-1990)
Donald D. MacPhail (Board, 1970-1974; Secretary-Treasurer, 1971-1972)
Gene E.Martin (Board, 1970-1974; 1978-1981)
Tom L. Martinson (Board, 1970-1996; Vice Chair 1974-1976; Chair, 1976-1978; Executive Secretary, 1978-1992)
Kent Mathewson (Board, 1991-1994)
Carlos Merida (Board, 1972-1975)
Klaus J. Meyer-Arendt (Board, 1989-1992)
Clarence W. Minkel (Board 1970-1972; Chair, 1971; Secretary-Treasurer, 1972-1974)
Janet D. Momsen (Board, 1978-1981; 1992-1995)
Richard P. Momsen (Board, 1970-1974)
Janice Monk (Board, 1981-1984)
Sarah K. Myers (Board, 1974- 1977)
Linda A. Newson (Board, 1981-1984)
Bernard Nietschmann (Board, 1978-1981)
Robert E. Nunley (Board, 1970-1973; Secretary, 1971; Vice Chair, 1971)
Carlos Parra (Board (1975-1978)
Larry L. Patrick (Board, 1982-1985)
Ross N. Pearson (Board, 1970-1974)
Rafael Pico (Board, 1974-1977)
Susan Place (Board, 1983-1986)
Marie D. Price (Board, 1991-1994)
Lydia M. Pulsipher (Board, 1984-1987)
Jane Pyle (Board, 1974-1977)
Anibal Ramirez (Board, 1975-1978)
Peter D. Rees (Board, 1977-1980)
John Q. Ressler (BOard, 1986-1989)
Bonham C. Richardson (board, 1978-1981; 1992-1995)
David J. Robinson (Board, 1989-1992; Webmaster, 1995-; Listserv Manager, 1995-)
Hector F. Rucinque (Board, 1973-1979)
Richard A. Sambrook (Board, 1993-1996; Newsletter Editor, 1994-1996)
Robert H. Scmidt Jr. (Board, 1977-1980; 1993-1996)
Ronald C. Sheck (Board, 1970-1973)
Ruth I. Shirey (Board, 1973-1976; 1988-1991)
Gerald R. Showalter (Board, 1976-1978; Secretary-Treasurer, 1976-1978)
Vernon M. Smith (Board, 1985-1988; Publications Officer, 1987-1993)
Christoph Stadel (Boeard, 1988-1991; 1992-1995)
Rolf Sternberg (Board, 1982-1985; Development Officer, 1982-1985)
Richard Symanski (Board, 1973-1976)
Robert J. Tata (Board, 1973-1976; 1980-1983)
Robert N. Thomas (Board, 1970-1972; 1979-1982; Secretary-Treasurer, 197-1971; Vice Chair, 197101972; Chair, 1972-1973)
John Thompson (Board, 1980-1983)
Gilbert Varhas Ulate (Board, 1988-1991)
Thomas T. Veblen (Board, 1982-1985)
Philip Wagner (Board, 1972-1975)
Connie Weil (Board, 1987-1990)
Rolf Wesche (Board, 1982-1985)
Gene C. Wilken (Board, 1976-1977)
Richard W. Wilkie (Board, 1981-1984; 1984-1987)
Barbara E. Williams (Board, 1979-1982)
Lynden S. Williams (Board, 1980-1983)
Marta Works (Board, 1987-1990)
Karl S. Zimmerer (Board, 1991-1994)
This review draws from Preston E. James, "Studies of Latin America by Geographers in the United States," in Barry Lentnek, Robert L. Carrnin, and Tom L. Martinson (eds.) Geographic Research on Latin America: Benchmark 1970; Proceedings of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, Volume One (Muncie, Indiana: Ball State University" 1971), pp. 1-12; Howard F. Cline, "The Latin American Studies Association: A Summary Survey with Appendix," Latin American Research Review, Vol. 2, No.1 (Fall 1966), pp. 57-79; and "A Proposal for a National Conference on the Future of Geographic Research in Latin America" (Undated manuscript, CLAG Archives). [end p. 119]