OBJECTIVES:
 The meeting agreed that the main objective to which the Socie-
ty should be dedicated "is the improvement of Caribbean nutri-
tion and living standards" and stated that "to this end the Society
would seek to:
 1. Stimulate and assist in research and the dissemination of
 information on food crop production processing and
 marketing in the Caribbean area.
 2. Provide a consultant service aimed particularly at assisting
 the smaller territories in the area.
 3. Encourage cooperation between agricultural experiment
 stations and between research and extension workers in the
 area of Caribbean agriculture.
 4. Work in close cooperation with the Caribbean Organisa-
 tion and other regional organizations dedicated to the pro-
 motion of cooperation between the countries of the Carib-
 bean area."
 At the inaugural meeting a decision was taken that annual
meetings of the Society would be rotated between the various
countries represented in its membership.

MEMBERSHIP:
 The meeting also agreed that membership should be open to
all persons in sympathy with the aims of the Society and that
there should be (i) Active members paying dues of US$5.00 per
annum; (ii) Sustaining members paying a minimum of
US$100.00.
 It was decided that Honorary Membership could be awarded to
persons who, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, had made
outstanding contributions to the achievement of the objectives
sought by the Society.
 It was also agreed that all persons attending the inaugural
meeting and Dr. G.P. Tiggelman of Surinam should be tested as
founding members. The list of founding members is as follows:

Founding Members of the Caribbean Food Crop Society


Dr. R. M. Bond


 Dr. Arnold Krochmal


 Mr. A. de K. Frampton

Mr. Francisco Aponte Aponte


 Mr. Miguel Gonzilez Flores


 Dr. J. Velez Fortufio


 Dr. H. Azzam


 Dr. Jorge Mejia Mattei



 Mr. Carlos D. Colerado


 Mr. C.P. Erskine Lindo


Officer in Charge
Federal Experiment Station,
St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Horticulturist Federal
Experiment Station,
Kingshill, St. Croix, U.S.V.I.
Chief Agricultural Officer,
Barbados
Horticulturist Agriculture
Extension Ser., University of
Puerto Rico
Horticulturist Agriculture
Ext. Services, University of
Puerto Rico
Head Plant Breeding Dept.
Agr. Exp. Station, University
of Puerto Rico
Plant Breeder, Agriculture
Experiment Sta., University
of Puerto Rico
Director, Division of
Marketing Regulation,
Ministry of Agriculture and
Commerce, Puerto Rico
Representative of Agriculture
Chemicals, The Shell Co.
(P.R.), Ltd.
Chief Admin. Officer,
Central Secretariat
Caribbean Organisation


 Mr. G.C.L. Gordon Development Officer (Social
 Affairs), Central Secretariat,
 Caribbean Organisation
 Mr. A.J. Seymour Development Officer (Culture
 and Information)
 Central Secretariat
 Caribbean Organisation
 Mr. G.P. Tiggelman Director of Agriculture
 -Surinam
 Mr. H.C. Miller Development Officer (Natural
 Resources) Central Secretariat
 Caribbean Organisation
ELECTION OF OFFICERS:
 The Meeting elected the persons listed below to serve as the
first Board of Directors of the Society.
 President Dr. Richard M. Bond
 The United States Virgin Isls.
 Vice President F. Aponte Aponte
 The University of Puerto Rico
 Other Directors Hugh C. Miller of the
 Caribbean Organisation
 Dr. Arnold Krochmal of the
 United States Virgin Islands
 Dr. H. Azzam of the
 Agriculture Experiment Sta.,
 University of Puerto Rico
 A. de K. Frampton of
 Barbardos
 R. Osbourne of Jamaica
 The inaugural meeting was then adjourned. A short meeting
of the Board of Directors was convened and at this meeting Mr.
H.C. Miller was elected Secretary and Dr. A. Krochmal,
Treasurer, to serve until the first annual General Meeting.
Second Meeting of the Board of Directors
 The second meeting of the Board of Directors of the Society
was held at the Central Secretariat of the Caribbean Organisation
on May 14, 1963.
 At this meeting draft articles of Association and regulations
were approved for legal documentation.
 The president proposed and the meeting agreed that in view
of the short period of time normally needed to secure registration
in St. Croix, the Society should be registered in that island.
 It seems that this decision was later found impractical of im-
plementation, and that registration of the Society as a legal entity
was delayed until the early 1980s, during the tenure of Dr. Ale-
jandro Ayala as president.
 It was decided that the first Annual General Meeting of the
Society would be held in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, on Oc-
tober 7th to 11th, 1963.
 Between Inauguration and the first Annual General Meeting,
Dr. Krochmal devoted considerable effort and skill to promoting
the development of an active service of expert technology transfer
directed mainly at the smaller territories of the West Indies
Federation. He eagerly sought out problems, discovered ap-
propriate experts who would assist and raised funds and exploited
all possible means to secure that the necessary assistance was
given. For his pioneering efforts and his skill in securing financial
assistance, in the difficult early years of the Society's life, we owe
him a great debt. Indeed, he played a dominant role not only in
the conception of the Society but in its pre-natal, infant and early
childhood stages.
 On the occasion of the Society's Coming of Age, it is fitting
that we all pay special homage to Arnold Krochmal- to his vi-
sion, his dedication and to the zealous and assiduous activity on
behalf of the Caribbean Food Crop Society, which he displayed
all the time he served in this region of the world.


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