in voice (Washington) and one in pipe organ (Chicago). On June 30, 1945, the first national conference of the National Society of Arts and Letters was held in Chicago. By this time, eight chapters had been formed: Washington, D.C., Chicago, Florida, Colorado, North Dakota, California, Texas and Kentucky. The bylaws provided membership to women qualified in the arts who were U.S. citizens. Artist member Emma W. Slack designed the insignia. Young artists were to be encouraged by receipt of donor gifts, chapter prizes, scholarships and exhibitions of their work or talent arranged by a chapter. By 1946 four more chapters had started: Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio and New Jersey. A convention was held in Washington, D.C., between April 15–16 of that year, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. American First Lady Bess Truman, initiated the festivities with a reception at the White House. As growth continued, Francesca Falk Miller Nielsen, the second National President, introduced and edited the newsletter. It was planned to issue it three times a year. A Certificate of Incorporation, was issued July 29, 1949 and tax-exempt status, was recorded November 7, 1949. By 1949 both dance and drama categories had been added to the competitions. By 1951, 25 chapters had been started. In October 1994 members gathered together for a gala celebration of the Societies' 50th anniversary. The Central Illinois Chapter hosted the 60th Anniversary celebration in 2005 with performances by former contestants from 1959-2002. There was also a video featuring Dorothy Nicholson Stabell, daughter of one of the founders. Today there are 20 NSAL Chapters in 17 states. Master classes Part of the National competitions are the master classes conducted by judges in each art category. One-on-one sessions are also offered and encouraging critiques of each contestant are provided by the judges. The National Society of Arts and Letters classifies the arts into six different categories: Art, Dance, Drama, Literature, Music and Musical Theatre; various sub-categories exist within each category. The annual National Competitions rotate among these six categories with the particular sub-category selected by the membership. Master classes have been conducted in all the arts categories beginning in 2000. They have been conducted for NSAL by their judges and guest teachers including: Larry Leichman (co-owner of Arbor Books), literature Joel Revzen, Nathan Gunn and Gayletha Nichols, singing Robert and Louise McCall, art Brian Palmer, assistant professor of dance and Chair of the Division of