development and safeguarding of all parks in the system. Congress passed an act in 1955 addressing the role of the NPS with regard to historic properties. There was particular concern that the integration of historic sites and buildings into the NPS, which had been authorized earlier in the 1950s, be appropriate. The act was stimulated by discussion over the Rockefeller family's development of Williamsburg, Virginia. A commission under Leland's direction was sent to Europe to study the mechanisms for historical preservation used there. Waldo Leland died on October 19, 1966 at age 87. Awards, prizes, and memorials Among the honors he received were honorary degrees conferred by Brown University in 1929, the University of Rochester in 1939, Northwestern University in 1944, the University of Colorado in 1943, and the University of North Carolina in 1946. He had been named director emeritus of the ACLS in recognition of his years of service, and he received the Pugsley Medal in 1949 for his service to the National Park System. The Society of American Archivists established a prize in his honor in 1959. The American Historical Association established a prize in his memory in 1981. Primary sources Short biography of Leland Rodney A. Ross, "Waldo Gifford Leland: Archivist by Association," American Archivist, Summer 1983. "Waldo Gifford Leland and Preservation of Documentary Resources," Federalist, Summer 1986. Washington Post editorial, October 23, 1966. Waldo Leland, historian: obituary, New York Times, October 20, 1966. Peter J. Wosh, Waldo Gifford Leland and the Origins of the American Archival Profession Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 2011. Notes 1879 births 1966 deaths American historians American archivists Brown University alumni Harvard University alumni Place of death missing Presidents of the Society of American Archivists