Reviewed by Julia Grant Case Western Reserve University
This volume commemorates the centennial celebration of the New York State Society of CPAs, an appropriate celebration since this state’s society has been so historically influential in the profession of accountancy. The work provides descriptive summaries of the Society and the profession. While brief, these writings will likely be useful in future attempts to place the late 20th century New York State Society into historical perspective.
The primary historical work consists of four essays. The first (by Edward Mendlowitz) provides a concise, entertaining summary of the profession from the earliest record keeping to today. This essay condenses a great deal of historical information into a narrative format, including examples of the practice of accounting from cuneiform to 20th century standard setting, and examples of the roles played by the profession over the years, from the first American accountant arriving on the ships with Christopher Columbus to the contemporary auditing of Academy Award votes.
A second essay (by Gary J. Previts, Dale L. Flesher, and Tonya K. Flesher) relates the accomplishments of Charles Waldo Haskins, the founding president of the New York State Society, the first president of the Board of Examiners in New York State, and the first dean of the New York University School of Commerce, Accounts, and Finance (these three positions are just the most readily listed among his many achievements). The essay elaborates on Haskins’ biography and his contributions to the early stature of the profession. The authors present a convincing argument for his induction into the Accounting Hall of Fame by describing his accomplishments (despite early death curtailing his contributions), contrasting them to those of others previously inducted. Given Haskins’ prominent positions in the accountancy profession in New York, this book provides an appropriate forum for this detailed essay in commemoration of the contributions of Charles Waldo Haskins.
The history of the New York State Society itself is presented in the third essay (by James L. Craig, Jr.). He recounts the formation of the Society, its contributions, and those of its members throughout the last 100 years. For example, the Society assisted with the preparation of New York’s income tax regulations, and several of its prominent members had already assisted in similar tasks at the national level. A brief discussion of diversity in the organization and a summary of the Society’s advancement into the information age provide a snapshot of where the Society finds itself with respect to these very current concerns. Also covered are brief summaries of the Society’s publications, its involvement in continuing professional education, and its concern for professional self-regulation.
The fourth essay is a note (by Frank Pagani) to the members of the NYSSCPA at the bicentennial celebration in 2097. This missive provides many interesting statistics about the Society in 1997, so that its late 21st century members will have a convenient basis for comparison. A breakdown of the membership composition, dues charged, and benefits and services offered are some of the facts presented. This summary will surely serve the future purpose that its writer envisions because it provides a succinct picture of the basic organizational structure and its functions in 1997.
This volume will be useful for historians interested in the profession and its state at the end of the 20th century. In addi-tion to the essays, at the bottom of 100 pages of the volume runs a chronology, with each year of the Society’s existence and a mention of important financial and/or accountancy events of that year on each page. For example, the year 1914 features the following item: “The NYS Education Department suggests that it might be appropriate to require professional training before being able to sit for the CPA exam” [p. 30]; and it is noted for 1942, “Alimony concept introduced” [p. 58]. Also pictured throughout the pages are all the past presidents of the Society. The book contains a number of pages of ads, but even these provide a snapshot of various professional firms and other state societies currently active in 1997. An additional tabulation that may be of future interest is a listing of Society award winners. The volume is introduced by letters from the 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 presidents of the New York State Society, Francis T. Nusspickel and Barry B. Seidel, and from Robert L. Gray, the Society’s longtime Executive Director.
This book lacks an index, an unfortunate situation for the future researcher who may be interested in whether Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales deserved a mention in a history of accountancy (it did, page 13), or who may want to learn more detail about some person who contributed to the profession (many are mentioned herein). Nevertheless, the brief histories included provide an appropriate and potentially useful commemoration of this noteworthy centennial.
