May 2000

Class of Five Inducted into CPA Hall of Fame

By Malaika Danovitz

On May 3, Max Block, Charles Waldo Haskins, Robert Montgomery, Emanuel Saxe, and Elijah Watt Sells became the first inductees into the CPA Hall of Fame. The NYSSCPA recognized the winners at its Annual Election Meeting and Dinner in New York City. Society President Alan E. Weiner initiated the Hall of Fame to honor those who have devoted their careers to the betterment of the profession.

"These famous and more importantly, distinguished, New York CPAs merit the Hall of Fame lifetime achievement award that the Society bestows upon them for their dedication and innovation," Weiner said.

The Hall of Fame Selection Committee, which consists of nine members from both inside and outside the accounting profession, chose the honorees from 32 nominations.

"I am very pleased with the committee's selection of the five individuals, who I believe merit selection under any standards," said committee Chair Dan Goldwasser, an attorney with Vedder Price Kaufman and Kammholz in New York City.

In addition to announcing the names of the inductees at the annual dinner, the Society has designated one of the rooms in its Fifth Avenue office as the Hall of Fame Room and will display plaques honoring the award winners. The selection committee will select new inductees each year.

"I am extremely proud of the people who submitted the nominations and the individuals on the selection committee who chose the inductees," Weiner said. "This is clearly a great freshman class."

See the accompanying photographs and biographies for details on this year's inductees. For more information on the selection process, contact NYSSCPA Public Relations Manager Wayne Whalen at (212) 719-8342, (800) 633-6320, or wwhalen@nysscpa.org.

CPA Hall of Fame Inductees

Max Block (1902­1988) was a founding partner of Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP. For more than half a century, he applied his talents to growing the firm, the NYSSCPA, and the profession as a whole. Those who knew him describe him as a visionary and say his ideas have formed the basis for many of the reporting and practice management concepts in use today. Block was the managing editor of the NYSSCPA's Journal (now The CPA Journal) for 15 years, and the Journal recognizes his achievements annually by bestowing the Max Block Distinguished Article Award to the most outstanding article of the year.

Charles Waldo Haskins (1852­1903) was a founder and senior partner of Haskins and Sells, the nation's first major auditing firm established by American rather than British accountants (now Deloitte & Touche LLP). Haskins was a leader in securing the New York law that formed the accounting profession and led to the first CPA examination. Along with Elijah Watt Sells, Haskins played a major role in the founding of the School of Commerce, Accounts, and Finance at New York University in 1900. He was the NYSSCPA's founding president in 1897, presiding until his death in 1903.

Robert Hiester Montgomery (1872­1953) distinguished himself in both accounting and law despite a limited formal education. He pursued careers in New York in both fields until he abandoned his law practice for accounting. He was one of the founding members of Coopers & Lybrand in Philadelphia in 1899 (now PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP) and was responsible for the firm's New York City office when it opened in 1902. He served as NYSSCPA president from 1922 to 1924 and later as AICPA president. He wrote Montgomery's Auditing, an accounting textbook that still carries his name today.

Emanuel Saxe, PhD (1903­1987) began his teaching career in 1928 at Baruch College mentoring accounting students. He had his own practice in New York City from 1926 to 1937 and earned a national reputation as a specialist on accounting theory, auditing, and fiduciary accounting. Saxe served as an NYSSCPA vice president, executive board member, and director. He was managing editor of The CPA Journal for 10 years.

Elijah Watt Sells (1858­1924) was a founder and senior partner of Haskins and Sells, the nation's first major auditing firm established by American rather than British accountants. Sells helped set standards for the CPA profession, and many of his recommendations for reorganizing the U.S. government accounting system were adopted by Congress. Sells was instrumental in the formation of the School of Commerce, Accounts, and Finance at New York University in 1900. *