The first such fellowship was awarded to Edward F. Coddington, member of the class of 1896. Coddington was quite surprised to receive the award as the selection was announced without prior consultation. Coddington was working toward a career in surveying but, instead, remained at the university where he received at his master's degree in Astronomy in 1897.
Much of his work related to determining the orbital elements of asteroids and comets. On June 11, 1898 Mr. Coddington, while working temporarily at Lick Observatory, discovered a comet on a negative plate taken of the Antares region the preceding night. A visual telescopic observation on the evening of the 11th confirmed his suspicion. The comet was independently discovered on June 14 by Pauly observing from Bucharest, Rumania. Never a naked-eye comet, comet Coddington-Pauly was labeled 1898 VII. "Coddie" would return to Columbus becoming a professor of geodetic engineering where one of his interests was the use of sun and stars for the purposes of surveying.
Coddington would also make significant contributions to the study of both comets and asteroids. In subsequent years he would discover and/or work out the orbital elements for asteroids (439), 1898 EC, 1899 EX, Comet 1989 VIII (Chase), asteroids (25) Phocaea, (101) Helena, (105) Artemis, (139) Juewa, (169) and (334). He would also make significant contributions to the study of double stars all while in residence at Lick Observatory in California. He would also eventually accompany Professor Lord on several astronomical expeditions in the years immediately following.