The Pioneers founders
One can say that the first step for the creation of the new literary entity was taken by these three intellectuals: Joaquim Gomes dos Santos, who idealized it, João Roberto d'Escragnolle, who spread the idea, and Reynaldo Chaves, present on all occasions, whose enthusiasm and perseverance took it ahead in conversations and meetings, until the invitation and the meeting itself on the evening of August 3, 1922.
Dr. João Roberto
d` Escragnolle
Joaquim Heleodoro
Gomes dos Santos
Reynaldo Chaves

The Entity establishment

On the afternoon of August 3, 1922, d'Escragnolle and Joaquim went to the Town Hall to invite the Mayor, Dr. Eugênio Lopes Barcellos to give prestige and to preside over the meeting.

Present to the first meeting, on the same August 3, 1922, besides the intellectuals mentioned on the previous paragraph, were the following ones: João Paulo Carneiro Pinto, Setembrino de Campos, Francisco Manoel da Rocha and Murillo Cardoso Fontes, in the amount of 17 people interested on the case.

With the room full up, Eugênio Barcellos took on the direction of the meeting, nominating Joaquim Gomes dos Santos as the Secretary, along with Hildegardo de Jorge Silva. The first statement was due to Joaquim, reading for the assembly the suggestion-letter and a Statute´s scheme draft drawn up by d´Escragnolle´s request. Launched the basis, Salomão Jorge proposed the name "Petropolitan Association of Sciences and Letters" for the newborn entity, being immediately approved.

Then it was established the provisional Board of Directors´ election, made by acclaim, and d´Escragnolle asked, fair to his own personality, not to join it, but commiting himself to work for the Association in the scope of spread and cultural promotions: Eugênio Lopes Barcellos, President; Alfredo de Mattos Rudge, Vice-President; Joaquim Heleodoro Gomes dos Santos and Joaquim da Silva Maia Júnior, Secretaries; Henrique Mercaldo and Reynaldo Antônio da Silva Chaves, Treasurers; Raul Serrano, Proxy; and a special commission for the study of Statute´s scheme draft, formed by Joaquim Gomes dos Santos, João Roberto d ' Escragnolle and Hildegardo de Jorge Silva.

At the second meeting, on August 23, 1922, besides the already mentioned, joined the group Luiz Felipe Ramos, Fausta Gouvêa, Flávio Vieira Maciel, Mário Passos, Carlos Paixão, Aristides Werneck, Arthur de Sá Earp Filho, Octávio Venâncio da Silva, Walter João Bretz, Luciano de Tapajós, Armando de Lacerda, Paulo de Mattos Rudge, Soleyman Antoun, Luiz Quirino de Magalhães Gomes, José Vieira, Aloysio Silva and Alexandre Webler, being, in addition, enrolled through letter Cecília de Vasconcellos and Paulino J. Soares de Souza Netto. At this meeting, the assembly approved the Statute and elected the 1st Board of Directors to direct the Entity for 12 months, repeating Eugênio Lopes Barcellos as the President; two Vice-Presidents, José Bento de Freitas Mello and Pedro Lacerda Rocha; two Secretaries, Joaquim Gomes dos Santos and Eugênio Libonatti; two Treasurers, Henrique Mercaldo and Joaquim da Silva Maia Júnior; one Proxy, Raul Serrano; one Librarian, Raul Affonso Boulanger Uchôa; two Orators, Hildegardo Silva and Salomão Pedro Jorge. Advising the Board of Directors, a Council formed by Carmello Paladino, Reynaldo Chaves, Alfredo de Mattos Rudge, Álvaro Machado, Álvaro Moraes, Octavio Alexander de Moraes and Arthur Alves Barbosa. João Roberto d'Escragnolle is compelled to accept the Association´s Presidency of Honour.