JARS v48n3 - From the President

From the President
Dick Brooks
Concord, Massachusetts

As the 1994 annual convention of your Society, hosted by the Southeastern Chapter in Asheville, North Carolina, recedes into a haze of pleasant memories, it's time to stop and express our appreciation to all the dedicated individuals whose efforts contributed to its success.

From the opening and uplifting son et lumiere slide and music presentation by Ed Schell on Wednesday night, to the closing Breeders Roundtable on Sunday morning, moderated by our new Pioneer Achievement Award honorand Dr. August E. Kehr, the convention was superbly organized and smooth-running. Along the way, we participants were privileged to view a number of private gardens at peak bloom, absorbed a great deal of practical knowledge from informative speakers, indulged ourselves in a "feeding frenzy" at salesrooms which featured books, handicrafts and beautifully grown plants, and had a rip-roaring good time at an Appalachian-style barbecue, complete with doggers. Thanks to the hardworking committee members who made it all happen!

And speaking of dedication and hard work, Linda Wylie is retiring as chair of your Society's Seed Exchange, after a five-year tenure. Surely, her tasks must be among the most exacting and painstaking of any in the Society: receiving, sorting and packaging thousands of seed lots, assembling and mailing a catalog, and filling hundreds of orders every year from all over the world. Thanks, Linda, for your tireless and devoted service to the Society.

We are fortunate that George Woodard of the New York Chapter has agreed to take over as chair of the Seed Exchange. George is already known to many of our members as an ardent hybridizer; he has been a regular contributor to the Seed Exchange for some years, and comes to the job well qualified.

The annual convention and the Seed Exchange are just two of the many ways in which your fellow members give of their time and talents to serve all of us. Let them know that you appreciate their efforts. Better still, find ways in which you, too, can become involved; the rewards are immeasurable!