In Memoriam: Ellis Moulton Prussing

Moulton Prussing, a member of the Olympic Peninsula Chapter, died on Feb. 8, 2000. Moulton was born and grew up in Illinois and graduated from Oberlin College in 1942. He and Grace married in 1942. After WW II service in the Navy, he earned an MBA at Harvard Business School in 1947.

When Moulton retired, he was living in Miami, Florida. He began growing orchids, and it was not long before he became involved as a volunteer at Miami's Fairchild Tropical Gardens. Moulton brought along some of his orchids when he and Grace moved from Miami to Port Ludlow to be nearer several children. It didn't take long to see that he couldn't grow these outside on the patio, so decided to try rhododendrons. Shortly, he joined the Olympic Peninsula Chapter and began to take an active part in all of the chapter's affairs. He served as the chapter's president and received the Bronze Medal.

Moulton loved working with rhododendrons, propagating them from seeds and cuttings. Once he became interested in species, he joined the Rhododendron Species Foundation and served on its Board of Directors.

Moulton was a true gentleman who brought calmness, intelligence, and humor to the most stressful situations. He will be sorely missed.