JARS v58n4 - From The President

From The President
Mike Stewart
Sandy, Oregon

would like to dedicate this entire President’s Message to one of the most hard-working, dedicated people in our Society, our webmaster, Bob Weissman. In today’s world of electronic capabilities, a working website is essential to an organization such as ours. The ARS website is one of the best that can be found, and the person who has developed this gem is our own Bob Weissman. If you haven’t taken the time to look at the site and taken advantage of its many features, do so now. You will be amazed at the information that is available for you to use. The ARS is more than fortunate to have Bob, who is an expert in his field and who is so very dedicated to making the ARS the best that it can be. His many skills and his ability to work with others to bring together a vast array of information add new dimensions to the ARS.

To enter the ARS website, all you have to do is, first, get on line and go to any one of several search engines. I like to use www. yahoo.com. Next, type in American Rhododendron Society, hit the search icon, and you are there. You will find a tremendous amount of information available for your use. Bob has made the site very user friendly. If you want to know about plant care, or how to find an article in the Journal relating to pest management, it’s all there for you. You can search for a rhododendron that meets your specific growing needs including color, size, and hardiness, etc. And, rhododendrons listed will have a picture for you to view. There are instructions on how to register the name of a plant and how to obtain the latest seed from the ARS Seed Exchange. The list of options goes on and on. Check it out!

During the past few years, Bob has worked to develop another feature that holds critical information for chapter officers and those who are involved in the various business aspects of the Society. In the portion of the site known as "Office of the American Rhododendron Society" (OARS) one can access Chapter Membership lists, Membership Changes, Financial Activity each month for your chapter, Mailing Labels, Renewal Instructions for membership chair persons, Society Grant Program information, Society Bylaws, Board Meeting Agendas and Minutes, lists of your Officers and Directors and how to reach them, Newspaper and Magazine Database lists, Speakers’ Bureau, and many more features that will help you better manage your chapter or international event. As you probably know, each of these categories is always in a state of change, so Bob stays very busy updating and adding new twists that make the site new and refreshing to view.

Bob would be the first to recognize the many others who help make our website the success it is. All of those who work on the various aspects and projects presented on our website are essential to its success. If you have questions or suggestions, Bob will gladly listen and help fill your needs. He always makes himself available at the Sunday Forum sessions during regional and annual conferences and convention events. He’s the one with the smile, the computer, and the helping hand. Thank you, Bob.