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Recent Gold and Silver Medals Awards Gold and silver medals are awarded to Society members for outstanding service over a period of time to either the Society or to the genus rhododendron, or both. Gold awards are for contributions that have national or international impact. Silver awards recognize significant regional contributions. See full list of gold and silver medal awardees. |
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The following Gold and Silver Medals
were awarded by President Fred Whitney on April 19, 2008 at the Society's
conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma: Gold Medal Award: Herman "Bud" Gehnrich For more than 25 years, you have provided outstanding service to the American Rhododendron Society and its members at the local, national and international levels. Holding the offices of District Director, Eastern Vice President and President, you have been instrumental in such important initiatives as the creation and enhancement of the Society's Website; interplay among hybridizers on both Coasts to combine the hardiness of Eastern varieties with the spectacular colors of their West Coast counterparts; and cultivation of relationships with many offshore members, through which we have enjoyed the availability of pollen, seeds and cuttings of plant material not otherwise available. Gold Medal Award: Bob Weissman You have served as Chairman of the Electronic Media and Digital Publications Committees, served as Webmaster and managed the Societies websites. From the hundreds of thousands of 'visits' to these sites it is clear your work has contributed to the American Rhododendron Society's goal of educating the world about Rhododendrons and their culture. Your efforts have enabled the world to learn about the genus Rhododendron, the people involved, the research taking place, the gardens with Rhododendrons at their heart, the search for and preservation of Rhododendron habitat, and new hybridizing, care, and propagation techniques. Silver Medal Award: Marc Colombel Your efforts "to educate" and "to promote" the genus Rhododendron are widely recognized by your peers and support major goals in the American Rhododendron Society's mission statement. You initiated enthusiasm for Rhododendrons in France by founding the Societe Brettone du Rhododendron in 1993. Through your creative and energetic leadership the Societe now has more than 160 members involved in many impressive activities. By authoring and publishing a book, writing ARS Journal articles and creating and maintaining an Internet Web Page in both French and English, you have provided valuable Rhododendron education internationally. You willingly volunteered to put the ARS Seed Exchange catalogue on the internet to facilitate the acquisition and distribution of Rhododendron seeds worldwide. Silver Medal Award: John Thornton Since the early 1980's you have been a pioneer in hybridizing Rhododendrons that tolerate the heat & humidity of the southern states while still being hardy enough for most areas where they are grown. This has resulted in a large selection of hybrids that have disease resistance, drought resistance, & resistance to "root rot", a common problem in the Deep South. You have published your results and promoted the use of these hybrids by sharing your experience in numerous speeches, sharing plants and information at several public gardens, and always being available to answer questions. The world of horticulture is much the richer for your efforts. Silver Medal Award: June and Tim Walsh Between the two of you, you have served at the Chapter level as president, vice president, treasurer, newsletter editor, and membership chair and at the board level as treasurer, alternate director and secretary. You have used your extraordinary leadership and organizational skills to help stage Western Regional conferences, a national ARS convention, and numerous chapter and regional events. You have shared your love and knowledge of Rhododendrons with countless people as true ambassadors of the Society. You have encouraged interest in and disseminated knowledge about the world of Rhododendrons in your many activities, including such projects as the Humboldt Botanical Gardens. The following Gold and Silver Medals were awarded by President Leonard Miller on April 14, 2007 at the Society's conference in San Francisco, California: Gold Medal Award: Steve Hootman You are one of the foremost international plant hunters of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and one of the most intrepid. You have served as Co-Director of the Rhododendron Species Foundation and Botanical Garden where you played a determining role in making this garden one of the premier gardens of its kind in the world. You have facilitated the mandate of the Foundation beyond all expectations, especially in regard to conservation, distribution, and education. You are a lecturer and educator extraordinaire on the subject of rhododendrons and have made significant contributions to ongoing scientific research on rhododendrons. You have also served as Co-Editor of the RSF yearbook "Rhododendron Species" and are among the most knowledgeable people in the world on the genus Rhododendron. Gold Medal Award: Peter Schick Beyond your scenic California coastal community, you are recognized worldwide for your hands-on horticultural expertise and for sharing material and data for the genus Rhododendron and species Vireya. Your enthusiasm and generous distribution of seeds, plants and cuttings have earned you the title "Johnny Appleseed" of Vireyas. Your role in helping to create the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is legendary. The Big Leaf rhododendrons and tender species that you planted are highlights of that 40 acre enclave. Your knowledge and advocacy of natural habitat preservation contribute significantly to the protection of the environment for native species in your area. Silver Medal Award: Wing Fong For more than two decades you have provided outstanding service to the American Rhododendron Society by giving unstintingly of your time, your talent, your energy and your enthusiasm. You have contributed your professional skills as a graphic artist to design and produce brochures, advertising, sale catalogs, badges, labels, displays, CD’s, photographic albums, posters, signs & more. In addition, you have provided meaningful help and advice to the ARS Journal editor to improve the layout and design of that publication. Your work as Chairman of the ARS Program Library is another example of your on-going efforts to encourage interest in the genus Rhododendron. Silver Medal Award: George Keen McLellan You have served as an American Rhododendron Society chapter president, director, and committee chair; put on meetings, given talks and slide shows, written newsletter and Journal articles with photos and had garden tours. More importantly you have taken on the long-term project of locating Eastern North American native azalea species and forms, and documenting and photographing them in their natural habitats. You have traveled from New England to Florida, along the coast and in the mountains, in often difficult locations. You have led many tours and described these plants through talks, written articles, photos, and personal interaction thus rekindling and enhancing interest in and preservation of these Rhododendron species here and throughout the world. Silver Medal Award: Robert "Mitch" Mitchell You are the driving force behind the Hawaii Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society. Under your guidance the Hawaii Chapter has hosted three international Vireya seminars and a national convention. Your enthusiasm, generosity, and love for Vireya Rhododendrons is infectious. You have created a worldwide network where questions, comments, photos and ideas can be shared. For many of us you opened a whole new world. Your passion for Vireyas has taken you into hybridizing and your crosses now exceed sixty. You are a major contributor of Vireya seeds distributed widely by the Hawaii Chapter. You’ve also created two Vireya gardens. The first is your personal garden at your home in Volcano Village. The second is located at the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens where the Vireya species section is filled with your donated plants. The following Gold and Silver Medals were awarded by President Leonard Miller on May 14, 2006 at the Society's conference in Rockville, Maryland: Gold Medal Award: Kenneth Cox Your contributions to the American Rhododendron Society, rhododendrons, and the plant world have been extraordinary. These accomplishments include major efforts as a plant explorer, as an entertaining and informative writer and lecturer, as an introducer of new species and hybrids, and as nurseryman. Most importantly, these accomplishments have received international recognition, advancing the cause of Genus Rhododendron across geographical, political and cultural borders. Gold Medal Award: Sandra McDonald For thirty years, you have shared your expert knowledge and many talents with the American Rhododendron Society. You have served two terms on the ARS Board. You have assisted with the ARS Journal for 26 years as technical reviewer and Editorial Committee Chair and have written 16 articles for the Journal. You have developed the ARS Archives at the University of Virginia as a major source of rhododendron information used by researchers worldwide. From your own hybridizing and seed from others, you have grown, selected, and registered 30 azaleas and rhododendrons. Choice plants donated by you now grace three public gardens. Silver Medal Award: Joseph (Joe) Parks For half a century you have been producing hardy, floriferous rhododendrons and azaleas for the chillier parts of the Northeast. You have developed rhododendrons with gorgeous foliage and blooms and deciduous azaleas resistant to mildew and sawfly larvae. Many of your plants are registered and now in production in the Northeast. Your six-acre garden, with over a thousand rhododendrons and azaleas, is an inspiration to cold-climate gardeners. You consider education about the genus to be crucial and have published many articles for both the connoisseur and the general public. You have conducted an extensive hardiness survey to support your hybridizing. You have been active in your chapter and served as its President. |
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American Rhododendron Society |