All, along with this discussion, I have been working, with only some limited luck so far unfortunately, to get the hybridizers in Region 4 to put together bios/stories to be included in the Encyclopedia under their hybridizer listing. Most hybridizers do not have a story like Elvan, but Dave and only a very very few others do have stories. As Jim notes, time is of the essence. HybridizerRoderick < Main/Bio < Iris Wiki (irises.org) HybridizerNiswonger < Main/Bio < Iris Wiki (irises.org) As a side note, I personally believe that anyone who receives an AIS Honorary Award should have some kind of citation in the Encyclopedia under their award listing summarizing what they contributed/did to have been honored with that award. I just think that contributes to capturing the history of AIS and its members. Below is an example of a possible citation: Donald Spoon, 2019 AIS Hybridizer Award Citation Don learned as a youth to love irises while gardening with his mother, Lilla Edwards Spoon (past President of the Charlotte Iris Society). Don has registered almost 400 cultivars and almost all of his registrations have been introduced. Demonstrating the quality of his Iris Introductions, Don has earned major awards for his irises from the American Iris Society to include 2 John C. Wister Medals one in 2007 and one in 2005, a Williamson-White Medal in 2008, and 2 Caparne-Welch Medals one last year in 2018 and one in 2013. He has also earned an additional 9 Award of Merits between 2015 and 2001, 27 additional Honorable Mentions between 2017 and 2001, a President’s Cup in 2003 and a Franklin Cook Memorial Cup in 1999. Don has also won 2 International Awards, the Best Red, Florence Italy International Competition in 2005 and the Best Commercial Variety, Florence Italy International Competition in 2004. Don has worked with many folks to include youths teaching them how to hybridize using his gardens as their classroom. A number of them, now AIS members, have their own iris businesses and are actively hybridizing, registering and introducing iris. Doug From: '@ymail.com' via AISTalk <aistalk@googlegroups.com> Neil, Two candidates for historical interviews would be Elvan (Al) Roderick and Dave Niswonger. Both are Dykes Medal winners in their 90s with Al in a Missouri nursing home and Dave in assisted living Time is of the essence. During the Des Moines AIS Convention all the presentations were video recorded by, I believe, Jurek. You might inquire about those with Wayne Messer and the Iowa folks. Jim Morris -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AISTalk" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to aistalk+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/aistalk/!%26!AAAAAAAAAAAYAAAAAAAAAN91s3L2HftHms70yOG%2BBOwCgwAAEAAAAEQlA0YRRVlGs8Nepqje3vIBAAAAAA%3D%3D%40verizon.net. |