Re: Emeritus Judges, Urgent

[MORRISJE1@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/18/2009 8:09:13 A.M. Central Standard Time,  
cemahan@aol.com writes:

I, for  one, think the current criteria for judges are perfectly fine. As 
one  responsible for getting a number of people nominated for emeritus judge, 
I can  tell you what it takes. 




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Clarence,
 
I stand by my previous statement that the nomination requirement for  
EMERITUS JUDGE has a poor set of criteria.  There is nothing wrong with our  
criteria for JUDGES in general.  In the six year's Jean was on the Board  and 
the five I have been on it, the nominating letters and supporting letters  
last year were the best we have seen as to answering the OVERALL judging  
criteria, skill, performance and knowledge of the candidates.  Some  nominations 
we have seen in the past were pathetic to the point that we wondered  why 
anyone bothered to do such a disservice to some good people.   Nominating 
someone because they are a good ole boy who hybridized a few or many  irises, or 
they have judged for 30 years and are about to die isn't good  enough and 
not appropriate either.  Your personal nominations in our time  on the board 
were the best in our opinion until last year's nominations.  
 
Has everyone deserving been nominated?  No, and in private discussion  with 
Bob Pries we agree on four who are most deserving and overdue for  
recognition (yeh, make Bob the Emeritus Judge's Czar!)  We disagree on two  
speciality hybridizers who do not grow a representative collection of irises  other 
than their type of speciality.  To my knowledge they never have as  
evidenced by their garden that I have visited several times over a 25 year or  more 
period (not in my Region either).
 
I believe our problem starts at the Master Judge level where a  judge 
automatically becomes one after 15 years as a Judge.  There is no  criteria for 
EARNING this level, no written examination, no requirement to make  iris 
presentations, tutor apprentices, judge shows, provide AIS service, have a  
formal review of their Regional Judge's Chairman's records (now that's a novel  
idea), etc.   Bob's contrast of our program with the Master  Gardener's 
program is appropriate I believe, although I wouldn't go so far as to  charge 
fees for the training and award.  But their requirement for  Master Gardeners 
to formally fulfill service requirements and report on them is  worthwhile.
 
And now back to our huge Greentree Festival (Kirkwood city projected over  
25,00 visitors)where we are selling about 7,000 irises this weekend.  It  
has been a bloody intense two weeks of work in preparation for the sale.   
Wish us luck and good weather.
 
Jim M.

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