People
Thank you Heather Pryor for dedicating your well deserved DeBallion Medal to Lynn's memory. It's a great tribute to her. Thank you to Paul Gossett for allowing me to spend a few moments talking about Lynn's history in the iris world. She had a strong connection to both the SLI and Region 15 and so it is particularly appropriate to speak of it here.
She was always mildly interested in gardening and always had a few bearded irises in the garden. One in particular that her mom had given her, an old brown one, went with us as we moved around Southern California.
- Parent Category: People
- Category: Remembrances
Read more: Lynn Finkel - In Memorial - by her husband, Barry Finkel
by Tom W. Dillard
The Society for Louisiana Irises lost a valued member with the death on June 18,2004 of Lynn Rae Finkel, age 60, of Battle Ground, Washington. She died of cancer.
Born on January 9, 1944 in Maryland, Lynn was the daughter of Dorothy and Joseph Kaplan. She was the second of three children, and the family moved to the west coast when Lynn was five years of age. She grew up in the Los Angeles area, and graduated from Venice High School in 1960.
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- Category: Remembrances
by Marie Caillet
Mrs. Walter C. "Minnie" Colquitt died at the age of 100 on March 10, 2004 at a Shreveport, La. nursing home. Minnie was a charter member of the Society for Louisiana Irises-and an active worker in the early years. She served on the board and then as president in 1951. She joined the American Iris Society in 1938 and began taking an active part as recorder and later registrar. She also began attending conventions and SLI meetings, usually coming a day or so ahead to dig in the swamps.
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- Category: Remembrances
As I read the article in the recent Newsletter by Robert Treadway titled "Oh Iris, Where Art Thou," when I read where he said he had never gotten to know the man Marvin Granger, my thought was, "Oh, what a loss!" To never get to indulge in a cup of his dripped coffee and a piece of his peanut butter pie, to never have gotten to know this kind, gentle, funny witty person! There are thousands of people who cross our paths in a year, having the open garden and
being involved in plant societies, pottery, etc., that we are involved with.
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- Category: Remembrances
Not all SLI members are officers in the Society, nor are they Newsletter writers or iris hybridizers. Many members come to activities to meet with friends, look at the irises in tour gardens, and enjoy the fun or just to support a spouse. All of this applied to our late friend and SLI member, Helene Mertzweiller. She was more interested in cutting and arranging flower stalks than in growing them, but she was a true supporter of the Society activities and the Louisiana irises themselves.
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- Category: Remembrances
Read more: Helene Mertzweiller -- In Memoriam by Marie Caillet
The iris world lost another dedicated and prolific iris hybridizer with the death of Marvin Granger of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Marvin died May 11, 2003 after an operation and other health problems. He leaves many devoted nieces and nephews and many iris friends with whom he talked or corresponded for over 50 years.
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- Category: Remembrances
SLI members who know and love the beautiful pink Louisiana iris named 'Aunt Shirley' (Mertzweiller 90) will be saddened to learn that its namesake, Mrs. Shirley Caillet Welch of Little Elm, Texas died in March at the age of 99. Mrs. Welch was the sister of SLI founding member and leader Miss Marie Caillet.
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- Category: Remembrances
Read more: Shirley Caillet Welch -- In Memoriam by Tom Dillard
Mary G. Sullivan of Scotland, Arkansas died on January 24,2003. Her tenure in SLI was short but important. Mary could be seen in the gardens in Lafayette during the 2001 SLI Convention with her AIS Judges Handbook in hand. She did garden and exhibition training in the gardens and at the show during the convention. These training sessions helped her fulfill her requirements to become an Accredited AIS Judge.
- Parent Category: People
- Category: Remembrances
Read more: Mary G. Sullivan -- In Memoriam by Robert Treadway