Each year we lose another of our longtime members until there are few of these members left. We regret the death on July 1, 1989 of one of our oldest and most colorful members, Calvin Blue. Calvin and his wife Inez joined the Society in 1945, soon after it was organized. They with their young daughter Susie came to all the Society functions and were always on hand to greet out-of-towners at the Friday night supper of the annual meeting.

Calvin majored in horticulture while in college. He continued this interest throughout his life, but made photography and painting his life work. During the iris collecting years of the 140lS and ’50’s Calvin hunted for the unusual in form and color, going into out of the way marshes and waterways. With Dr. Dozier, a U.S. Wildlife specialist sent to work in the Lafayette area, he turned up many strange hybrids. One, a narrow petaled but true bi-color, was christened “The Freak”!  Nothing ever came of it, but it added a few laughs at the annual show. During Calvin Blue’s 44 years as a Society member, he contributed slides and pictures taken during meetings and some taken especially for various early publications. He also contributed his iris paintings to the auction held to make money for the Publication Fund.

Charles Arny named and registered a lovely ruffled lavender-blue iris CALVIN BLUE in 1985.