BY CHERYL DEATON, CALIFORNIA Youth Views
It has been a very busy summer. It has
been a tradition for more than 15 years for AIS youth
members to receive irises from the AIS National
convention committee. This year, Paul Gossett and Joe
Musacchia, co-chairs of the convention, pledged to
send the AIS youths Louisiana irises.
Our youth members received Louisiana irises
from some very generous members of the Society for
Louisiana Irises (SLI): Robert Treadway, Joe Musacchia,
and Ron Killingsworth (of Plantation Point Nursery).
Robert Treadway is the president of SLI and was
responsible for sending around 150 irises from his
garden that went to the “independent” youth members
(those who are not part of a Classroom Iris Program).
Joe Musacchia sent about 60 irises to our program
at Cobb Mountain Elementary School in northern
California, and Ron Killingsworth sent more than 175
irises to CIPs in Missouri and northern California.
I have gotten a few thank you notes and emails
from some of our youth, and they are very excited to
receive a new type of iris for their gardens. Mason
Drummer wrote: “Dear Ms. Deaton, Thank you for the
iris. I’ll plant it today with my Grandma.” Max Mohr
wrote: “Ms. Deaton, Thank you for the iris.” Jessica and
Samantha Hendrickson wrote: “Thank you so much
for the irises! We are so excited to have them in our
garden. It’s always fun to have new things to plant. We
look forward to seeing them bloom. Happy fall!” I got a
cute note from Max Redman that said, “Thank you Mrs.
Deaton for the iris. I will enjoy watching them bloom.”
Darby Redman drew a bird in the note that read,
“Thank you so much for the iris! I will make sure to
plant them as soon as possible! They are very beautiful
in bloom, and I will enjoy watching them grow. Thanks
again. Darby.”
All of the AIS Youth members planted the irises
in late August to early September and are eagerly
awaiting bloom in the spring. Many of them have gone
on to the iris wiki to look up their irises and find out
what they look like. I am sure that the CIP youth will
be sending thank-you notes to these oh-so-generous
gentlemen.
The iris world recently lost a dear man, Perry Dyer.
In 1973, Perry was the first recipient of the AIS Youth
Achievement Award (the name changed to the Clarke
Cosgrove Memorial Award for Youth Achievement in
1979). He was a wonderful contributor to the American
Iris Society throughout his life and will be missed.
Nominations for the 2018 Clarke Cosgrove
Memorial Award for Youth Achievement are due
by January 31, 2019. The AIS youth that should be
nominated for the CCMAYA are: members who
grow a fine iris garden; participate in local, regional,
and national activities; promote AIS; hybridize; write
articles for their club or regional newsletters; enter
club shows; set up and/or work club sales; and/or
provide information at their schools about irises.
The youth members MUST be nominated by an
adult AIS member. I know there are many young
people who deserve a nomination, so put on your
thinking caps and get the nomination to me either via
the U. S. Mail to Cheryl Deaton, 27218 Walnut Springs
Avenue, Canyon Country, CA 91351-3314, or as an
attachment to email at region15kids@hotmail.com.
Please try to limit your nomination to 500 words or
two pages.
The summer/fall issue of the youth newsletter,
The Iris Fan, was sent to all the youth members. It
contained the first place essays from the Ackerman
Essay Contest written by Katharina Brase in the Junior
Division, and Lewis Glasscock in the Senior Division.
Debbie Strauss has made a few wonderful changes
for the 2019 Ackerman Essay Contest. Now there will
be three age groups: nine and under, 10—12, and 13
and over. She has also chosen the theme for the 2019
essay: “If you could plant an iris garden anywhere in
the world, where would it be, which irises would you
choose to plant, and what would you like visitors to
your garden to learn?”
Because the 2019 AIS Convention will be held in
AIS Youth members Max M. (left) and Mason D.
, kathryn mohr
Fall 2018 AIS Bulletin 25