Youth Views BY CHERYL DEATON, CALIFORNIA
For the first time in decades, a youth member
did not attend the AIS national convention (they were
all in school!). I was understandably disappointed, but
I was busy, far busier than I expected to be! Hopefully
there will be youth participation at next year’s
convention in Northern California.
Our winner of the Clarke Cosgrove Memorial
Award for Youth Achievement, Hope Winzer, is
battling a debilitating disease, and the treatment she
was undergoing prohibited her and her family from
traveling due to the danger of infection. A family
friend accepted Hope’s award, and I was able to read
a thank-you note to those in attendance at the awards
banquet. Hope is a wonderful young lady with a quirky
sense of humor. She was hybridizing for space agers,
so we got along really well when I was able to spend
time with her. (At the Des Moines convention she and
her younger sister Glory switched name badges and
had everyone thoroughly confused as to who was
who). Hope did have a small request, and that was
for anyone attending to email pictures to her mom’s
address so she could experience the bloom and the
fellowship of those who attended. If you would like
to send Hope some pictures to brighten her day, use
lauriewinzer6@gmail.com. I know the family would
appreciate pictures and prayers.
This year, Joe Musacchia has graciously offered to
donate Louisiana irises to all of our youth members.
Since all of them live in areas that can grow LAs in soil,
it gives them a wonderful opportunity to grow a type
of iris that they may not have grown before. A HUGE
thank you to Joe for his donation. Joe was the cochair
for the SLI portion of the convention and is past
president of SLI. The irises should arrive in September
or October.
The Ackerman Youth Essay Contest, sponsored
by the AIS Foundation, had a new format this year,
described in the article below on these pages.
Congratulations to the winners! We will be placing the
first place essays in a future issue of IRISES, and please
look for excerpts from all of the essays in the next
youth newsletter, The Iris Fan, due out the end of the
summer.
It is so important for adults to encourage and
mentor young people in growing irises. Without the
support of adults, many youth members lose their
enthusiasm and stop growing irises in their teens.
Sometimes they come back as adults when they
become homeowners and plant their home gardens,
but sometimes they don’t. Many young people started
growing irises with their grandparents. While there are
smaller home gardens, drought-tolerant irises can still
be an important part of the landscape. Newer traits
that hybridizers have been working on make irises
valuable garden additions. Won’t you share your love
of our favorite flower with a grandchild, a neighbor, or
even a local school? You will be glad you did. Until we
meet in a garden somewhere, Happy irising!
d
Breaking News:
The new 2020 Centennial Publication editor is now Kathleen Sonntag. Contact her at kathwrites@gmail.com.
Enjoying IRISES?
Let the editor know what is on your mind.
Can you write about irises? Do you have pictures you can send us?
This is your chance to be published!
Choose a topic that interests you and grab a pen, PC, or laptop.
Send it to the editor and you may be reading YOUR article in the next issue of the Bulletin.
Jane Milliman, editor, 390 Hillside Ave., Rochester, NY 14610 | irises@janemilliman.com
16 AIS Bulletin Summer 2018