Robert Pries
AIS GOLD MEDAL RECIPIENT 2018
STORY BY JIM MORRIS, MISSOURI | photo provided by bob pries
The AIS encyclopedia (wiki) creator, manager,
and defender, Bob Pries has done more than
anyone to bring AIS into the 21st Century. Known
as an “idea” man, Bob has persistently developed
this wiki iris information source since its creation
in 2007. More than 40,000 people interested in
irises use the wiki each year, which is ten times the
number of AIS members, and 100 times the number
of people subscribed to the Iris Register! Around
5,000,000 pages of the wiki are viewed each year.
Botanists in several botanical gardens worldwide
use the wiki as their primary source of credible
and vetted iris information. Current
year iris introductions from primary
sources (the hybridizers themselves
and/or their catalogs/iris lists) are
posted each year awaiting the later
AIS Registrations and Introductions
publication.
A well-respected botanist, Bob has
his BS in botany from the University of
Tulsa and his MS in plant ecology and
plant taxonomy from the University
of Missouri (MIZZOU). He was unable
to defend his research and thesis for
his Ph.D. when his father died and
he had to take over management for seven years
of his family’s furniture company in St. Louis. He
administered the company’s dissolution and later
entered pharmaceutical sales for more than 20
years. He met his wife, Rosemary, at MIZZOU, and
they have been married for 45 years.
Pries came to irises via his interests in rock
gardens, dwarf plants, and species. He has been a
prolific writer about irises of most types and has
served many sections on boards and as an officer
including president, i.e. SIGNA, DIS, and ASI. He
served on the AIS board of directors 2013–2018.
On the latter, at one time or another, he has headed
up these functions: national collections, display and
test gardens, public relations and marketing, and
wiki manager.
Bob originated and brought to fruition the
International Species Symposium in St. Louis, MO, in
March 1995. This successful event brought together
Iris and Iridaceae experts from around the world,
including Peter Goldblatt, Brian Mathew, Jean Witt,
Alan McMurtrie, Panyoti Kelaidis, and Dr. Georgi
Rodionenko, among others. This was a major AIS
undertaking with the Proceedings, Gardening with
Iris Species prepared and edited by Dr.
James W. Waddick.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Pries
spent countless hours developing,
editing, and updating various AIS
section checklists. He brought them
up-to-date with varied corrections,
additional varietal descriptions, reclassifications,
and even pictures
(Spuria) that do not exist in the
AIS registrations and introductions
checklists.
Bob also originated and created in
July 2013 the online News and Notes
Robert Pries
, jim morris
publication and recruited IT designers, editor, and
content sources, much as he did for the wiki. This
has proven to be a great topical supplement to
our printed publication IRISES, The Bulletin of the
American Iris Society, our main source publication
for which he has also written many articles through
the years.
Congratulations, Bob, on receiving the highest
award AIS can give for your outstanding service to
the American Iris Society and the iris community.
d
Winter 2019 AIS Bulletin 19