Date/Time
Date(s) - 08/10/1968 - 08/11/1968
All Day
Categories
News of the Society
A very successful meeting was held in Arcadia, California on August 10th – 11th, marking the end of another two-year period in the Society’s life. We are most grateful to the management and personnel of the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum for being our hosts. The Arboretum looks even more beautiful than ir did when we met there four years ago. Dr. William S. Stewart, Mr. Duane O. Crummett and Mr. Francis Ching were cordial hosts.
Mr. Burton Greenberg was convention chairman, and he ran the meeting like clockwork, so smoothly that no one was aware of all the time, thought and labor that was involved, unless he has had experience along those lines.
Close to one hundred members and their guests registered during the morning of the 10th, and took the guided tour of the Arboretum grounds. A buffet luncheon was served, followed by the business meeting.
The reports of the President, Secretary, and Treasurer were read. They will be found elsewhere in this issue.
Mr. Billings McArthur, chairman of the nominating committee, proposed the following slate of officers and directors for the coming biennium:
President: Dr. John Popenoe
Vice-President: Dr. Jerome P. Keuper
Secretary: Mrs. Lucita Wait
Treasurer: Mr. Wallace E. Manis
Directors for the period 1968-1972:
Mr. Otto Martens
Mr. David Barry, Jr.
Mr. Walter J. Murray
Mr. Dent Smith
Mr. Harrison Yocum
Robert N. Smith, Jr., M.D.
U.A. Young, M.D.
There being no nominations from the floor, the slate was unanimously elected.
Following the business meeting, short illustrated talks were given by Dr. Joseph A. Tuta on fossilized palms, Mr. Nolan Kiner on palm education in our colleges, Mr. Paul Saito on use of palms for parks, highways and public places and Mr. Billings McArthur on the new palmetum and Dent Smith Trail at Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida.
During the coffee break, courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Sydney E. Jones, members enjoyed examining the exhibits of palm publications – books, bulletins, papers and nursery catalogs old and new – coordinated by Mr. Nolan Kiner, the fascinating display of petrified palms and cycads shown by Dr. Joseph Tuta, and the many beautiful and rare palms in containers belonging to various members of the western chapter, and arranged by Mrs. Evelyn Ching. Mr. and Mrs. Jones presented the secretary with a very fine painting of the washingtonias in Palm Canyon, painted by Mrs. Jones.
Dr. M.E. Darian had planned a palm guessing game, but due to shortage of time, he simply showed the slides, much to the relief of the audience, which did not want to show its ignorance.
That evening a banquet was held at Eaton’s Restaurant. The featured speaker was Dr. Harold E. Moore, Jr., who gave an illustrated talk on “A Scientist Looks at Palms”. The audience gained an insight into the methods of study used by botanists in determining palm species, and was spellbound by the beauty of the minute palm parts when enlarged on the screen.
On the following day members and guests were entertained by Madame Ganna Walska, whose estate, “Lotusland”, is more lavish and beautiful than ever. After a tour of the many specialized gardens and areas, our gracious hostess served refreshments and accepted our thanks for a delightful afternoon.
All of us felt the absence of the Society’s founder, Mr. Dent Smith, who was out of the country and unable to attend.
And so begins a new biennium, which we hope will be even greater than those behind us.
Lucita Hardie Wait – Executive Secretary