MEMORIALS

121 topics in this forum

1. 

   Karel Havlicek

   April 19, 2008 by bgl

   • 13 replies
   • 10.3k views

   Karel Havlicek died very recently of a heart attack at his home in Hilo. Finding out about his death left me with a great sense of loss and sadness. Karel was definitely one of the greatest plant lovers I have ever known. Karel’s son, Pavel, is currently here on the Big Island and informed me that there will be a “Memorial gathering to celebrate Karel’s life”. It will take place at 12 noon on Saturday April 26th at Karel’s home in Waiakea-uka in Hilo and it will be very informal. If you plan on attending but don’t have the address, send me a PM. (The address is however listed in the HIPS roster). I first met Karel in January 2001. This was at the Annual PSSC Banquet in…

   

   Last reply by Palmzilla, May 15, 2011

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3. 

   From Jerzy 1 2

   March 21, 2008 by ania

   • 64 replies
   • 19.1k views

   Dear IPS members; I am bringing sad news of Ania's passing. She left us on February 26th after long and courageous battle with cancer. She is missed so very, very much by me, our daughter Joanna and our son Paul. Her love to palms is shared by me. Although She was participating in IPS i was with Her planting, caring and enjoying the palms. In Her tradition I would like to join the IPS but I need some help and guidance in breaking in. Jerzy

   

   Last reply by steve 9atx, October 8, 2009

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4. 

   The loss of a good palm friend

   February 21, 2008 by iamjv

   • 3 replies
   • 5.2k views

   Sadly on Weds (2/20/08) Glynn Whiddon a friend of mine and member of the Palm Society of South Texas passed away. Glynn had been in the palm business in the Rio Grande Valley for 30 some years. His love was palms and tropical plants. Naturally he enjoyed our palm meetings and was always very generous with palm donations to the society. No doubt, the 'palm family' here in Texas, will not be the same with out him... You'll be missed my friend! Jv

   

   Last reply by iamjv, February 22, 2008
5. 

   Glynn Whiddon

   February 21, 2008 by Tad

   • 5 replies
   • 4.9k views

   Glynn Whiddon had a heart attack this afternoon around one, one thirty and passed away. A lot of people in the Tx palm society knew Glynn, and owe what they have in their collection to his efforts. He was very knowledgeble about palms,cycads,and plants in general. He owned and ran Rainforest Wholesale Nursery and Landscaping in Harlingen, Tx. He had quite a few friends here on the board and will be missed by many people. He and I had some different views about plants, and other things, but he never hesitated to answer my never ending strings of questions, when we hosted a palm society meeting he gave me several compliments and I was so stoked, that he took notice…

   

   Last reply by blake_tx, March 8, 2008

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6. 

   Dick Johnson has passed

   February 13, 2008 by JEFF from Trabuco Canyon CA

   • 2 replies
   • 5.2k views

   I only meet him a couple of times and enjoyed talking cycads with him. He had a wealth of knowledge of plants. He had a great collection of plants and I believe he had a plant named after him. He will be missed in the plant community. I hope some people from the board can add some thinks about him.

   

   Last reply by Mark lasvegas, October 31, 2010
7. 

   Noel Lake Memorial

   February 4, 2008 by tank

   • 3 replies
   • 5.6k views

   I am posting this memorial for Merrill Wilcox.

   

   Last reply by merrill, February 5, 2008
8. 

   A Tribute to Paul Drummond

   September 18, 2007 by TikiRick

   • 7 replies
   • 6k views

   Paul Andrew Drummond (April 15, 1924 – September 15, 2007) Born to a physician father and a loving, stay at home mother, Paul was raised in New York City during an age of the city’s “reinvention” from crime, poverty, and the desperation of crowded immigrants to the welcoming diversity of people, religion, cultures, and the arts. As a youngster, adventuresome Paul thrived on the continual thrill the big city atmosphere offered including riding the subways and exploring Central Park….all alone and by eight years of age. After his physician father met a premature accidental death, his independent mother was determined to afford the lifestyle Paul and his brother was…

   

   Last reply by swamptreenelly, September 23, 2007

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9. 

   Paul A. Drummond has passed on

   September 16, 2007 by TikiRick

   • 1 reply
   • 3.8k views

   Paul A. Drummond died on Saturday, September 15, 2007 comfortably asleep while in the hospital. After suffering a fall on his bicycle and injuring himself, he underwent surgery and never quite recovered--either physically or psychologically. A longer memorial tribute will soon be posted about this amazing man who dedicated much of his life to palms. Rick

   

   Last reply by sunshine, September 17, 2007
10. 

    Teddie Buhler Memorial

    July 12, 2007 by Palmateer

    • 0 replies
    • 3.6k views

    Teddie Buhler was such an important pioneer in the Palm Society, and Lenny Goldstein wrote such a great obituary about her, that, with Lenny's permission, I thought it was worth reposting what he recently published in PALMS. Teddie Buhler 1910 - 2006 Teddie Buhler, a founding member and longtime secretary of the The International Palm Society, died December 12, 2006 after a very productive, honorable life. She was born Theodora Breymeier on September 2, 1910, in East Orange, New Jersey. To understand how much the world changed over the next 96 years, it is helpful to put her birth date into context. In 1910, life expectancy for a female born in the U.S. was ab…

    

    Last reply by Palmateer, July 12, 2007
11. 

    Gertrude Cole

    May 7, 2007 by TikiRick

    • 11 replies
    • 6.9k views

    Gertrude Cole was an early pioneer for the South Florida Palm Society. She lived in Ft. Lauderdale near the beaches and was a widow for many years. I had the pleasure of touring her garden in 2003, when I helped her clean up some of the mounting (palm) debris. Although her physical health was failing, her desire and excitement toward palms was not. She gave me a tall Ptychosperma sp (clustering species) of which I have in my collection. I will always remember her generosity. Do you have any more information about Gertrude? All I know is that she attempted to leave her estate to the Palm Society, but that never happened for whatever reason. I believe she was origin…

    

    Last reply by merrill, December 14, 2007

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12. 

    Memorial project for Bob Riffle

    April 20, 2007 by Jana

    • 10 replies
    • 6.2k views

    Hi everyone, It's so nice to come back here after a long absence and still see familiar names. I'm very pleased to have a project to announce that I hope Bob Riffle's friends will want to support. As many of you know, Bob lived in Houston for many years and I remember him speaking fondly of the Mercer Arboretum in Humble on many occasions. Since Bob's passing, I have become friends with Linda Gay, who is the director of Mercer Arboretum and also a good friend of Bob's. Now that I have finally visited the Mercer myself, I fully understand why Bob was so enthusiastic about this wonderful garden. It is truly magnificant. Over several months we have organized …

    

    Last reply by Jana, June 10, 2007
13. 

    Eva Whitelock has passed away

    March 7, 2007 by Cycadcenter

    • 11 replies
    • 6.6k views

    Loran Whitelock's wife Eva passed away today after a long battle with cancer.

    

    Last reply by Linda, April 6, 2007
14. 

    Teddi Buhler has passed away

    January 30, 2007 by PalmGuyWC

    • 11 replies
    • 6.2k views

    I recently learned that Teddi Buhler passed away in December. She was a long time Executive Secetary of the Palm Society in its earlier years and a founding member of the Palm Society. She died at the age of 93. For many years Teddi practicly ran the Palm Society and was responsible for sending Principes to it's members which was an overwhilming job for one person. Teddy was one of the most dynamic, energetic persons I've ever known. As Secretary she was on the board of directors for many years, and she was always inquisitive and had many usefull suggestions. Her cheerfull personality always spiced up some of the boring board meetings. Unfortunately, living in …

    

    Last reply by TikiRick, May 7, 2007

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15. 

    John Bishock has passed away 1 2

    January 19, 2007 by SubTropicRay

    • 1 follower
    • 52 replies
    • 24.8k views

    Many of us lost a good friend on Wednesday night with the passing of John Bishock. John would post on this site as John from Old Miakka. He was diagnosed with liver cancer less than 6 months ago and had been doing fairly well despite the rigors of chemotherapy. I had the pleasure of seeing him in December for a Christmas cookout where he was in remarkably good spirits and as enthusiastic about palms as ever. He and Faith had attended all of the Biennials with the exception of the most recent trip to DR. I was fortunate enough to have John and Faith attend my recent wedding. John will be sorely missed, not only as a fountain of palm knowledge, but as a dear friend. …

    

    Last reply by Daryl, May 6, 2009

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16. 

    -Remember RLR Today

    December 24, 2006 by PALM MOD

    • 1 follower
    • 34 replies
    • 10.5k views

    It wouldn't hurt to take a moment and have a pleasant thought or two about the man and his accomplishments on his birthday. I for one have a much greater appreciation for what Bob put together here.

    

    Last reply by _Keith, August 31, 2016

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17. 

    -Robert Lee Riffle - His Gardens 1 2

    August 25, 2006 by IPSPTAdmin

    • 44 replies
    • 16.8k views

    Robert's neighbor Jean Smith sends us these photos of Robert's garden the way he left it. If you had the good fortune of a personal tour of Roberts garden you might offer some identification for the palms and other tropicals he was planting. Thanks for sending the pictures Jean!

    

    Last reply by Gileno Machado, September 21, 2006

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18. 

    -RLR's "Favorite Palm"

    August 19, 2006 by Diane Kirkland

    • 30 replies
    • 12.5k views

    One of the funniest things about Bob Riffle was his inability to settle on a favorite palm -- I always said it was the one in front of him at the moment. He'd call me on his cell phone huffing around Montgomery or Fairchild or The Kampong and describe what he was seeing ... many favorites! I'm writing an article about RLR for the IPS Palms publication and would like to include the list of his "favorite palm" as told to you all. Trust me, I know there is more than one. I realize these have been mentioned in other threads, but it would be easier to have them all in one place. Thanks so much. D.

    

    Last reply by _Keith, October 24, 2008
19. 

    -Palms for RLR

    August 15, 2006 by tikitiki

    • 18 replies
    • 8.4k views

    My wife said when she realized my fascination with palms that I could plant anything except one with spines. So here is my Aiphnes Minima it will stand out among the rest as being different the only one of its kind. Planted 8/15/06. Winderemere,FL.

    

    Last reply by bgl, February 1, 2008
20. 

    -Bobby, my friend, my brother

    August 15, 2006 by Lindagay

    • 5 replies
    • 5.1k views

    I got the call on Friday evening at 10:30 that Bob had passed. I was shocked and speechless as I had just spoken to him 2 weeks prior. Bobby and I had many evening discussions on the phone about plant meetings, palms and the proper pronunciation of the latin genera, that I constantly slaughtered. The first time I met Bob was when he came to Mercer Arboretum around 1998. He had been to the garden before, but visited with our botanist at that time and she was not too much into palms or tropicals. I did not know he had come to the garden then. When Ms. Em (later referred as Ms. Neiman Marcus because she was so much maintenance!) brought him to the garden, we did …

    

    Last reply by Walter John, August 16, 2006
21. 

    -Palm photos for Bob Riffle

    August 15, 2006 by bgl

    • 16 replies
    • 7.3k views

    Queman58/Bret's posting of a Beccariophoenix photo made me think of many of the comments RLR made, on the Forum, and presumably in private conversations as well, about palms that he really liked. I don't think it's appropriate to begin adding photos to the other thread in this section, which is why I'm starting a new thread. How about photos of all the palms that Bob, at some point in time, told us that he liked? This could become a photo gallery in his memory with all his favorite palms, and maybe a few others as well! I also plan on planting a palm in his memory, and I know many others who intend to do the same thing. Personally, I think it would be nice if we start a…

    

    Last reply by Zac in NC, December 29, 2006

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22. 

    -Bob Riffle has passed away 1 2 3 4 8

    August 12, 2006 by quaman58

    • 1 follower
    • 286 replies
    • 57k views

    It is with the greatest sadness in my heart to have to tell you all that Bob Riffle passed away suddenly last evening. His being missed by us all is a vast understatement. Paul

    

    Last reply by J. australis, August 18, 2013

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