2014 Convention People and Activities

Photographs courtesy of Karyn Cichocki, Jeanne Katzenstein, Teh Shan Lee, Tommy Liu, Stephen Maciejewski, Dale Martens, Julie Mavity-Hudson, Peter Shalit and Paul Susi

Welcome to Convention 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee

Boarding the bus for the pre-convention trip

Tour coordinator Molly Schneider socializing on the bus

Mollie Howell and Jo Anne Martinez enjoying breakfast on the bus

One of the many growing areas at Don Shadow Nursery in South-Central Tennessee

Tour group in the barn enjoying Don’s slide show of plant-hunting in Japan

Don Shadow talking with the group while strolling through the nursery

Tour group enjoying a delicious box lunch in the barn

Touring the nursery and learning about the plants

Don telling the group more about the specialty plants he grows

Don and a couple of two-hump camels, part of his rare animal collection

The mill stream feeding The Old Mill, our next stop on the tour

Our group learning about the milling operation

Weaving demonstration for the group

Afternoon fruit, cheese, and drinks on the bus ride back

Joan Wood thanking Betty Walker, our tour guide for the day

Our convention hotel: the DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Nashville

Sights of Nashville included Printers Alley

Downtown fountains and garden

Ryman Auditorium, original home of the Grand Ole Opry

Broadway, busy with restaurants, stores, and honkytonks

The Country Music Hall of Fame

Tuesday morning Board of Directors meeting

Board members chatting during a break

Mary Helen Maran (front right) and team just after opening registration

Fay Wagman reviewing the promotional items table with Brad Walker

Hong Xin wearing the Society’s new tee-shirt he helped design featuring Hemiboea roseoalba

Boarding the bus outside the hotel lobby for the afternoon trip to Opryland

Lunch-on-your-own group at Opryland: Bob Clark, Leonard Re, Jeremy Keene, Paul Susi

Group meeting the tour guides in the Opryland Hotel lobby

Tour group and guide out in one of the conservatories

Another group and guide discussing the history of the gardens

The beautiful Cascades waterfall

Viewing the gardens from the walkway above

Hong Xin and Wen Fang photographing streptocarpella

Tuesday evening convention welcome by Carol Ann Bonner and Jo Anne Martinez

Opening dinner buffet

“Gan bei” Chinese welcome toast

Jonathan Ertelt and the rhizome Growers Forum with panelists Ben Paternoster, Eileen McGrath, Irina Nicholson, Jay Sespico

Audience waiting for the Growers Forum to start

Jo Anne Martinez checking the food set-up for the host chapter social

Susan Allison, Jacquie Eisenhut, Debra LaVergne, Mel Grice enjoying the social

Molly Schneider and Mary Helen Maran catching up since last convention

Jeremy Keene, Paul Susi (hidden) and Michael Riley blowing bubbles at the social

Julie Mavity-Hudson and her husband Eddy (right) with other members of the Fiddle and Pick Caeli Band (Gretchen Priest May and Tony Novak)

Wednesday morning mini-program on Skyping by Dale Martens

An actual Skyping session was set up during the presentation

The judging school novice session about to begin

Setting up for the morning judging school workshop

Karyn Cichocki and Jill Fischer demonstrating how to prepare a miniature design

Comparing a design with different backgrounds

Workshop attendees doing their own designs with materials supplied

Nancy Kast, Norah Otto, and Tom Bruning working on their designs

Mary Bozoian using a glue-gun to hold her design in place

Workshop participants reviewing the completed designs

Lunch break between judging school sessions

More time to talk over lunch

Norah Otto calling the role of chapters at lunch

Afternoon judging school session

Practice judging team Maureen Mark, Jacquie Eisenhut, Jill Fischer

Team Rosemary Platz, Pat Dunlap, Wallace Wells

Team Barbara Matthews, Barb Festenstein, Fay Wagman

Paul Kroll helping show the practice-judged plants

Afternoon judging school attendees

Dale Martens leading the evening GHA meeting and program

GHA audience eagerly awaiting Dale’s program and the give-away plants

Stephen Maciejewski leading the conservation meeting and program

Wen Fang presenting a report on the GCC of China at the conservation meeting

Wen Fang and Lacera DeWilde displaying the Chinese Gesneriad book

Flower Show Entries aide Mary Schaeffer assisting first-time exhibitor Larry Force

Classification Chair Michael Riley (right) assisted by Jonathan Ertelt

Entries Chair Paul Susi assisted by Emma Bygott helping Julie Thompson

Bill Price (seated) with Wen Fang and Jeremy Keene inspecting and placing entries from Dale Martens

Pat and Gary Dunlap awaiting inspection of their entries

Kathy Spissman and the plant sales team starting to set up plant sales

Student Grant recipients: Laura Clavijo, François Lambert, Reece Watson, Jon Grammer, Hong Xin

Laura Clavijo presenting her program on gesneriads in Colombia

Reece Watson presenting his program on Rhytidophyllum and Gesneria

François Lambert presenting his program on the Gesneria viridiflora complex

Hong Xin presenting his program on pollination of cave-dwelling Primulina species

Jon Grammer with his poster presentation on Lampadaria

Close-up review of Jon’s poster by audience members

Afternoon lecture by Wen Fang on the gesneriads of Vietnam

Annual Meeting with President Paul Susi presiding

Attendees at the Annual Meeting and dinner

Buffet line for dinner

Group socializing over dinner

Mel Grice, Connie Leifeste, Dale Martens, Johnnie Berry

Michael Kartuz standing as Award of Appreciation recipient 32 years ago

Convention attendees who have received Awards of Appreciation over the years

Evening lecture by Michael Wenzel featuring gesneriads at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

One of the gesneriads shown growing at ABG was Pearcea rhodotricha with its striking red-and-black flowers

First-in-line for plant sales

Group awaiting opening of plant sales

Making selections from the many plants for sale

Susan Grose and Michael Kartuz making their decisions on what to buy

Stephen Maciejewski, Rob and Olive Ma Robinson filling their boxes

Lena Klintberg enjoying all the activity at plant sales opening night

Lan Jiun Wu, Karyn Cichocki, and others waiting to pay for their purchases

Time for judging the flower show with judges chair Jacquie Eisenhut

Flower Show Chair Karyn Cichocki (right) with Dale Martens helping during judging

Awards Chair Paul Lee awaiting results of the judging

One judging team at work

Another judging team at work

Afternoon opening of the flower show

Board meeting resumes with newly elected directors and officers

Judges Forum on Growing Asian Gesneriads with David Ruland, Nancy Kast, Karyn Cichocki, Bill Price

Silent Auction room busy just before closing time

Socializing at the cocktail hour before the Awards Banquet

Carol Ann Bonner, Michael Wenzel, David Ruland

Julie Mavity-Hudson showing Bob Clark and Wen Fang the history of the Tennessee Chapter

Socializing at the Awards Banquet

Attendees waving their light sticks as Wen Fang sings

Dale Martens practically dancing with joy after winning Sweepstakes in Horticulture as well as Best in Show

Dale with her Best in Show plant of Streptocarpus ‘Dale’s Polar Canary’

Ribbons and rosettes for the award-winning entry

Dale’s new hybrid Sinningia ‘Peachy Keene’ named in honor of Jeremy Keene receiving his doctorate

Fourth of July fireworks seen from the hotel

More fireworks

Ending of the fireworks

All quiet in the showroom at the end of the evening

Official flower show photo team led by Julie Mavity-Hudson

Open time for all attendees to photograph the show

Judges critique led by Arleen Dewell

Nancy Kast discussing her Paradrymonia collection

Wen Fang commenting on Primulina wentsaii, runner-up to Best in Show

Arleen reviewing some of the streptocarpus entries

Discussion on the entries exhibited for ornamental value other than flowers

Marcela Mora presenting her program on Paradrymonia and Nautilocalyx

Mel Grice presenting his methods of propagating gesneriads

Attendees back in the show room to see more of the show

Nancy Kast (right) discussing her entries with Bev Williams and Brett Flewelling

Stephen Maciejewski enjoying Paul Susi’s exhibit on the China expedition

Designs from the judges workshop on display in the show room

Buffet line at the Saturday luncheon

Ad Manager Tom Bruning honoring our advertisers

Table of items ready for the Live Auction

Auction team: Doris Brownlie, Tom Bruning, Michael Riley, Bill Price

Group awaiting the next auction item up for bid

Bill Price on the look-out for the next bid

Late afternoon walk downtown past the Batman Building

Group waiting to enter BB King’s Blues Club for dinner and entertainment

Group relaxing at the Saturday night closing event at BB King’s

More socializing while in the buffet line

Hong Xin celebrating his birthday at the event

Night scene of downtown Nashville as the convention attendees walked back to the hotel to pack up

Nashville at night along the Cumberland River – we said good night and goodbye till next time

Julie Thompson, Beverley & Bruce Williams, Paul Lee

Jo Anne Martinez, Carol Schreck, Gussie Farrice, Jill Fischer

Johnnie Shepard, Susan Allison, Paula & Mary Bozoian

Patsy Harbeson, Sylvia Svitak, Lily Huie

Carol Orozco, Susan Grose, Anne Vidaver

Mel Grice, Connie Leifeste, Dale Martens

Johnnie Berry, Nancy Moerer, Doris Carson

Winston Goretsky, Bill Price, Wen Fang

Sally Robinson, Kazuo Horikoshi, Lily Huie

Mel Grice, Paul Kroll, Brett Flewelling

Reece Watson, Laura Clavijo, Jon Grammer

Tom Bruning, Ben Paternoster, Sally Robinson

Jerry & Nancy Kast, Jeanne Katzenstein

Steve and Barb Borleske, Elizabeth Varley

David Minneman, Irwin Wagman, Harvey Festenstein

Barbara Festenstein, Fay Wagman, Laura Buckner

Karen Sproul, Eileen McGrath, Tommy Liu

Doreen Hovermale, Sally Robinson, David Pierce

Norah Otto, Wallace Wells, Teh Shan Lee

Susan Bradford, Kazuo Horikoshi, Carol Ann Bonner

Gary & Pat Dunlap

Carolyn Ripps, Mike Horton

Peter Shalit, Bob Clark

Gussie Farrice, Jill Fischer, Karyn Cichocki

Jay Sespico, Irina Nicholson, Barb Clark

Rickey & Molly Schneider, Pam Braun

Debra & Alan LaVergne

Dariane & Richard Joshlin

Michael Kartuz, Mel Grice

Julie Mavity-Hudson, Paul Susi

Lena Klintberg, Russ Strover

Arleen Dewell, Emma Bygott

Jeanne Katzenstein, Jo Anne Martinez

Mary Schaeffer, Gary Hunter

Betsy Gottshall, François Lambert

Mel Grice, Jeremy Keene

Paul Susi, Leonard Re

Stuart Hammer, Michael Kartuz

Erika Mavity, Julie Mavity-Hudson

Wen Fang, Hong Xin

Mel & Dale Martens

Robby and Marcela Mora

Carrie Williams, Jonathan Ertelt

Wen Fang, Michael Kartuz

Paulo Castello da Costa, Hung Nguyen

Teh Shan Lee, Tommy Liu

Board Members: Jo Anne Martinez, Karyn Cichocki, Becky Fontes, Bob Clark

Board Members: Leonard Re, Kathy Spissman, Julie Mavity-Hudson, Paul Susi

Karyn Cichocki & Jill Fischer packed up and ready to leave … till we meet again next year

François Lambert with his invite to the 2015 Convention “Gesneriads by the Golden Gate” to be hosted by the San Francisco Gesneriad Society from June 30 to July 4 in Oakland, California

Photographers: Karyn Cichocki, Jeanne Katzenstein, Teh Shan Lee, Tommy Liu, Stephen Maciejewski, Dale Martens, Julie Mavity-Hudson, Peter Shalit, Paul Susi