Re: Plagiarism Story VIII

Jim Hawes wrote:
> 
> Robins,
> 
> The story continues to describe the period up to, including and after
> the Winter Scientific  Meeting in Chicago in late January 1998. Sometime
> in June, 1997 Walek had decreed that Ben's Cultivar Group article was
> not plagiarism because it conformed to the ICNCP Code. Nothing was ever
> said about did he copy, did he use it without permission or without
> citing sources of his  information. Public communication within and
> outside the Robin seemed to slack off considerably. I assumed that a lot
> of people on the Robin felt like I did...dazed, depressed, in a state of
> disbelief, somewhat angry and sad. It was like being sick to the soul
> but I knew I would get out of this state eventually.
> 
> I received lots of private posts from several friends who communicated
> about many of the new examples of copying ideas, word, jokes,
> anecdotes, etc...from the H.tortifrons vein pair example, to the "What
> about Royal Flush?" example mimicking Roberta Diehl's original comment
> concerning Glen's story about his neighbor who planted Hostas in his two
> commodes outside his house under renovation, and many minor "me too"
> types of petty copycatting. Within the rather large group of Robins,
> Ben's reputation as a plagiarist was common knowledge and was ridiculed.
> But no one dared do anything or say anything in public. It was like a
> secret cover up...a taboo subject in public.
> 
> During this period of about eight months from June 1997 to January 1998,
> I was very occupied with my garden and with heart problems. I spent a
> lot of time in reading, studying and documenting more information and
> writing on hosta sports. Tom Micheletti asked me to present a short talk
> on hosta sports at the Midwest Hosta Society Scientific Meeting in
> Chicago in late January 1998. He suggested updating as many Hosta Wheels
> as I had prepared in the Artist's Palette article and present them to
> Meeting attendees. I agreed to do this. I worked throughout the late
> summer on this and had prepared 56 Groups of Related Sports (Wheels, as
> they became known) by the time of the Meeting. I sent them to Tom to
> duplicate about 200 copies.
> 
> The Meeting went well. The Wheels presentation went fine with the new
> information on sports well received. Ben was there. He got a copy of the
> Handout containg 56 Hosta Wheels with much new information added.
> Frankly, I was sorry but I couldn't very well say he couldn't have a
> copy because he was a plagiarist, could I? Besides it was Tom who was
> handing them out.
> 
> In February there appeared to be a flurry of posts from Holland on the
> subject of sports. From the substance of the messages I could tell Ben
> was busy adding to his "BOOK" which he had told us about on several
> occasions. He told us we could buy it at the Peoria Convention. I
> suspected he was copying like crazy all of the new sports I had included
> in the Handout.
> 
> Although I had not communicated with Ben since early June 1997 at the
> time of the Plagiarism Flap, his post to me (see below) appeared that we
> had been in constant and continuing correspondence. On February 13, 1998
> he wrote:
> 
> > Jim
> > thanks for the additional corrections I have tried to incorporate
> > them in my own system , where i have now nearly 800 parents and there
> > sports. This system does not uses wheels or
> > criss-crass arrows. Instead I add in short the color for each plant
> > behind the name ( eg Frances Williams ye) That way they can also be
> >  presented on the computer .
> > I find it a pity that so much effort goes in making these wheels
> > whereas they are for me difficult if not impossible to use despite the
> > fact that for the third time the wheel has "improved" I  still find it impossible to "read
> > from your handout or published wheels the color of the cultivar.  In
> > nearly each case I have to add a question mark. I would appreciate if you
> > could one way or another provide the colors of the new additions ,
> > without referring to the wheel.
> > Ben J.M.Zonneveld
> > Clusius lab pobox 9505
> > 2300 RA Leiden
> > The Netherlands
> > Zonneveld@RULbim.LeidenUniv.NL
> .............................................
> 
> I was flabbergasted. He was at it again. He was copying as I suspected.
> He wanted me to send him more information because he could not figure
> out that the position of the hosta sport on the wheel determined the
> color and pattern of distribution. Even my 10 year old grand daughter
> understood the concept used in the Artist's Palette and Ben PhD
> couldn't???. He was admitting that he was using data  from the Wheels I
> had developed .
> 
> Of course, I refused. I did not answer. I did not give him permission of
> any kind to use the information. Ben was not deterred. Four days later
> he wrote to his Hosta Fans:
> 
> Dear Hopsta Fans
> I would appreciate if you cpould add colors to the following cultivars
> maybe by using the following system
> w=white  y=yellow  cr=cream bl=blue  gr=green  ch=chartreuse
> e=edge  c=center  color not mentioned = green
> 
> Abby dew
> Alligator shoes
> Amy Elizabeth
> Aspen White
> Born Again
> Carols August Halo
> Cassanova
> Chippawa
> Color Parade
> Dress White
> Emerald Carpet
> Gosan Moonskirt
> Irish Breeze
> Irish Spring
> Jupiter
> Lazy River
> Litle River
> Jaded Geisha
> Jupiter
> Lazy River
> Little River
> Merlin
> Millies Memoirs
> Ming Treasue
> Tranquility
> Regalia
> Renaissance
> Rough River
> Sublety
> Mr Spork  (corrected Mr Spock)
> Summer Solstice
> Obsession
> Pomp and Circumstance
> Redolent Nosegay
> Thanks for any help
> Ben J.M. Zonneveld, etc.
> 
> ...................................................
> 
> Flabbergasted again!.. He had the audacity to ask the whole Robin to
> help him figure out the colors of sports I had added to the 56 Wheels
> presented at the Winter Meeting. This list includes many  of my own
> hosta sports, named but not yet registered, other sports of friends who
> told me about their sports. They were added to wheels with their
> permission and names( in parentheses) indicating sources of the plants
> by introducer in most cases. They were placed in their correct position
> on my Handout and Ben still couldn't figure out the colors. And he wants
> to use them in his Book!!!Without approval!!!without citation too
> perhaps. At this time all I knew about the Book was what Ben told us on
> the Robin. But I could tell from his asking for information about my
> list of sports that he intended to use them if he could just figure them
> out. He had not commited plagiarism again...YET...just giving hints that
> he planned to do so.
> 
> Ben completed his book in April so he told us. He sold it at the
> Convention in Peoria for 6 dollars, so I was told. Summer passed. I went
> to Florida in September and did more  studying and writing. Among the
> things I studied was Ben's book. A copy had been given to me by a
> friend. I opened it and there it was.....more plagiarism. Lots and lots
> of my hostas in Ben's Book, hostas known only to me, previously
> published by me having been presented in my Wheels Handout at the Winter
> Meeting. In the frontispiece was the familar boilerplate......Copywrite
> 1998, Duplication of this material prohibited by Ben J.M Zonnerveld,
> etc.   My first thought was .....He steals, then copywrites to prevent
> anyone else from stealing what he has stolen....Outrageous!!!
> 
> Jim Hawes

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