Re: AIS:Conventions-Long

In a message dated 1/9/01 10:45:22 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
wmoores@watervalley.net writes:

<< Here is a 
 partial quote from the late Bill Bledsoe, an AIS president back in 
 the 1970's.  This comes from the July 1962 issue of the Bulletin of 
 the AIS after the Bledsoes had attended their first convention.
  >>

Dear Walter:

This sure brings back memories!  Our first convention was in 1964 in Chicago 
and we went with several other people from our local club so didn't get to 
meet very many others.  The next year the convention was headquartered in the 
famous Peabody Hotel in Memphis.  That may have been the first time we 
visited the Bledsoe garden.  In 1966 we visited Presby Memorial Iris Garden 
in New Jersey as part of the Newark convention.  We continued attending AIS 
conventions almost every year since then, missing the 1970 New York 
convention and one in Berkley, California.  I especially remember the 1969 
convention in Milwaukee because I had just bought my first single lens reflex 
camera to take slides of the irises and retired my Brownie Starmite. Each 
year it is old home week getting together with all the friends we have made 
over the years.  At first we were in awe of the big-name hybridizers, but 
gradually became friends with many.  On the bus tours everyone is friendly 
and helpful.  Last year, I was impressed to see a well-known commercial iris 
grower take a youth member under his wing on the tours.

Sometimes there is a little excitement when a bus gets lost or breaks down.  
We were Bus Captains in Detroit when our bus to the Zoo wouldn't start to 
begin with and after it finally got going stalled again.  That's  just to 
keep everyone awake.  The gardens are worth seeing no matter what happens.  
Sometimes we even get a bonus of seeing some beautiful scenery along the way. 
 It's really a great experience.

Dorothy Willott
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