Club News for July 18, 2012
Veach new president of Hibiscus Society
Local hibiscus rosa-sinensis hybridizer Damon Veach was elected national president of the American Hibiscus Society at its convention in New Orleans in late June. He is the first member from Louisiana to gain this honor. There are chapters in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and the American and British Virgin Islands.
The AHS was founded in 1950 in West Palm Beach, Fla., by commercial growers who were also hybridizers of tropical hibiscus. Their focus was to create a nomenclature database that developed into a registration process providing breeding information to hybridizers.
Veach has been a member of this group since the early 1980s and now maintains about 300 varieties at his Baton Rouge home, including several new seedlings such as his own Cool Brees, named in honor of Drew Brees after the Saints’ Super Bowl victory. He has his own breeding program and has new seedlings he is growing from seeds acquired from Tahiti, Moorea, New Zealand, Australia and Florida. One of his major goals is to preserve older varieties that are nearing extinction but are the basis for providing genes for all newer varieties.
Camera phones topic for LPS June meeting
Guest John Korduner spoke about how to use camera phones for quality pictures at the Louisiana Photographic Society’s monthly meeting on June 21. He says the phones can rival DSLRs when used properly.
Ken Wilson outlined upcoming field trips to a ghost town, Civil War re-enactments and a mystery tour. Kathy Reeves discussed current and future exhibits. Gene Bachman invited entries for the regional competition. First-place winners for the monthly competition were Paul Kavanagh at the advanced level and Cathy Smart at the entry level.
LPS is open to all photo enthusiasts from novice to professional. Visit http://www.laphotosociety.com.
The “Club News” column runs every Tuesday and Wednesday, and Friday as needed, in The Advocate. Items and photographs should be submitted to “Club News,” Advocate People section, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821, or people@theadvocate.com. Events should be submitted in a timely fashion. Photos may not include more than 10 people and will be used on a once-a-month per organization basis. Photos will be returned if stamped, self-addressed envelopes are provided. By submitting photos to The Advocate, you agree that they can be published in any of The Advocate’s print or digital publications.