Our June meeting will start with the Installation of our new officers and directors and the presentation of trophies for our award winners.
Then we will have a wonderful program presented by Tom Harper of Stones River Orchids in Tennessee. Tom’s program is titled “12 Most Important Phalaenopsis Species.”
Tom began growing orchids on a windowsill in 1967. By 1975, he had registered his first orchid hybrid and founded Stones River Orchids as a business. A long-time supporter of the Mid-America Orchid Congress, Tom served as its President, Vice-President and Mid-American Editor (the MAOC newsletter). Tom is also a founding member of the International Phalaenopsis Alliance (IPA) in 1989 and has served in many responsible positions including Vice President, President, and IPA Journal contributor on many occasions. Currently he serves on the Board of Directors as the Immediate Past President of theAlliance and is the Southeast Region 13 Representative. He has been an active member in the Orchid Society of Middle Tennessee since 1967 serving as President, Vice President, and Trustee.
Tom assisted in writing and editing the Phalaenopsis species section of the soft cover Ortho book entitled Complete Guide to Orchids. He has written several articles on Phalaenopsis for Orchids, Orchid Digest and the IPA Journal. He has traveled coast to coast and internationally speaking on various aspects of Phalaenopsis. Tom lectured at the 16th World Orchid Conference in 1996 in Brazil and the 19th WOC in January 2008 in Miami. Additionally, he was invited to speak in March 2005 and again in 2007 at the Taiwan International Orchid Show and Symposium in Hsinying, Taiwan, Republic of China. He returned to Taiwan in 2010 and plans to travel there again soon. Most recently, he spoke at the 15th Annual International Phalaenopsis Alliance meeting in theUnited Kingdom in June 2009.
In 2008, Tom received his first FCC/AOS on Dtps. Brother Success, ‘Laura’ (The highest award given by the American Orchid Society) at the Heart of Dixie Show inHuntsville,Alabama. He has been an accredited American Orchid Society judge since 1984 and is based in theAtlantaJudgingCenter.