RAY & DOROTHY PALMER AWARD

Best Specimen - Midseason Show

By Jim Morris

In 1982 the Greater St. Louis Iris Society (GSLIS) established the Ray & Dorothy Palmer Award to honor these long-time members of the American Iris Society who resided at Echo Hill Gardens on Weidmann Road in Manchester, MO. The award for Best Specimen at our regular Midseason Show is quite large consisting of a silver bowl placed on top of a walnut base with nameplates for engraving of the annual winner(s).

Ray C. Palmer (1906-1981) and Dorothy Schlinkert Palmer (1906-1986) were a team. Dorothy was a nationally known tall bearded iris hybridizer and talented photographer, while Ray was a supportive partner serving as critic, judge and seedling evaluator/selector. Dorothy was an Emeritus Judge and Ray an AIS Master Judge. Ray took charge of the weeding and tilling to allow Dorothy the time she needed to plan and make her iris crosses.

Ray graduated with a B.S. in Business & Accounting from Westminister College, where he was on the track, basketball and football teams, and was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity. He met Dorothy at a fraternity party in St. Louis and they were married on October 28, 1933 (Dorothy's birthday). She always kidded him that he planned it that way so that he would only have to provide one present each year.

Ray was an executive with Monsanto Chemical Co. for 35 years and retired as Budget Director in 1971. Ray and Dorothy joined AIS in 1949 and their garden was on tour during the 1952 St. Louis AIS Convention. Dorothy served as Region 18 Secretary and assisted the then RVP Ada Buxton in formation of the Mineral Area Iris Society in 1956. That was also the year that she introduced her first irises.

Dorothy Palmer was awarded the AIS Hybridizer's Medal in 1984. In 30 years of hybridizing she selectively introduced just over 70 irises, winning 36 HMs and four AMs, the latter for 'Buttered Popcorn' (70, TB) AM 73, 'Lilting Melody' (61, TB) AM 65, 'Sheer Poetry' (79, TB) AM 83, and 'Starring Role' (73, TB) AM 76. The AIS Convention was once again held in St. Louis in 1981 and 'Sheer Poetry' was voted the Most Popular Iris by the attendees. Dorothy's breeding of pink amoenas and efforts toward whites and pinks with blue beards are still in the gene pool of current day hybridizers.

This traveling trophy has been awarded at the regular Midseason Show annually since 1982 with the best specimen being dominated by Tall Bearded irises. Other winning iris classifications have included Spuria, Siberian, Species, Intermediate Bearded, Border Bearded and Miniature Tall Bearded. Regular Midseason shows were not held in 2000, 2001 and 2007.

The really neat thing about this trophy is that anyone can win it with but one entry in the show. It has been won by show veterans, AIS Youth and first-time show participants. I well remember seeing Harold Harris bring in his one stalk (from a plant I had given this famous daylily hybridizer the previous year) and Evelyn Sovar her two stalks another year (the winner gifted to her by Jean Morris the previous year as well) - and immediately predicting to them that they had the "Queen of Show" entry - their subsequent disbelief, and later surprise and joy when the prediction came true. GSLIS members grow quality irises and the competition for this prestigious award is keen.

The complete list of Best Specimen winners at the Midseason Show follows:

1982 'Flair' (TB) ............................................Louise Bellagamba
1983 'Going My Way' (TB) ............................Harold Harris
1984 'Tut's Gold' (TB) ..................................Jim Morris
1985 'Spring Island' (Spuria) .......................Dale Johnson
1986 'Song of Norway' (TB)* .......................Tom Hall
* It was entered and reported as "Powder Blue", the entry color not its name.
1987 'Gigolo' (TB) ........................................Jim Morris
1988 'Bishop's Pawn' (SIB) ..........................Dale Johnson
1989 'Shawnee Whisper' (TB) .....................Ann & Riley Probst
1990 'Rustler' (TB) .......................................Ann & Riley Probst
1991 I. pseudacorus variegata (Species) .......Pat Williamson
1992 'Windsong West' (TB) .........................Ann & Riley Probst
1993 'Dazzling Gold' (TB) .............................Kevin Gormley (youth)
1994 'Dusky Challenger' (TB) .......................Laura Ferguson (youth)
1995 'Silverado' (TB) ....................................John Macchi
1996 'Pandora's Purple' (TB) ........................Doris Loveland
1997 'Yaquina Blue' (TB) ..............................Bob Cranor
1998 'Jean Hoffmeister' (TB) ........................Sue Delmez
1999 'Sweet Charlotte' (MTB) ......................Jim Morris
2000 & 2001 ................................................No Show
2002 'Jurassic Park' (TB) ..............................Evelyn Sovar
2003 'Celebration Song' (TB) .......................Jim Morris
2004 'Roaring Jelly' (SIB) .............................Riley Probst
2005 'Chickasaw Sue' (BB) ..........................Sue & Don Delmez
2006 'Thornbird' (TB-SA) ..............................Judy Watters
2007 ............................................................No Show
2008 'Neon Blue' (IB) ...................................Cindy & Stephanie Rust
2009 'Fancy A Flutter' (TB) ...........................Marilyn Ruemmler
2010 'Dusky He-Man' (TB) ............................Jean & Jim Morris
2011 I. aphylla 'Ahlburg' (Species) .................Cindy Rust
2012 I. spuria subspec. Musulmanica (Species) ..Jean & Jim Morris

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