Home > Elections 2013

Elections for NARGS officers are open February 1 to February 15, 2013. Please go to associationvoting.com/nargs. You will be asked to enter your membership number - printed on the address label of the Quarterly or by asking Bobby Ward at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it - and your last name. Then follow the straightforward instructions. Thank you for voting! Recommendations of the Nominating Committee for 2012 While NARGS has had a Nominating Committee for many years with nominations open to all members, it was apparent that the election of those nominated was not as democratic as the nomination process itself. Voting for board members and officers was open only to those attending the Annual Meeting. In 2013 voting will be done electronically or by mail prior to the Annual Meeting. However, publication of the names of nominees needs to be tightly scheduled, offering an opportunity for nominations from-the-floor. The end result is that the Committee requested not just names (as in the past) but a letter of nomination, a note of acceptance, short biography and picture from the nominee. I believe that, although it is more demanding to nominate a NARGS member through this new process, members will realize the advantages of having good information about each nominee from the moment those names appear on the NARGS website in advance of the election. This year the Committee received only one nominee for each of seven positions. We recommend this slate for election in 2013. Their names, bios and pictures follow: For NARGS President Peter George During my term as president I've tried to guide the organization toward more democratic elections, more Internet presence, and a more vibrant and relevant Rock Garden Quarterly. The changes we've implemented haven't been without some opposition, but generally the changes have been well received, and I'm fully committed to continuing my efforts to make NARGS the most progressive, interesting and inclusive organization of its kind in the world. For NARGS Vice President Harvey Wrightman I have been a member of NARGS since 1985 and with my wife Irene, operate Wrightman Alpines, a nursery specializing in rock garden plants, also since 1985. I find alpine gardening is one of those pursuits to offer different levels of experience. In the construction workshops we have run, it often is a surprise what people can create - like watching a primary child in a sandbox with a trowel and water. I believe it has to be fun. For NARGS Recording Secretary Ben Burr I am a retired plant geneticist. My wife, Frances Burr (retired botanist) and I have always maintained an avocational interest in horticultural plants. As our plant collecting expanded to the spatial limits of our garden we turned to alpines and quickly became addicts. I first became interested in alpine plants in California's High Sierra where I was fortunate enough to have summer employment through my college years and packed a copy of Jepson's Manual with me to key out plants on my lunch breaks. I am a member of the Manhattan Chapter and maintain the Chapter's website at mcnargs.org. For NARGS Treasurer Bill Adams Bill Adams is a native Coloradan and, after earning a degree in Biology, worked in the banking industry for over 20 years. In 1995, he retired from banking and expanded his rock gardening hobby into Sunscapes Rare Plant Nursery, a small wholesale and mail order nursery specializing in rare and unusual plants for rock gardens and dryland gardens. He has been a member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of NARGS since the early 80's and has served as the Chapter Treasurer since 2007. He is currently finishing his first term as the Treasurer of NARGS. For 3 Positions on the NARGS Board of Directors (2013-2016) Gordon MacKay Gordon followed in his father's footsteps and attended Threave School of Gardening in Scotland (two years). Whilst there he was inspired by Head Gardener Magnus Ramsay to further pursue a career in hardy ornamental nursery stock and this led to studies at Pershore College of Horticulture for three more years. In 1994 Gordon emigrated to Vancouver Island. Along with being an instructor for a local college horticulture program, he owns and operates Alba Plants where he and his wife propagate, trial and grow dwarf conifers, alpines, dwarf shrubs and choice woodlanders. Don LaFond I'm a stay at home dad and in my free time I love gardening. What got me interested in rock gardening is I found out that an English/cottage style garden wouldn't grow in a gravel pit so I started rock gardening instead. I was introduced to and joined NARGS sometime in 1990. I've enjoyed being president and vice president of the GLC of NARGS in the past. I like to collect Daphnes and dwarf conifers. My garden also consists of rhododendrons, trees, shrubs and other perennials. My favorite way of gardening is creating troughs. James Locklear Jim Locklear is Director of Conservation at Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska, where he is responsible for efforts to conserve the endangered plants of the Great Plains. He has worked in the field of public horticulture for 25 years, previously at the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Kansas, the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, and the Morton Arboretum in Illinois. He is the author of the book, Phlox: A Natural History and Gardener's Guide, published by Timber Press in 2011. In 2012, Jim received the Edgar T. Wherry Award from the North American Rock Garden Society for "outstanding contribution in the dissemination of botanical and horticultural information about native North American plants." Jim and his wife Lynn live in Lincoln. As of the posting of these names and accompanying documentation, members have the opportunity to nominate additional candidates (from-the-floor). Any such nominations must be submitted with documentation (bio, picture and note of acceptance from the nominee) to the Nominating Committee by November 1, 2012. The combined list (of recommended slate and from-the-floor nominations) will be published in the Winter 2012/2013 issue of the Quarterly. A detailed description of the voting process will also be published in that issue. I hope members will exercise their right to vote in 2013, and that voting will lead them to think about the organization, and to make a nomination for one of the next three board members a year from now. Lola Horwitz, Chairperson of the Nominating Committee and NARGS board member (2011-2014) Nominating Committee Members: Gail Gray, Elizabeth Houdek, Jody Payne, Lori Skulski, Mike Slater, Carmel Tysver.