Members: Marla, Julia, Thelma, Jim, Phyllis, Ed, Eleanor, Dean, Janet, and Mike. Not pictured, Inge, Maureen, Melissa, Tom and Stephanie.
Margaret Lee Branch
of the American Begonia Society
Administrators of the ABS's Clayton M. Kelly's Seed Fund
The Margaret Lee Branch of the American Begonia Society is an active, vibrant but small group of individuals that love Begonias and other shade loving plants. We actively grow, study and research begonias, their Family Begoniaceae and other plants.
We administer the American Begonia Society's Clayton M. Kelly's Seed Fund . Members are encouraged to grow as many species as possible and pollinate and collect seeds of their plants for this activity. All the seeds are tested before the Master list appears in the January/February issue of The Begonian. Dean Turney is administrator, receiving and sending the orders and Michael Ludwig is the seed packer, AKA dust packer.
Members play an active and valuable role in the programs of the branch. Programs include discussion and study of a member's adopted SOS (Species Of Study) plant, the branch's SOS, studying plants within a specific Section of Begoniaceae, Show and Tell and an exchange of cultural information, plants and cuttings. For the SOS portion of the meeting, each member chooses a new plant each year to study. Plants may be repeated as this allows a different perspective on the plant and new information that may be found.
We come into 'friendly contact' the fourth Saturday of the every month at 10:30 am. We meet at members' homes or at our unofficial home The KOLZ Begonia Research Center. There is a brief business meeting, and two program/study sessions separated by lunch. Members bring their lunch and the host provides beverage (champagne) and dessert. The November meeting is our "Souper Meeting", which namesake Marge Lee started when she would serve soup at the meeting, usually the Saturday following Thanksgiving, and we celebrate at our December Party. Janet Brown drives the 100 miles each month to come down from Los Angeles. Her enthusiasm and love for the group spurred Jim, Tom and Stephanine to join and also make the trip from LA.
With a motion by Thelma O'Reilly, the branch unanimously voted to donate $500.00 to the KOLZ Begonia Research Center at the January 2010 meeting. Thelma announced that her husband, Tim, would match the branch’s donation. A presentation of the checks was made at the March 2010 meeting held at KOLZ. This is the branch's second $500.00 donation to the Center to help build and progress its mission.
In 2011 we continue our tradition of study, research and friendship with total member participation. The officers have been elected to another term and the outlook is bright. The SOS (Study Our Species) portion of our program is a huge success with each member responsible to ‘adopt’ a species and bring information about it to the membership. This keeps each of us interested and enthusiastic about learning more and sharing it with others. No one sits back and waits to be entertained at our meetings as lively discussions always ensues with new and reviewed knowledge. Although a species may be repeated from time to time, the new perspective often brings new information or triggers a lost memory in someone, more discussion. Thelma O’Reilly’s 'Bits and Pieces' showcase nuggets of information past, present and future.
Our membership has a vast wealth of knowledge that never goes untapped. Making the Marge Lee Branch rich are Thelma O’Reilly with 40+ years of research, Ed & Phyllis Bates had years of editorship of The Begonian, and with over 30 years of cultivating and study of Begonias by the previous 3, plus Eleanor Calkins, Inge Foo, and Mike Ludwig. The following members have a few less years Dean Turney, Janet Brown, Jim Jaeger, Melissa Worton, Maureen O’Reilly Pullam, Tom Cotz, and Stephaine but all bring insightful and questioning minds each month to make this the perfect branch. We suffered from the recent loss of members, Ruth and Walter Pease and all they brought to the meetings. Our champagne lunch each month keeps us in friendly contact and makes us more than just a branch but a true begonia family. In October we join the Mabel Corwin Branch to show off our Begonias and offer San Diego and Southern California begonia lovers an opportunity to buy begonias and other shade loving plants.
With a motion by Thelma O'Reilly, the branch unanimously voted to donate $500.00 to the KOLZ Begonia Research Center at the January 2010 meeting. Thelma announced that her husband, Tim, would match the branch’s donation. A presentation of the checks was made at the March 2010 meeting held at KOLZ. This is the branch's second $500.00 donation to the Center to help build and progress its mission.
If you would like to join us "in friendly contact" as stated in the Aims and Purposes of American Begonia Society or for more information contact Michael.
2011 Officers:
President: Michael Ludwig
michael@kolzbegonia.com
Vice President: Thelma O'Reilly
Secretary: Ingeborg Foo
Treasurer: Dean Turney
National Representative: Inge Foo
Clayton M. Kelly Seed Fund
Dean Turney- Administrator
Michael Ludwig- Seed Packer
Members pictured above at the opening of The KOLZ Begonia Center 2006: Julie Garafolo, Denise Knoblock, Marla Keith, Inge Foo, Ed Bates, Walter and Ruth Pease, Dean Turney, Janet Brown, Thelma O'Reilly, Michael Ludwig, Eleanor Caulkins
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MARGARET LEE BRANCH
Webmaster: Michael Ludwig ©2011 all rights reserved
2011 Officers:
President: Michael Ludwig
michael@kolzbegonia.com
Vice President: Thelma O'Reilly
Secretary: Ingeborg Foo
Treasurer: Dean Turney
National Representative: Inge Foo
Clayton M. Kelly Seed Fund
Dean Turney- Administrator
Michael Ludwig- Seed Packer
Dean Turney- Administrator
Michael Ludwig- Seed Packer
MARGARET LEE BRANCH
Webmaster: Michael Ludwig ©2011 all rights reserved