Its with a feeling of great sadness that I report the passing of Rebecca
Tyson Northen on April 30, 2004.

Unquestionably one of the most recognizable and popular personalities in the
orchid community, Rebecca, 93, was friend and educator to countless
individuals throughout our fraternity. A trained biologist, Rebecca
attended Radcliffe College and received an AB from Wayne State University
and an MA from Mt. Holyoke College. With her late husband, a plant
physiologist and professor of botany at the University of Wyoming, she
traveled extensively in central and South America studying and collecting
orchids in the wild. She spoke to hundreds of groups over the years, and
her wonderful articles graced the pages of Popular Gardening, Flower Grower,
Horticulture, and the American Orchid Society Bulletin. In addition to the
orchid bible-- Home Orchid Growing -- Rebecca wrote Orchids as House Plants
and co-authored with her husband The secret of the Green Thumb and The
Complete Book of Greenhouse Gardening.

Personally, it was an honor and a privilege to have direct contact with this
legend on more than a few occasions in the past decade and a half. On each
occasion, Rebecca was always gracious, always giving and always upbeat. I
could certainly see why her varied and rapt audiences always came away with
on a smile and a lesson.

Rebecca joined the AOS in 1949. She received our organization's highest
honor, the AOS Gold Medal of Achievement, in 1979. In 1999, at the
Vancouver World Orchid Conference, she was presented with the AOS
Certificate of Meritorious Achievement in Orchid Education. As her son,
Phil, told me this afternoon, this incredibly classy woman had a very full
life and generations of orchidists are, indeed, testimony to that fact.

We will work up something appropriate for Orchids magazine. Because I felt
that the comments are particularly ringing on this sad day, I thought that
you might appreciate reviewing the attached remarks that were made by
then-AOS President Milton Carpenter on the occasion of Rebecca's receipt of
the aforementioned education award in Vancouver in 1999 (see below).

At this point, the Northen family has not finalized details related to a
memorial service, which will be in Des Moine, Washington, nor have they
determined their preference for memorial gifts. I will pass both sets of
details to you when I receive them.

I'm sure you join the AOS staff and Rebecca's countless friends throughout
the world's orchid community in extending our deepest sympathies and prayers
to Phil, Betty, Tom and the rest of the Northen family.

Lee Cooke

Rebecca Northen Presentation 1999, Vancouver WOC - by Milton Carpenter
Thank you for allowing me time this afternoon to make a special
presentation. There's a proverb that says that a teacher affects eternity.
She can never tell where her influence stops. There are few topics in the
orchid community that everyone agrees upon, but I offer you one this
afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, about which I suspect there will be
complete consensus. Rebecca Tyson Northen orchid teacher extraordinairre
has, indeed, affected the eternity of our hobby like no other ever has ...
or likely ever will. Has any one person contributed more to successful home
orchid culture? I think not. Her perpetual FCC, Home Orchid Growing, first
published in 1950, remains the standard by which others are judged. Now in
its fourth edition, we literally cannot keep it in stock in The AOS
BookShop! If Rebecca's Home Orchid Growing were her only achievement, it
would be more than most any orchid grower could claim. But it most
certainly is not. Rebecca has devoted her life to teaching others about our
mutual passion, and, in the process, has become the best friend beginning
orchid growers have ever had. The many ways ... in many media ... for more
than five decades ... that Rebecca has touched all of our lives can never be
duplicated.

Although it is hard to conceive that someone who has contributed as much to
orchidology as Rebecca has could ever retire, that was indeed her decision
last Spring when she moved to Washington state. We are honored and blessed
that she's chosen to visit with us her many students here in Vancouver at
the World Orchid Conference this week, and particularly pleased that she
could join us this afternoon.

She has been the worthy recipient of countless accolades in her long career,
including the AOS's Gold Medal of Achievement in 1979. The Trustees of the
AOS, in unanimous and enthusiastic endorsement, recently voted to bestow
upon the orchid world's premier teacher one of our organization's most
prestigious honors the AOS's Certificate of Meritorious Achievement in
Orchid Education. This award has only been given twice before in the
Society's history to Tom and Marion Sheehan.

A teacher is someone who takes your hand ... opens your mind ... and
touches your heart. Ladies and gentlemen, many can teach, but only a
special few can reach. Rebecca, on behalf of the tens of thousands you have
reached with your prose and lessons, we thank you from the bottom of our
hearts. It is indeed an honor for me to present this tribute to you this
afternoon.

I should quickly clear up any mis-understanding! Lee Cooke wrote all this,
I merely forwarded it without attribution. My Bad.

K Barrett
"K Barrett" wrote in message
newsAxmc.31360$Ia6.5146366@attbi_s03...
Its with a feeling of great sadness that I report the passing of Rebecca
Tyson Northen on April 30, 2004.

Unquestionably one of the most recognizable and popular personalities in
the
orchid community, Rebecca, 93, was friend and educator to countless
individuals throughout our fraternity. A trained biologist, Rebecca
attended Radcliffe College and received an AB from Wayne State University
and an MA from Mt. Holyoke College. With her late husband, a plant
physiologist and professor of botany at the University of Wyoming, she
traveled extensively in central and South America studying and collecting
orchids in the wild. She spoke to hundreds of groups over the years, and
her wonderful articles graced the pages of Popular Gardening, Flower
Grower,
Horticulture, and the American Orchid Society Bulletin. In addition to the
orchid bible-- Home Orchid Growing -- Rebecca wrote Orchids as House
Plants
and co-authored with her husband The secret of the Green Thumb and The
Complete Book of Greenhouse Gardening.

Personally, it was an honor and a privilege to have direct contact with
this
legend on more than a few occasions in the past decade and a half. On
each
occasion, Rebecca was always gracious, always giving and always upbeat. I
could certainly see why her varied and rapt audiences always came away
with
on a smile and a lesson.

Rebecca joined the AOS in 1949. She received our organization's highest
honor, the AOS Gold Medal of Achievement, in 1979. In 1999, at the
Vancouver World Orchid Conference, she was presented with the AOS
Certificate of Meritorious Achievement in Orchid Education. As her son,
Phil, told me this afternoon, this incredibly classy woman had a very full
life and generations of orchidists are, indeed, testimony to that fact.

We will work up something appropriate for Orchids magazine. Because I
felt
that the comments are particularly ringing on this sad day, I thought that
you might appreciate reviewing the attached remarks that were made by
then-AOS President Milton Carpenter on the occasion of Rebecca's receipt
of
the aforementioned education award in Vancouver in 1999 (see below).

At this point, the Northen family has not finalized details related to a
memorial service, which will be in Des Moine, Washington, nor have they
determined their preference for memorial gifts. I will pass both sets of
details to you when I receive them.

I'm sure you join the AOS staff and Rebecca's countless friends throughout
the world's orchid community in extending our deepest sympathies and
prayers
to Phil, Betty, Tom and the rest of the Northen family.

Lee Cooke

Rebecca Northen Presentation 1999, Vancouver WOC - by Milton Carpenter
Thank you for allowing me time this afternoon to make a special
presentation. There's a proverb that says that a teacher affects eternity.
She can never tell where her influence stops. There are few topics in
the
orchid community that everyone agrees upon, but I offer you one this
afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, about which I suspect there will be
complete consensus. Rebecca Tyson Northen orchid teacher extraordinairre
has, indeed, affected the eternity of our hobby like no other ever has ...
or likely ever will. Has any one person contributed more to successful
home
orchid culture? I think not. Her perpetual FCC, Home Orchid Growing,
first
published in 1950, remains the standard by which others are judged. Now
in
its fourth edition, we literally cannot keep it in stock in The AOS
BookShop! If Rebecca's Home Orchid Growing were her only achievement, it
would be more than most any orchid grower could claim. But it most
certainly is not. Rebecca has devoted her life to teaching others about
our
mutual passion, and, in the process, has become the best friend beginning
orchid growers have ever had. The many ways ... in many media ... for
more
than five decades ... that Rebecca has touched all of our lives can never
be
duplicated.

Although it is hard to conceive that someone who has contributed as much
to
orchidology as Rebecca has could ever retire, that was indeed her decision
last Spring when she moved to Washington state. We are honored and
blessed
that she's chosen to visit with us her many students here in Vancouver
at
the World Orchid Conference this week, and particularly pleased that she
could join us this afternoon.

She has been the worthy recipient of countless accolades in her long
career,
including the AOS's Gold Medal of Achievement in 1979. The Trustees of
the
AOS, in unanimous and enthusiastic endorsement, recently voted to bestow
upon the orchid world's premier teacher one of our organization's most
prestigious honors the AOS's Certificate of Meritorious Achievement in
Orchid Education. This award has only been given twice before in the
Society's history to Tom and Marion Sheehan.

A teacher is someone who takes your hand ... opens your mind ... and
touches your heart. Ladies and gentlemen, many can teach, but only a
special few can reach. Rebecca, on behalf of the tens of thousands you
have
reached with your prose and lessons, we thank you from the bottom of our
hearts. It is indeed an honor for me to present this tribute to you this
afternoon.

Orchid growing is one of those things I had always wanted to get around to
doing... for more than thirty years, it was on the back burner. The original
inspiration was the phenomenal orchid display at Longwood Gardens, where I
was knocked out by the onslaught of fragrances, forms and colors. Before I
could indulge my fantasy , I picked up at random a few books on orchids at
used book dealers, shelved them and forgot them. Little did I know that I
had a classic gathering dust. When recently, I heard the name Northen, I
thought, "that rings a bell." Sure enough, it was the first edition from
1950 that I had on my shelf. When I bought it, it might as well have been
written in snskrit, so little did I know about orchids. After two years of
growing them, I can read her descriptions with a new comprehension that only
comes with experience. And I find myself nodding at her observations. What a
great life!

Jeff

"K Barrett" wrote in message
newsAxmc.31360$Ia6.5146366@attbi_s03...
Its with a feeling of great sadness that I report the passing of Rebecca
Tyson Northen on April 30, 2004.

Unquestionably one of the most recognizable and popular personalities in
the
orchid community, Rebecca, 93, was friend and educator to countless
individuals throughout our fraternity. A trained biologist, Rebecca
attended Radcliffe College and received an AB from Wayne State University
and an MA from Mt. Holyoke College. With her late husband, a plant
physiologist and professor of botany at the University of Wyoming, she
traveled extensively in central and South America studying and collecting
orchids in the wild. She spoke to hundreds of groups over the years, and
her wonderful articles graced the pages of Popular Gardening, Flower
Grower,
Horticulture, and the American Orchid Society Bulletin. In addition to the
orchid bible-- Home Orchid Growing -- Rebecca wrote Orchids as House
Plants
and co-authored with her husband The secret of the Green Thumb and The
Complete Book of Greenhouse Gardening.

Personally, it was an honor and a privilege to have direct contact with
this
legend on more than a few occasions in the past decade and a half. On
each
occasion, Rebecca was always gracious, always giving and always upbeat. I
could certainly see why her varied and rapt audiences always came away
with
on a smile and a lesson.

Rebecca joined the AOS in 1949. She received our organization's highest
honor, the AOS Gold Medal of Achievement, in 1979. In 1999, at the
Vancouver World Orchid Conference, she was presented with the AOS
Certificate of Meritorious Achievement in Orchid Education. As her son,
Phil, told me this afternoon, this incredibly classy woman had a very full
life and generations of orchidists are, indeed, testimony to that fact.

We will work up something appropriate for Orchids magazine. Because I
felt
that the comments are particularly ringing on this sad day, I thought that
you might appreciate reviewing the attached remarks that were made by
then-AOS President Milton Carpenter on the occasion of Rebecca's receipt
of
the aforementioned education award in Vancouver in 1999 (see below).

At this point, the Northen family has not finalized details related to a
memorial service, which will be in Des Moine, Washington, nor have they
determined their preference for memorial gifts. I will pass both sets of
details to you when I receive them.

I'm sure you join the AOS staff and Rebecca's countless friends throughout
the world's orchid community in extending our deepest sympathies and
prayers
to Phil, Betty, Tom and the rest of the Northen family.

Lee Cooke

Rebecca Northen Presentation 1999, Vancouver WOC - by Milton Carpenter
Thank you for allowing me time this afternoon to make a special
presentation. There's a proverb that says that a teacher affects eternity.
She can never tell where her influence stops. There are few topics in
the
orchid community that everyone agrees upon, but I offer you one this
afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, about which I suspect there will be
complete consensus. Rebecca Tyson Northen orchid teacher extraordinairre
has, indeed, affected the eternity of our hobby like no other ever has ...
or likely ever will. Has any one person contributed more to successful
home
orchid culture? I think not. Her perpetual FCC, Home Orchid Growing,
first
published in 1950, remains the standard by which others are judged. Now
in
its fourth edition, we literally cannot keep it in stock in The AOS
BookShop! If Rebecca's Home Orchid Growing were her only achievement, it
would be more than most any orchid grower could claim. But it most
certainly is not. Rebecca has devoted her life to teaching others about
our
mutual passion, and, in the process, has become the best friend beginning
orchid growers have ever had. The many ways ... in many media ... for
more
than five decades ... that Rebecca has touched all of our lives can never
be
duplicated.

Although it is hard to conceive that someone who has contributed as much
to
orchidology as Rebecca has could ever retire, that was indeed her decision
last Spring when she moved to Washington state. We are honored and
blessed
that she's chosen to visit with us her many students here in Vancouver
at
the World Orchid Conference this week, and particularly pleased that she
could join us this afternoon.

She has been the worthy recipient of countless accolades in her long
career,
including the AOS's Gold Medal of Achievement in 1979. The Trustees of
the
AOS, in unanimous and enthusiastic endorsement, recently voted to bestow
upon the orchid world's premier teacher one of our organization's most
prestigious honors the AOS's Certificate of Meritorious Achievement in
Orchid Education. This award has only been given twice before in the
Society's history to Tom and Marion Sheehan.

A teacher is someone who takes your hand ... opens your mind ... and
touches your heart. Ladies and gentlemen, many can teach, but only a
special few can reach. Rebecca, on behalf of the tens of thousands you
have
reached with your prose and lessons, we thank you from the bottom of our
hearts. It is indeed an honor for me to present this tribute to you this
afternoon.

Yes, Rebecca will be missed as she was a wonderful teacher. She, however, will
live on through her works -- both her books and her crosses. For both the
beginner and the long-time orchidist, it may be a way of paying tribute to her
by buying either her book or one of her crosses. Just a thought . . .

.. . . Pam
Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html
-------------------------------------



"P.J. Bloodworth" wrote:

Orchid growing is one of those things I had always wanted to get around to
doing... for more than thirty years, it was on the back burner. The original
inspiration was the phenomenal orchid display at Longwood Gardens, where I
was knocked out by the onslaught of fragrances, forms and colors. Before I
could indulge my fantasy , I picked up at random a few books on orchids at
used book dealers, shelved them and forgot them. Little did I know that I
had a classic gathering dust. When recently, I heard the name Northen, I
thought, "that rings a bell." Sure enough, it was the first edition from
1950 that I had on my shelf. When I bought it, it might as well have been
written in snskrit, so little did I know about orchids. After two years of
growing them, I can read her descriptions with a new comprehension that only
comes with experience. And I find myself nodding at her observations. What a
great life!

Jeff

"K Barrett" wrote in message
newsAxmc.31360$Ia6.5146366@attbi_s03...
Its with a feeling of great sadness that I report the passing of Rebecca
Tyson Northen on April 30, 2004.

Unquestionably one of the most recognizable and popular personalities in
the
orchid community, Rebecca, 93, was friend and educator to countless
individuals throughout our fraternity. A trained biologist, Rebecca
attended Radcliffe College and received an AB from Wayne State University
and an MA from Mt. Holyoke College. With her late husband, a plant
physiologist and professor of botany at the University of Wyoming, she
traveled extensively in central and South America studying and collecting
orchids in the wild. She spoke to hundreds of groups over the years, and
her wonderful articles graced the pages of Popular Gardening, Flower
Grower,
Horticulture, and the American Orchid Society Bulletin. In addition to the
orchid bible-- Home Orchid Growing -- Rebecca wrote Orchids as House
Plants
and co-authored with her husband The secret of the Green Thumb and The
Complete Book of Greenhouse Gardening.

Personally, it was an honor and a privilege to have direct contact with
this
legend on more than a few occasions in the past decade and a half. On
each
occasion, Rebecca was always gracious, always giving and always upbeat. I
could certainly see why her varied and rapt audiences always came away
with
on a smile and a lesson.

Rebecca joined the AOS in 1949. She received our organization's highest
honor, the AOS Gold Medal of Achievement, in 1979. In 1999, at the
Vancouver World Orchid Conference, she was presented with the AOS
Certificate of Meritorious Achievement in Orchid Education. As her son,
Phil, told me this afternoon, this incredibly classy woman had a very full
life and generations of orchidists are, indeed, testimony to that fact.

We will work up something appropriate for Orchids magazine. Because I
felt
that the comments are particularly ringing on this sad day, I thought that
you might appreciate reviewing the attached remarks that were made by
then-AOS President Milton Carpenter on the occasion of Rebecca's receipt
of
the aforementioned education award in Vancouver in 1999 (see below).

At this point, the Northen family has not finalized details related to a
memorial service, which will be in Des Moine, Washington, nor have they
determined their preference for memorial gifts. I will pass both sets of
details to you when I receive them.

I'm sure you join the AOS staff and Rebecca's countless friends throughout
the world's orchid community in extending our deepest sympathies and
prayers
to Phil, Betty, Tom and the rest of the Northen family.

Lee Cooke

Rebecca Northen Presentation 1999, Vancouver WOC - by Milton Carpenter
Thank you for allowing me time this afternoon to make a special
presentation. There's a proverb that says that a teacher affects eternity.
She can never tell where her influence stops. There are few topics in
the
orchid community that everyone agrees upon, but I offer you one this
afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, about which I suspect there will be
complete consensus. Rebecca Tyson Northen orchid teacher extraordinairre
has, indeed, affected the eternity of our hobby like no other ever has ...
or likely ever will. Has any one person contributed more to successful
home
orchid culture? I think not. Her perpetual FCC, Home Orchid Growing,
first
published in 1950, remains the standard by which others are judged. Now
in
its fourth edition, we literally cannot keep it in stock in The AOS
BookShop! If Rebecca's Home Orchid Growing were her only achievement, it
would be more than most any orchid grower could claim. But it most
certainly is not. Rebecca has devoted her life to teaching others about
our
mutual passion, and, in the process, has become the best friend beginning
orchid growers have ever had. The many ways ... in many media ... for
more
than five decades ... that Rebecca has touched all of our lives can never
be
duplicated.

Although it is hard to conceive that someone who has contributed as much
to
orchidology as Rebecca has could ever retire, that was indeed her decision
last Spring when she moved to Washington state. We are honored and
blessed
that she's chosen to visit with us her many students here in Vancouver
at
the World Orchid Conference this week, and particularly pleased that she
could join us this afternoon.

She has been the worthy recipient of countless accolades in her long
career,
including the AOS's Gold Medal of Achievement in 1979. The Trustees of
the
AOS, in unanimous and enthusiastic endorsement, recently voted to bestow
upon the orchid world's premier teacher one of our organization's most
prestigious honors the AOS's Certificate of Meritorious Achievement in
Orchid Education. This award has only been given twice before in the
Society's history to Tom and Marion Sheehan.

A teacher is someone who takes your hand ... opens your mind ... and
touches your heart. Ladies and gentlemen, many can teach, but only a
special few can reach. Rebecca, on behalf of the tens of thousands you
have
reached with your prose and lessons, we thank you from the bottom of our
hearts. It is indeed an honor for me to present this tribute to you this
afternoon.