The Passing of a Good Friend - CLCA San Francisco Bay Area ...

Get Ready for the
38th Annual Awards Program!
Hello everyone…it’s that time again! Time
to review those best jobs of yours and
prepare the paperwork necessary to get
them entered….ON TIME! And, that time
would be Friday April 22nd at 8 pm! That
should give you enough time to rush them
out the door after work that day and miss
the rush hour traffic, with no excuses!
First of all, let me introduce myself as
the new Awards Committee chairman this
year, brought out of retirement (just
kidding) and dusted off to help carry on
this most important event of our illustrious
chapter, the most fun, largest attended
event we host each year! My name is Sam
Whitney with Samscaping and I am taking
over for Bob Kirtley, who has done a
marvelous job the last few years running
this event. Thanks , Bob for all your hard
work and keeping this baby going!
So, the place to deliver those entry
packets will be my office at 939 D San
Rafael Ave. in Mountain View. My cell
phone is 650-222-0262 and my email is
sam@samscaping.com. Please feel free to
call or email me with any questions. You
can download the forms from our chapter’s
web site and make sure to review and
follow the instructions to insure your job
will be judged. Please fill out the forms online
and then print them for your
submittals. Follow the instructions for how
many pages for each job, etc, did I mention
to read and follow the instructions if you
want your job to be judged! Thanks!
Judging will take place May 12, 13, and
14, so you have tons of time to freshen them
up for the judges. Dinner will be June 4th,
at a venue to be named later, along with
some party theme, for those of you who
need time to prepare your knockout attire.
Each entry will be $100 and there will
not be a late entry deadline, no kidding, so
please get started on the applications in a
timely manner, and submit them on time!
If you have never entered this
Above: The 2010 Sweepstakes winner installed
by EvLand LLC.
competition before, for whatever reason,
now is the time and here is your chance to
get in on one of the most fun and exciting
events we do every year. This chapter is
best known for its’ camaraderie and helping
each other out. Step up and be noticed, rub
shoulders with your compadres, find out
what our members have to offer each other,
especially in these times of difficulties.
Make new friends and become an active
member of this association, you’ll be glad
you did!
Good luck to all!
10 • March 2011 CLCA San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
Women!
By Barry Cohen
Women... as in our Women’s Auxiliary. The
Auxiliary began with the SFBA Chapter in
the early 50’s and was originally called “The
Grass Widows.” Their initial purpose was to
provide a gathering place for the wives
while the husbands attended CLCA
meetings. It quickly developed into the
social arm of the Chapter by assisting at and
facilitating Chapter meetings, projects and
social events -- such as picnics and the
holiday parties. Their primary goal was and
still is to this day to promote education,
friendship and support CLCA on the State
and local levels.
The Auxiliary is governed by four
officers on the Chapter level and six on the
State level. There are twelve committees on
the Chapter level and six committees on the
State level. Most chapters have a similar
format. If you look at the chapters around
the State, you will quickly see the most
active chapters have a strong supportive
Auxiliary, which gives the spouses/
significant others an opportunity to be
Hort Club News
By Melanie LaTelle-Seaman, Foothill College Hort Club President
www.foothillhort.com
Our Landscape Contractor Forum was
fantastic! A panel of seven contractors
spoke to forty-five students. Teacher and
Landscape Architect Dave Sauter
moderated the event, sharing his list of the
top ten reasons to be enrolled in Foothill’s
Hort Program. CLCA SFBA Chapter
President James Walker was in the audience
as well as Dan Svenson, Head of the
Horticulture Dept, and Mike Diefenbach,
Hort Facility Manager. CLCA contractors
who participated were Janet Bell, Rick
Camin, Michelle Chu, Nate Crosby, Mike
Hertzer, Frank Niccoli and John Vega.
The Landscape Designer Forum was also
a huge success! We had a diverse panel and
large audience, with standing room only.
The Foothill Hort Department is again
involved with the Chapter activities. With
the influx of female contractors in recent
years, the Auxiliary has enjoyed an increase
in the number of male members as well.
There are 53 past State Presidents, seven
of which have been from the SFBA Chapter.
Additionally, there are 50 Auxiliary Life
Members, 22 of which are from our Chapter.
The greatest honor the Auxiliary can
bestow is The Knight of the Garter. This was
the highest and oldest order of knighthood
of Great Britain founded by King Edward
III of England in 1349. The Women’s
Auxilliary annually awards this honor to a
regular or associate member of CLCA who
exemplifies “a champion.” He is devoted to
the service of a woman or cause; he is
courteous, well mannered, kind and always
willing to help when needed. The garter is
to be worn by all CLCA “Knights” at all
State functions on the left leg below the
knee. At any time, they may be asked to
show their garter in exchange for a kiss.
This tradition was started in 1958. Currently
there are 52 Knights, ten of which are from
the SFBA Chapter.
In 1988, the Landscape Educational
Advancement Foundation (LEAF) was
holding a Landscape
Design Contest. Now
open to students
currently enrolled in the horticulture
program, this year’s design contest will
coincide with Dan Svenson’s Design Theory
class and go hand-in-hand with the CLCA
SFBA Chapter project. The head of the
design competition committee will work
closely with Larry Scott to ensure allaround
success! Additional information will
be posted on our website.
2011 Hort Club Board Members
Melanie LaTelle-Seaman, President
Shelly Strebel, Vice President
Dawn Engel, Secretary
Marilyn Chow, Treasurer
Sylvi Rupilius, Education Chair
established by the State CLCA Women’s
Auxiliary and is governed by a sevenperson
board of trustees. Its purpose is to be
a perpetual endowment for awarding
scholarships to worthy students pursuing
majors in the landscape industry. Today,
there are 42 named funds with a value just
under $800,000. Only the interest is
awarded each year; the principal is never
touched, allowing it to continue to earn
income. Awards are given each year by an
application process based on the students’
goals, extra-curricular activities, work
experience, financial need and GPA in their
major. To date, 607 scholarships have been
awarded to 506 students totaling $392,275!
LEAF also has grants to support programs
within the landscape industry. Presently the
grants total just shy of $150,000! Any
chapter or individual can establish a named
fund or grant with a minimum of $5,000.
I am honored to be a Knight of the
Garter and a Life Member of the Women’s
Auxiliary! If you’d like a representative of
your company to join the Auxiliary, a
simple application and $25 is all it takes.
Note: All details above and more can be found in
the Women’s Auxiliary Roster.
www.clcasfba.org March 2011 • 11