AFE Names 2019 Ecke Scholarship Winner
The American Floral Endowment has named Mary Lewis as the recipient of the 2019 Paul Ecke, Jr. Scholarship.
Established in 2002, the Paul Ecke, Jr. fund offers $5,000 a year for two years to one graduate student who demonstrates the skills and passion to become a leading floricultural scientist and educator. The scholarship honors the late Paul Ecke, Jr., who made significant contributions to the floriculture industry and believed strongly in research and education.
A member of AFE’s Young Professionals Council, Lewis is currently working toward a master’s degree in horticulture at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.
She graduated from the same institution two years ago. Other activities on her resume include: she interned at Walt Disney World Resort’s Epcot theme park (supported by an AFE Vic and Margaret Ball internship/scholarship), testing new floral cultivars for production, maintaining crops and displays and conducting tours for guests.
Sharing the results of her project, Mary reveals an infectious enthusiasm that will serve the industry well in years to come. “I just really enjoy the work that I do,” she says. “I know that Ecke was a proponent of doing the new and unusual. And I’m grateful that my research has produced some things that are new and exciting and beyond anything I had dreamed.”
To learn more about Lewis and the other AFE scholarship recipients please click here.
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