Sep 30, 2016

Whipker Receives Laurie Award at SAF Meeting

Brian Whipker at North Carolina State University was recognized as the 2016 recipient of the Society of American Florists’ (SAF) Alex Laurie Award. Whipker was honored during SAF Maui 2016, the association’s 132nd Annual Convention in Maui, Hawaii.

Established in 1948, SAF’s Alex Laurie Award is named for the eminent professor at The Ohio State University. Over the course of his 60-year career, Laurie laid the groundwork for research that revolutionized the floriculture industry and left a lineage of students, teachers and researchers continuing to provide the information necessary to ensure the industry’s future.

Whipker has a long history of researching and understanding plant responses to the environment including diagnosing and solving plant disorders. He has worked on specific disorders; such as distorted plug growth of pansies, gerberas and petunias.

Also during the convention, Leo Roozen, president of Washington Bulb Co. in Mt. Vernon, Washington, was named the recipient of the 2016 Paul Ecke, Jr. Award.

Established in 1984, SAF’s Paul Ecke, Jr. Award recognizes exemplary devotion to profession, industry and community. Previously the SAF Golden Bouquet Award, this award was renamed in 2002 in memory of Paul Ecke, Jr., AAF.

“To say that flowers are part of Leo’s DNA is an understatement. In fact, the name Roozen means ‘roses’ in Dutch,” said Bob Williams, AAF, PFCI, of Smithers-Oasis – North American Operations in Kent, Ohio, and member of SAF’s Awards Committee. “Leo learned the business firsthand from his father, but perhaps even more important, he learned what his parents most valued: family, honest work, a job well done. The floral industry applauds the dedication he has shown to his business, community, family and the entire floral industry for the past 40 years.”