Before we plunge headfirst into 2015,
we would do well to pay respects and
bid adieu to a trio of pioneers
who left us this past year.
Each made his unique mark in our industry,
in the American Landscape, and in the hearts
of those whose lives they touched,
while leaving us a path and a legacy to make
our journey easier than before.
Please click on each name for more information
about these remarkable men.
1933-2014
1935-2013
Bracken's Brown Beauty Magnolia
Discovered & Developed
1926-2014
I recently ran across a quote that is a fitting tribute to the lives
and contributions of these three men:
"The man is a success who has lived well,
laughed often, and loved much;
who has gained the respect of intelligent men
and the love of children;
who has filled his niche and accomplished his tasks;
who leaves the world better than he found it,
whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
who never lacked the appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had."
Robert Louis Stevenson
1850 - 1894
