East Texas Daylily Society
Established May 1990

Club Presidents
Year President Year President
1990-91 Roxanne Fessler 2001 Elizabeth Hoover
1992-93 Sharon Umphress 2002 Mary Jernigan
1994 John Fessler 2003 Don Gill (resigned 7/13)
1995 Gene Bolton 2003 Lucille Wynne
1996 Cheryl Dungan 2004-06 Clyde Elliot
1997-98 Betty Phelps 2007-08 Angie Brown
1999-2000 Sharon Umphress    

East Texas Daylily Society History
by Sharon Umphress

The East Texas Daylily Society was established in 1990, through the efforts of Roxanne Fessler, Nell Shimek and Mickey Sanders. The charter members were Roxanne Fessler, Joyce Lewis, Snooks Harville, and Finas Gipson. The first meeting took place in the Tyler Public Library. We meet at the Tyler Rose Garden Center.

Our club renovated and established the Edna Lankart Memorial Daylily Beds at the Rose Garden in the Spring of 1991. Edna Lankart and Louis Squyres had originally planted these beds in 1978. In 2001, these beds became an official AHS Display Garden. The Edna Lankart Trophy is on display in the Rose Garden Center.

We established three scholarships and are continuing to finance a scholarship at Stephen F. Austin, for a horticulture student. We all feel education is very important to promoting interest in Hemerocallis, and our sales each year allow us to support this effort.

We host daylily flower shows and several exhibition events. Several of our members have won awards at Regional Shows and we are proud of their accomplishments.

We have one major hybridizer in our club, Joyce Lewis.  We have many amateurs and hopeful hybridizers yet to register their introductions.

Webmaster: Ray Houston
Revised: 01/13/2008
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