On the QT | The Official Newsletter of GWA September - October 2017 | Page 15

REGIONAL EVENTS
— Continued from page 13
THE STU DEN T BECO ME S
THE TEAC H ER
Soon after finishing his doctorate in 1974,
Steve, Carolyn and young son Steven, were
bound for a teaching position at Kansas State
University, known more at that time for stud-
ies in cattle and wheat. Steve spent five years
teaching about woody plants, herbaceous
plants as well as a course in greenhouse
management. He also wrote a textbook,
Manual of Ornamental Herbaceous Plants, in
1979 at the end of his Kansas State University
professorship.
“Moving my family to Manhattan, Kansas,
was a momentous opportunity for a young
assistant professor in 1974 after four years of
study and the initial research of using hard-
wood bark as a growing medium,” Steve said.
“Kansas State University had and continues
to have an outstanding horticulture program
with excellent professors and students. There
was no better place to start a career in horti-
culture education.”
While at KSU, the Stills’ second son, Shan-
non, was born, as was their first daughter,
Stephanie. In 1979, the young family moved
to Columbus, Ohio, where Steve started
teaching at Ohio State University and where
their second daughter, Sara, was born.
After five years, the pull to teach the
woody and herbaceous plant materials
courses at The Ohio State University was
strong. “To continue in the footsteps of
professors L.C. Chadwick and Ken Reisch
was a dream come true,” he said. He started
teaching career at OSU 1979. In 1980, the
first edition of The Manual of Herbaceous
Ornamental Plants was published
In 1982, Springhill Nursery approached
Ohio State University to suggest a research
project with regulators for retarding growth
so perennials could be shipped more effi-
ciently. That idea didn’t come to fruition at
that time, but it lead to the notion of having
a meeting to discuss problems that perennial
growers face. During the summer of 1983,
Steve and Ohio State University convened
a three-day meeting about perennials. They
prepared for about 100 participants; 250
showed up that first year. They discussed
propagation, growing, marketing and solving
problems related to perennials.

PPA BEG IN N IN G S
During the conference it became obvious
that there was a need for an organization to
help this part of the horticulture industry,
since perennials were not a major commod-
ity group at that time. A group of nursery
owners met with members of the profession-
al trade. Onboard with Steve were Jim Kyle of
Springhill Nursery in Ohio, Ainie Busse from
Busse Gardens in Minnesota, Pierre Bennerup
of Sunny Border Nurseries in Connecticut
and Jim Beam from Sunbeam Farms in Ohio.
They all contributed $250 for stationery,
envelopes and stamps, and asked Steve to
create an organization with annual confer-
ences.
“Colleague Elton Smith and I decided
there were many unanswered questions in
the propagation, growing and marketing of
herbaceous perennials. This interest led to
a perennial conference in 1983,” Steve said.
“The energy was contagious and the orga-
nization of the Perennial Plant Association
soon occurred in 1984.”
The PPA Symposia were held in Colum-
bus until 1987, when it moved to Baltimore.
Since then, the yearly conference has moved
around North America to give each area an
opportunity to show its new innovations and
to give all the members a reason to experi-
ence different regions and climates and to
see new plants.
“For the first five years or so, undergradu-
ate students from Ohio State helped with the
clerical work and sometimes the OSU Horti-
culture Club would help with bulk mailing,”
he recalled. But soon afterwards, PPA’s office
moved to his basement and Carolyn became
Steve’s right arm in running the operation.
Through the years, members of the Perennial
Plant Association were able to watch Steven,
Shannon, Stephanie and Sara grow up and
enter aspects of the industry.
Steve and Carolyn still enjoy helping
people and helping to solve horticultural
problems. They enjoy the company of their
four children and nine grandchildren, plus
they still love to travel. So as the new chapter
of their life unfolds, it is just one more time
that the question arises, “What do we do
now?” They will probably be as busy as ever.
What’s Out There Weekend Indianapolis, a pro