Palm Society of South Texas

August 1999 Meeting in McAllen, Texas

Our Hosts Lloyd Van Epps (call him Van) and Paul Holloway

A near record crowd attended the Palm Society of Society Texas' August 14th meeting at the home of Lloyd Van Epps and Paul Holloway, in McAllen. Many of the people who attended the first organizational meeting in March of 1996 were present. Lloyd ("Van") hosted that meeting, too, although he was at the time living in Donna. Van and Paul bought their current home about a year ago, and it is a very beautiful place which shows an enormous amount of work and effort both inside and out. Although our tentative plans had called for a tour of the garden of a local dentist, this turned out not to be possible since said dentist was escaping the Valley heat that weekend. We will try to make an arrangement to see his place when we meet again in the Valley in November.

The potluck was its usual success, and in spite of the heat, there seemed to be very little left after the assembled members had done their respective deeds. Thad and Alice Magyar brought some very unusual tropical drinks made from mango and chirimoya, and these added a unique highlight to the meal. The drinks had apparently been prepared in the morning with the help of San Antonio member John Volk, and his son Blake, who were visiting the Magyars earlier in the day. You apparently do run certain risks when you visit the Magyar spread before a meeting.

Since Chairman Bill Baker was unable to attend, Ed Ladd chaired the meeting. He has prepared a two-fold card which will be sent to all new members as soon as their checks are received. We have experienced some problems in the past with people who join, but who hear nothing until their first Bulletin arrives, and who wonder if they have been enrolled as members as not. This should solve the problem. Ed also asked that members undertake to plant palms at their workplaces, and other venues in their vicinity, and to write short notes about their activities for inclusion in the Bulletin. He is planning to plant several palms at his office, and is encouraging others to do the same.

We need to remember that one of our primary missions, as a chapter of IPS, is to promote knowledge and the use of palms in our various areas. In addition, palm plantings by PSST give us good publicity, and encourage other people in the vicinity to contact us and join our group. In addition to his whining editorial in the current issue of the Bulletin, Bill Bittle made an ardent plea for submissions to the Bulletin. Bill also announced that Bill Baker had been nominated for the Board of Directors of IPS, and urged all members to write in support of the nomination. You must, of course, be a member of IPS as well as PSST.

Jana Meiser announced that additional seeds had been received from Montgomery Botanical Center for distribution to members of the group. At this meeting, she had Gastrococos crispa, Hydriastele sp., and Copernicia macroglossa. This is a wonderful addition to our club's activities, and Jana deserves our thanks for making this arrangement with the Montgomery Center.

Ed then asked Bill Bittle to stand up, and presented him with a magnificent "crystal flame" award for his service to PSST. This was a joint effort of a large number of members, and the "award" is truly a thing of beauty. Bill talked briefly and pointed out that the success of the club was due largely to the enthusiasm and support shown by its members over the past four years. (Webmaster's note:  members of PSST conspired for months in advance to collect donations in secret and create something worthy of our appreciation of our group's founder.  Bill may have wondered why half the group was emailing and calling him wanting to know if he would be at the August meeting, but we still managed to surprise him.)

Following the business meeting, we adjourned to the patio, and an auction of palms was held...Bob Harris acting as auctioneer. The plants had been brought by various members at Van's request. The bidding was brisk, and a total of some $185.00 was raised for our always needy treasury. We had one distinguished guest at the meeting, Bob Riffle of Houston, the author of the very well-received and award-winning book, "The Tropical Look". Mike Burnett of Houston, a new member, also attended. All in all, a very successful meeting. I am always amazed at the amount that I learn at our meetings from talking to other members. It is truly humbling to realize how much information people have and are willing to share.

Meeting summary by Bill Bittle
Photos by Ed Ladd, Jana Meiser, Mike Burnett

More auction photos (click on thumbnail for larger image)

Back to the PSST Homepage