Alexandria, VA — Sixteen horticultural students are beginning the school year with scholarships from the American Floral Endowment totaling more than $22,000. “These very deserving individuals have demonstrated their commitment and passion for the floriculture/horticulture industry,” said AFE’s Scholarship Chairperson PJ Ellison, of Ellison’s Greenhouses in Brenham, Texas. “We are very pleased to be able to help them along their career paths.”
Ball Horticultural Company Scholarship
Recipient: Keri Livingston, California State Polytechnic
“My professional goal is to work for a well-known floriculture nursery. I am interested in developing new and unique cultivars and technologies,” says Livingston. She wishes to pursue a career in floriculture because of her passion of plants and flowers, and is eager to share her knowledge of horticulture with students of all ages and children.
The Ball Horticultural Company Scholarship is intended for junior or senior students pursuing careers in commercial floriculture. Ball Horticultural Company is an international breeding, production and distribution corporation involved in nearly every facet of floriculture. Includes: Ball and PanAmerican Seed, Ball FloraPlant, ColorLink, Ball Superior (Canada) and Vegmo Plant, plus 11 joint ventures around the world.
Harold Bettinger Memorial Scholarship
Bioworks IPM/Sustainable Practices Scholarship
Recipient: Amy Hinkle, Penn State University
Hinkle grew up on a 27-acre produce farm and started her own cut flower business Amy’s Flowers, “with about 100 zinnia plants” at the age of eleven. It is still in operation today. “After college, I plan to open up a retail greenhouse, roadside farmer’s market, or cut flower horticulture business that focuses on providing high quality horticulture products to consumers.”
The Bettinger Scholarship is intended for horticulture students, sophomore through graduate levels, who have a major or minor in business and/or marketing with the intent to apply their education to a horticulture-related career business. Harold Bettinger was a partner in Bettinger Farms of Swanton, Ohio. In the mid-50’s, he was one of the first progressive growers to convert his bedding plant production from wooden to plastic flats. Bettinger Farms now grows greenhouse and field vegetables.
The BioWorks IPM/Sustainable Practices Scholarship is intended for students pursuing a career in floriculture. While not mandatory, it is strongly desired that the student be interested in furthering the use of Integrated Pest Management (“IPM”) or Sustainable practices and preferences will be given in this area. Students will be selected on the basis of sound academic performance and a grade point average of 3.0 or better.
James Bridenbaugh Memorial Scholarship
Recipient: Morgan Jenkins, Kansas State University
“My dreams for my career center on the floral industry – owning a floral design boutique,” says Jenkins. “I want to create, design, and inspire – therefore, I look forward to combining my love for nature and creative talents to make my floral shop become a reality.”
The Bridenbaugh scholarship is for sophomore, junior, or senior students who are pursuing a career in floral design and marketing of fresh flowers and plants. Jim Bridenbaugh was a specialist in fresh flowers and plants, designing and commentating at design shows and seminars. His floral industry knowledge, comedic story-telling and audience rapport made him a favorite. Jim served as OFA president from 1989 to 1991.
John Carew Memorial Scholarship
Recipient: Elizabeth Bridges, North Carolina State University
“After I complete my graduate degree in December of 2011, I would like to work as a grower at a wholesale or resale operation,” says Bridges. After gaining experience, she wants to open her own business and grow herbaceous ornamentals.
The Carew scholarship is open to graduate students in horticulture, with an interest in greenhouse crops. John Carew, former head of the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University, dedicated his career to encouraging and guiding young horticulturists. He was instrumental in establishing BPI in 1969.
Earl Dedman Memorial Scholarship
Recipient: Molly Gilbert, University of Wisconsin River Falls
After completing her Masters, “I want to work to develop new plant materials and work on innovating the industry. The contributions I plan on making are to educate people about what plants can do for them, and inspire others to want to learn about plants. An area I am dedicated to is more sustainable horticultural practices,” says Gilbert.
The Earl Dedman Scholarship is awarded to students who are interested in becoming greenhouse growers, are from the Northwestern United States, and have sophomore, junior, or senior status. Earl Dedman, owned and operated Mountainview Greenhouses in Woodinville, Washington, and was a former president of BPFI. Earl considered education and hard work to be the keys to success in life.
Fran Johnson Scholarship
Mike and Flo Novovesky Scholarship
Recipient: Alicia Wells, Franklin University
“My career goal is to use my education in horticulture, marketing and communications, with a decade of experience, to assist the horticulture industry in educating and retaining existing businesses and horticulturalists, and growing new markets,” says Wells. “As an industry, we’re quite good at producing plants, but not quite as good at communicating their value, and this is where I feel I can make the most significant contribution to the industry.”
Fran Johnson enjoyed a long, productive career with the John Henry Co., a horticultural printing firm in Lansing, Michigan. Fran also made many significant and practical contributions of time and talent through the BPI trade association to advance the greenhouse industry. The Fran Johnson Scholarship goes to students re-entering school after a 3-5 year absence, who have an interest in bedding and/or floral crops.
The Novovesky scholarship fund aims to help young married students who are working to put themselves through college and have a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Depending on the availability of married applicants, the scholarship may also go to an undergraduate working his or her way through school with financial need and family obligations. The keys are strong interest in horticulture and financial need. Mike and Flo Novovesky have enjoyed over 30 years of active participation in the floriculture industry. The Novovesky’s know first hand the hardships a young couple must overcome when balancing a career and family.
Long Island Flower Growers Association Scholarship
Recipient: Maria Figueroa, Farmingdale State College – State College of New York
“It is through interning at Farmingdale State College, and Cornell University, LIHREC that I have been able to gain insight and experience,” says Figueroa. She would like to focus on growing calendulas and other cool/late season crops for the cut flower industry.
The LIFGA scholarship was established in 2010. LIFGA members represent growers and retailers promoting research, education, and sales of ornamentals in the local market. The LIFGA scholarship is intended for students in the Long Island/New York area studying ornamental horticulture at a community college or a four-year institution.
Ed Markham International Scholarship
Recipient: Colleen Brown, The Ohio State University
“Working in the annual trials at Ohio State has given me a wonderful introduction to the world of floriculture, which has now developed into a strong interest of mine,” says Brown. This summer Brown will be participating in the horticulture and turf sciences study abroad program in England and is excited about gaining first hand exposure to public horticulture in other societies.
Ed Markham was an international horticulturist. He began a career in horticulture sales after graduating from the Horticulture Department at Cornell University in 1942. Ed’s interest in providing scholarship funds to study marketing through international travel stemmed from his first trip abroad in the early 1960’s. The Ed Markham International Scholarship is intended to operate in cooperation with the David Colegrave Foundation in London, England. Each year there will be an exchange of students between the U.S. and Europe, alternating between the two countries. Scholarship awards of $3,500 will be made. U.S. students should apply for this scholarship in even numbered years (2010, 2012, 2014, etc.)
National Greenhouse Manufacturing Association (NGMA) Scholarship
Recipient: John Lamont, California State Polytechnic
“After completing graduate school, I hope to continue researching applications of greenhouse technology, biotechnology and plant physiology to make more efficient horticulture, and more specifically, floriculture production practices,” states Lamont. He would also like to be a consultant who can help growers make their operations more efficient and sustainable, and even teach new techniques at the university level.
The NGMA scholarship targets students majoring in horticulture and bioengineering or the equivalent, and are at least a junior at an accredited four-year college maintaining a 3.0 GPA. NGMA is a professional trade organization for the manufacturers and suppliers of greenhouses and greenhouse components built to codes designed for a grower’s needs.
Bud Ohlman Memorial Scholarship
Recipient: Jessica Feuerbach, North West Missouri State University
Feuerbach’s short term goal is to enter into the workforce in Horticulture and Floriculture upon graduation. While she hopes to work in a greenhouse environment and become a head grower, her ultimate goal “includes managing my own garden center, greenhouse and floral shop one day,” says Feuerbach.
The Bud Ohlman scholarship requires students have a career goal of becoming a bedding plant grower for an established business and have junior or senior status. Bud Ohlman was a hands-on grower in his family business, expanding the truck gardening operation to include greenhouses, bedding plant and flowering annuals production. During the off-season he coached expansion projects, even into his 70’s. Bud’s work ethic was second to none, inspired by his God, his family, and his industry.
James K. Rathmell Jr. Memorial Scholarship
Recipient: Jane Christensen, University of Illinois
“Through both academics and life-experiences, I have become well-versed in many different areas of horticulture including garden design, maintenance, and plant identification. I would like to apply my horticultural knowledge and enthusiasm along with my organizational and people skills to teach others,” says Christensen. She would especially like to teach workshops, lead tours and become a horticultural entrepreneur.
The Rathmell scholarship is awarded to junior or senior level undergraduates or graduate students who have a specific plan for horticulture work/study outside of the United States. Jim Rathmell was a horticulture extension specialist at Penn State University who promoted communication and cooperation with horticulturists in other countries. A widely published author, he worked with commercial growers to implement many outstanding educational programs.
Seed Companies Scholarship:
Recipient: Allison Justice, Clemson University
“I have been fortunate enough to be involved in the green industry ever since I can remember,” says Justice. Her mother owned a landscape business and ornamental tree farm where she spent many years helping out. “When I graduate, I plan to return to the industry as a leader in research and development for a cutting production facility.”
The Seed Companies scholarship requires students to have a career goal within the seed industry and be junior or senior level undergraduates or graduate students. Seed companies – Ball, Pan-American, Goldsmith and Novartis, are leaders in the seed production and breeding industry, providing new, improved varieties. These seed companies co-operatively sponsor this scholarship.
John L. Tomasovic Sr. Scholarship
Recipient: Staci Hentges, University of Missouri-Columbia
“After graduating, I’d like to work with a landscape designer and gain experience. Within 10 years, I’d like to operate my own design business,” says Hentges. In additional to landscape design, she is currently taking a floral design class and “really enjoys being creative with plants and seeing how well they work together.”
The Tomasovic scholarship offers special consideration for sophomore, junior, or senior undergraduate students with financial need and a grade point average between 3.0 and 3.5. John L. Tomasovic, Sr., past president of BPFI, is owner of his family business, Tomasovic Greenhouses & Nursery, Inc., in St. Louis, Missouri (formerly John L. Tomasovic, Sr., Inc.) which includes greenhouses from 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. They produce bedding plants, fall mums, ground covers, poinsettias, Easter lilies, and sell nursery stock and dry sales of bulbs. The business began with his father in 1931.
Ed Tuinier Memorial Scholarship
Recipient: Zachary Pernack, Michigan State University
“My professional goal is to own my own retail greenhouse. I want to pursue my career in floriculture because I have been working in a greenhouse since the age of 12,” says Pernack. “Just being in the horticulture field makes me feel good overall as a person.”
The Tuinier scholarship is awarded to sophomore, junior, or senior undergraduate students enrolled in the floriculture program at Michigan State University. Ed Tuinier, owner of Post Gardens, loved the greenhouse business, building his firm to one of the top 50 U.S. companies, inspiring his children, all of whom work in one of the two Post Gardens locations. A graduate of Michigan State University, Ed was a major benefactor of the MSU horticulture program and demonstration gardens.
Jacob & Rita Van Namen Marketing Scholarship
Recipient: Galt Ormiston, Oklahoma State University
“One of my main areas of focus is in growing and maintaining my own inventory of plant material for the purposes of selling to the public,” says Ormiston. His goal after graduation is to start a business as a plant grower and run a successful nursery establishment. “I feel a passion to grow, maintain, and eventually sell beautiful, healthy plant material.”
The Jacob & Rita Van Namen Marketing Scholarship, established in January 1997, requires students have a career interest in agribusiness marketing and distribution of floral products and be of sophomore, junior, or senior standing. Jacob Van Namen is a true entrepreneur who built a multimillion dollar business in wholesale floriculture. This award is intended to develop knowledgeable, creative individuals to improve the floriculture industry.
Vocational (Bettinger, Holden & Perry) Scholarship
Recipient: Joshua Peede, Sandhills Community College
“Since my early teens, I have worked in landscaping and desire to continue to pursue experience in the field of greenhouse and landscape design. With the passion I have for plants and nature, I would like to own and operate my own business,” says Peede.
The Vocational (Bettinger, Holden & Perry) Scholarship requires students to be in a 1 or 2 year program with the intent to become a grower or greenhouse manager.
The Vocational Scholarship is awarded in honor of: Leonard Bettinger — a successful greenhouse grower in the Bettinger Farms family business in Toledo, Ohio, and was president of the BPI trade association from 1974-1976; John Holden — who had a long, helpful career at Ball Seed Co. and was active in the BPI trade association since its inception, attending the very first “pre-BPI” conference in 1968; and Jim Perry — a respected wholesale nurseryman who grew Perry’s Plants of La Puente, California into one of the largest bedding plat operations in the U.S and was president of BPI from 1972-1974.
The American Floral Endowment is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the industry through funding floriculture/ horticulture research and scholarships. Since 1961, AFE has awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships and internships designed to attract and retain the future leaders of floriculture/horticulture industry.
www.endowment.org
Source: American Floral Endowment