Professor Rapee Sagarik

It is a great privilege to award the World Orchid Conference Trust Medal to Professor Rapee Sagarik; I have known Prof. Sagarik for many years and we meet up regularly at various places around the world; it is always a special moment when he shares his observations of orchids and orchid people, increasingly via email.

Rapee is not just the 'Father of Thai Orchidology'; his wisdom extends much further into horticulture, agriculture, and philosophy. His experience extends over almost a century; he has been Chancellor of the Kasetsart University, spoken at numerous conferences, was instrumental in starting the now famous Asia Pacific Orchid Conferences, led the 9th World Orchid Conference in Thailand in 1978, he has received great Royal recognition in Thailand and has been awarded numerous honours and medals from round the world, including the AOS Gold Medal. Most importantly, he is a great educator and shares his knowledge freely through many articles, lectures, and books.

With many congratulations

Johan Hermans

Johannesburg, September 2014

Dr. Thomas J. Sheehan PhD

Thomas J Sheehan's list of accomplishments is so extensive that it would take a long time to enumerate them; I will just mention some of the highlights.

Dr. Sheehan is a Professor Emeritus and former Chairman of the Department of Environmental Horticulture at the University of Florida. While he taught various floriculture courses, he loved orchidology and continued to teach that after retiring in 1991. He was a graduate student advisor just last year, which means he has been teaching for some 60 years or so.

He has been an invited speaker at 10 WOC's as well as being Program Chairman for the 11th WOC in Miami, Florida. Although not always a speaker, it is amazing to realize that he has attended 19 of the 21 WOC's, missing only the 1st and 4th.

Tom has had the pleasure of speaking to orchid societies around the world, including Australia, Bermuda, Canada, East Africa, Germany, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States.

The American Orchid Society has recognized Tom with its most prestigious award, the Gold Medal of Achievement, as well as naming him an Honorary Vice President of the Society. He has also received numerous other awards from orchid interests, as well as academic institutions.

He has authored books about orchids as well as serving as co-author with his beloved wife, Marion, of the longest-running series - Orchid Genera Illustrated - in the American Orchid Society's monthly magazine, Orchids. It began in 1967 and ran for 186 months.

I could go on and on, but I'd rather ask Tom to come forward and receive the WOC Trust's highest award, its Gold Medal.

Peter Furniss & Kiat Tan, Johannesburg, September 2014

Tom Sheehan passed away on May 24, 2016, at the age of 92.