* This year’s recipient of the Slater Wight Memorial Award is Dr. Nick Gawel, Director of the Tennessee State University Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, TN. Nick has been associated with SNA for close to 20 years and has served as Assistant Director of Research (2005-2008) and Director of Research (2008-present). In this voluntary role he is responsible for coordinating the annual SNA Research Conference. Gawel received his PhD from Texas Tech University and worked for USDA/ARS in Griffin, GA and Phoenix, AZ prior to joining Tennessee State University in 1993. Gawel’s research area is Plant Breeding and Genetics, Phylogenic Analysis, and Molecular Markers, and he has published numerous research papers. Nick has been happily married for 24 years and counting, and he has the two best kids in the world.
* This year’s recipient of the David E. Laird, Sr. Memorial Award is Joseph B. Hillenmeyer, Joseph Hillenmeyer Garden Design, Lexington, KY, who was born into a family with a horticulture tradition that dates back to the 1700’s in France and Germany. Joseph’s great-great-great grandfather, Francis Xavier Hillenmeyer, came to America in 1838 after training at the famous Baumann Brothers Nursery in France. His arrival set into motion what has now been six generations of his family in the horticulture industry in Lexington. He grew up in Lexington, leaving in 1993 to attend The McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN. After graduation, he worked with Don Shadow at Shadow Nursery, Winchester, TN, a nationally recognized horticulturist noted for his work in developing new cultivars of ornamental plants. In 1996 Joseph traveled to New Zealand where he worked as the horticulturist at a horse farm and interned at a perennial nursery. His next trip took him to Western Turkey where he worked at the well-known Karaca Arboretum outside of Istanbul. This is where he was really able to begin forming comprehensive ideas about garden design and thinking about organic connections between the garden and the home. Joseph has now returned to Lexington where he began his own garden design firm in 2001. Since then he has had the opportunity to continue to travel the world and the U.S. studying garden design and horticulture.
* This year’s recipient of the SNA Pinnacle Award is Gary L. Stover , Stover Manufacturing, Port Orange, FL. Born and raised in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains near Middletown, New York, Gary was drafted out of college in 1968, pursuing an engineering degree. Discharged from the Army in 1970, and thinking about a new career path, he earned a private pilot license, and with new wife Shirley, headed for Daytona Beach to attend Embry Riddle University to get an A&P license and work in commercial aviation. A daughter (Melissa) arrived in 1971 and at the time there was more money working on boats and he worked as a mechanic a local marinas. During that time a relationship with John Powell developed while working on his boats. One fateful day in 1973, John waded out of the Halifax River (his boat broke down in front of the marina where Gary was working), and he offered him a job at Economy Label Sales. His career path was cast and his family was growing with the addition of their son Joshua in 1976. At Economy Label, Stover had the opportunity to modify and build production and printing equipment, and learn the tag and label business. John was an employer, mentor and friend. In 1997 Economy Label was sold and his position terminated. He was fortunate enough to join Horticultural Printers in Port Orange and continue working in the industry – and specifically building the thermal/roll tag business model for Horticultural Printers.
* This year’s recipients of the SNA Environmental Award are Saunders Brothers, Inc., Piney River, VA, and Dr. John Lea-Cox, University of Maryland. In awarding two Environmental Awards this year, the SNA Board acknowledges not only Saunders Brothers for water conservation efforts in the implementation of using the Evapotranspiration (ET) based irrigation in their nursery, but also Dr. John Lea-Cox for his work in the development of advanced sensor-based wireless networks for decision-based irrigation and nutrient management.
* The recipient of the 2013 Porter Henegar Memorial Award is John W. Olive, Auburn University, Auburn, AL. A native of Columbus GA, John received his B.S. in Agronomy from the University of GA and a Master's degree in Plant Pathology from UGA in 1986. He worked in the UGA Extension Plant Disease Clinic in Athens for 3 years where he helped diagnose disease problems for commercial growers as well as homeowners. In 1989, he accepted a position in Mobile to work as plant pathologist at the Ornamental Horticulture Research Center (in Springhill). In 1990 he became the superintendent (director) of the Research Center. Besides coordinating research projects at the center, he assists commercial growers, identifying plant diseases, troubleshooting other problems and helping recommend controls. John has been attending and participating in the SNA Research Conference since 1989. He has co-authored papers in several different sections and has served as the plant pathology section chairman. He has chaired and been a judge on the Bryson James Student Research Competition several times. Although his position as Center Director has a lot of administration responsibilities, he has been fortunate to work with great research faculty who have encouraged him to actively participate in their research.
* Two deserving industry members will receive SNA Honorary Member Awards this year. Each recipient has made outstanding contributions to the association and the industry during their active participation in the Southern Nursery Association. The SNA Board of Directors recognizes Wilbur C. Mull, Classic Groundcovers, Athens, GA, and Dr. Carl. E. Whitcomb, Lacebark Publication & Research, Stillwater, OK, for their dedication to SNA and the field of horticulture.
Read more about the recipents and the history of the awards here.