President's Letter

April 2026

​

We extend our sincere thanks to Sheila Nathanson, Carol Panza, and Don Ammon for agreeing to serve as the 2026 Nominating Committee. As of our March 2026 meeting, they have secured candidates for all positions except President. We sincerely appreciate everyone who has agreed to serve, and we are hopeful that a nominee (or nominees) for President will be identified soon. Please say yes if they ask you.

​

Typically, the slate of candidates is presented at our April meeting. However, due to the timing of our Spring Show this year, the Nominating Committee will instead make its initial presentation of nominees in this April newsletter. Elections will be conducted at our June Annual Meeting. Again, we thank the Nominating Committee for their work on this important effort. Please look for the slate of nominations elsewhere in this issue.

 

One issue related to the proposed slate of nominees is the need to modify our bylaws to exclude term limits for the First Vice President and Second Vice President positions going forward. Specific language for this proposed change will be published soon. Approval by a quorum of the OSWP membership will be required prior to the election of these positions. We will also be presenting a proposal to revise the process of selecting Lifetime Members.  

​

Kathy Collins is currently seeking two assistants—one for Membership and one for Secretary to help reduce the workload on her. It would be especially helpful if the Membership Assistant resides in the western portion of our area. These are Board-appointed positions, and we encourage members to step forward and assist.​

 

We had an excellent meeting on Sunday, March 15th at the Spartan Event Center in Hazelwood, with over 50 members in attendance. Carolyn Bolton and Carol Panza, with assistance from Kaitlyn O’Toole and Marlene Myers, demonstrated how to construct a tabletop exhibit using just a few of the show-and-tell plants available. Their presentation clearly showed that any OSWP member can create an attractive novice tabletop exhibit with only a few plants in bloom. 

 

We hope the demonstration inspires more members to give exhibiting a try. A summarizing set of instructions on how to become a first-time exhibitor or to have plants in the OSWP Society Exhibit will soon be on the OSWP Website. The detailed instructions are already posted.

​

Earlier in the day, Sheila Nathanson led a well-attended mini-class on dendrobiums. It was a terrific session and a great reminder of how much we continue to learn from one another.

​

We also extend special thanks to Carolyn Bolton and Carol Panza for creating the OSWP exhibit at the Akron Orchid Show, where it was awarded the AOS Show Trophy. We appreciate all that they do for the Society.

​

Now is the time to get involved! Our 2026 Orchid Show in the South Hills at the Crowne Plaza Hotel is approaching fast. The show will run from April 9–12, and will be open to the public April 11–12. While members have begun stepping up to fill volunteer roles, contribute hospitality food items, and sponsor trophies—additional help is still greatly needed! Please visit the OSWP website (OSWP.org) and follow the links under the Show tab for more information and to sign up to volunteer or donate.

​

Before we close, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to Kathy McCafferty, Mary Ann Pike, and Lawrene Neel for serving a second year as our Spring Show Chairs. This is a tremendous undertaking, and they have done an outstanding job. Please be sure to thank them when you see them at the show.

​​

We look forward to seeing you there, and remember:

Think Orchids!

Gary VanGelder and Demetria Marsh