Endorsement from ARS President Bob Martin

March 19, 2021

Members of the American Rose Society

Dear Friends in Roses,

I write in support of the candidacy of Craig Dorschel for the office of Vice President of the American Rose Society.

“The American Rose Society exists to promote the culture, preservation and appreciation of the Rose and to improve its standard of excellence for all people, through education and research.”

Many of you will recognize this as the Mission Statement of the American Rose Society. Others will recall that I have repeatedly cited this Mission Statement in mymultiple campaigns and during my tenure as Vice President and President of the American Rose Society. I have done so because of my strong belief that the Vice President, who after three years automatically becomes President, must be committed to our mission.

That mission in a nutshell is “education”. And, in order to educate people about roses, it is fundamental that a candidate for Vice President knows all about roses.

Craig Dorschel knows roses. I have known Craig since he joined the American Rose Society in 1998 and we have communicated on many occasions about roses. He is a Master Rosarian as well as an accredited horticulture and arrangement judge. He has written articles for local and District newsletters as well as the American Rose Annual. He has given numerous lectures at local and District meetings and presented the most recent Chemical Safety Webinar of the National Consulting Rosarian School program in 2021 online. He has organized and lectured in Horticulture and Arrangement Judging schools and seminars, including an online Horticulture Judging Seminar in 2020. He has supported rose shows via exhibiting, judging and serving as Show Chairman/Show Judging Chairman at the local,district and national levels.

In addition to being committed to our mission, a candidate for Vice President should also be committed to our organization and should have demonstrated that commitment through a history of service to the American Rose Society. We are a volunteer organization of service to the Rose, and such service shows a commitment to the Society and also exposes a candidate to the multiple issues facing the Society.

In this regard Craig’s record is exemplary. He is currently serving as Region 0 Director and has previously served as Yankee District Director from 2012-2018. During my tenure as Vice President he served as Chair of the Bylaws Committee during which time he undertook and carried out a comprehensive review of our Bylaws. As President, I appointed him Chair of the Arrangement Judges Committee, a role he has undertaken with diligence leading to an overhaul of our Guidelines for Judging Arrangements. He has also served as Chair of the National Nominating Committee and on several other ARS Committees, including service as a member of the Research Committee and as Research Trustee from 2012-2018.

In addition to his service on a national level Craig has served on a District and local level in numerous capacities. In recognition of his service, he has received the ARS Silver and Bronze Honor Medals, in each case the highest honors of a district or local rose society.

To conclude – having served as Vice President and President I have a pretty good idea of the several demands of the office. I believe Craig Dorschel has the right stuff and have the pleasure to endorse his candidacy and urge you to vote for him in the 2021 election.

Yours in Roses,

Robert B. Martin Jr.