Stockton, California, USA
Joseph Alfred Gatty
Joe Gatty died January 29, 1992, following several years of declining health; he was 68. His first California-bloomed seedlings, from seed sent from New Jersey, were the "A" series. His final crosses, made in 1991 and now germinating, appropriately are the "Z" crosses. The honors his irises have earned are legion. 'Friendship' won the President's Cup at the 1960 convention; 'White Lightning' won the Franklin Cook Cup at the 1975 convention. His originations have so far won 80 Honorable Mentions. Awards of Merit have gone to the tall beardeds 'Liz', 'White Lightning' , 'Flair', 'Playgirl', 'Paradise', 'Jean Hoffmeister', 'Precious Moments' and 'Syncopation'. Standard dwarf Awards of Merit have gone to 'Omen', 'Beau', 'Wink', 'Joyful' and 'Starry Eyed', the latter also taking the Cook-Douglas Medal. Intermediates 'Virtue', 'Frosted Crystal', 'Butter Cookie', 'Bold Print', 'Vamp', 'Voila' and 'Rare Editiion' won Awards of Merit, with 'Vamp', 'Voila' and 'Rare Edition' going on to win the Sass Medal. Joe was awarded the American Iris Society Hybridizer's Award in 1980.
In the years since first joining AIS in 1951, he served the iris world in many capacities. He was president of the Iris Society of New Jersey, RVP for Region 19, treasurer and editor for the Median Iris Society, president of the Northeast Median Iris Society, regional bulletin editor for Region 14, assistant editor for the AIS Bulletin for five years, and registrar for the 1986 San Jose convention. [A.I.S. Bulletin #285(April 1992), p.49.]
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