Fred Keefer     Fred Keefer is an SAOS charter member, commercial grower and auctioneer extraordinaire. He started with 5 orchids in 1985 and 2 years later he had 2,000. He became a partner in Wacahoota Orchids, and in 2005 moved to Hastings where he operates Orchids by Del-Rei. His personal favorites are species, anything weird, different and unusual, from Hawaii, India, the Philippines and Thailand, where he rode an elephant on his last trip. (Jul 08)

Monica Long     It is no wonder that Monica loves orchids. She grew up in Brazil, where they grow in abundance. She moved to St. Augustine in 2003 and was introduced to the St. Augustine Orchid society. A retired architect, she and her husband love to travel, having recently been to Brazil, Turkey and Cape Cod. Her orchid collection numbers about 30, which she grows on her porch and inside the house, and of course in the garage during cold snaps. Monica says she has no real favorite orchid; she just loves the blooms on all her plants. (Dec 09)

Gail Marshall     Gail Marshall is a charter SAOS member, Membership Committee Chair and author of Who's Who and SAOS Happenings. From Detroit, she is a retired clinical psychologist who floated down to south Florida on a sailboat. She settled in St. Augustine in 1999 and is active in the EMMA Concert Assoc, Woodland Garden Circle and Good Samaritan Wild Flower Clinic. Big showy cattleyas are her favorite orchids though the saucer vandas are right up there on her list. (Nov 08)

Jacqueline Mawhinney     Jacqueline Mawhinney came to St Augustine with husband John in 1997 from Pennsylvania, where she worked in the pharmaceutical industry. She helped develop the World Golf Hall of Fame, then was assistant to the president of the PGA Tour. She got to meet many pro golfers and Jax golfer Fred Funk is her favorite. She now gardens southern style and has discovered the delights of orchids, particularly phalaenopsis. (Apr 08)

Celia McElroy     Celia McElroy met husband Harry in Bataan in the Philippines, her original home. Her orchid interest began when they moved to California aka Cymbidium Heaven. They ended up in Jacksonville where Celia works for the Jax Federal Credit Union and has been Treasurer of the JOS. She loves orchids for their beauty and almost always has something in a pot or vase on her tables. While Harry grows orchids, Celia grows everything else. (Jan 09)

Harry McElroy     Harry McElroy, the Cymbidium man, has seen the world as an engineer with Sikorsky Aircraft, meeting and marrying Celia while in the Philippines. Harry's interest in orchids began in the 1980's. Since Cymbidiums generally like cooler temps, the secret has been to learn exactly which ones will do well in hot places. He now has over 4000 plants, about half cymbidiums and the rest catts, paphs, phrags, dens and phals. If you have a cymbidium question, Harry has the answer. (Jan 09)

Jim and Helen O'Brien     Helen lives with her husband Jim in Ocean City, New Jersey for the majority of the year. They spend about 3 months a year in the St. Augustine area where they were introduced to the SAOS. In fact, they are charter members. While Helen is the orchid grower, Jim also has a green thumb and is Past President of the South Jersey Rose Society. They look forward to their time in St. Augustine when they can renew friendships among the membership. Helen is the orchid aficionado, while she describes Jim as extremely supportive and a GREAT plant mover. She grows her 30+ orchids in her back yard garden hanging from and distributed around trees where they share space with 60 rose bushes. In the colder months the orchids are moved indoors to the computer room where they benefit from south and east facing light. Of all her orchids, Helen loves her phalaenopsis best. In her younger days Helen was a singer and dancer from Rochester, MN. She toured all over the country and met Jim during an engagement in Washington, DC. She also was a physician's office manager; a truly multi-talented person! (Dec 09)

Jeannette Pacetti     Jeannette Pacetti, a St. Aug native, rebloomed her first dendrobium in 2003. Hooked, she started collecting seriously and now grows her collection in a fabric gazebo and on an arbor. Her other passion is creating jewelry, primarily with freshwater pearls. During the week Jeannette works as a seamstress and upholsterer at the family business, Custom Marine Canvas. (Jun 08)

Christie Peppard     Christie Peppard has lived in Middleburg since 1977 where she has a successful hair stylist business. She went to her first JOS meeting in 1998. She grows her collection in a slat house in the summer and a 35’ x 20’ enclosed porch complete with misting system, sky lights and fans. Christie has her wild side, she went hang gliding for a recent birthday celebration. (Jun 08)

Florence Powers     Florence Powers, a St. Aug native, retired from the FL East Coast Railroad. After her husband passed away in 2007, Florence started tending his orchids, favoring catts. Florence has always loved southern gardening, is a Master Flower Show Judge, and has been president of both the Garden Club of St. Augustine and the Poinsettia Garden Circle. Besides gardening, Florence does needlepoint and loves to read. (Aug 08)