Rapee Sagarik Gets Gold Medal

Rapee Sagarik receives the AOS Gold Medal and is congratulated by presenter, Pete Furniss. Photo: Johan Hermans.

First, thank you to the organizers of this wonderful orchid show for allowing me the opportunity to address you. The American Orchid Society's highest award is its Gold Medal of Achievement and it's my great pleasure to be able to present one today. Over the past 86 years only 70 Gold Medals have been awarded which should give you some idea of how few individuals are selected for this prestigious honor.

While I normally try to keep the identity of the honoree confidential until the last minute, today will be different. The Board of Trustees actually voted this gold medal in 2007 and here we are three years later giving it so it's high time to announce that Professor Rapee Sagarik is the recipient.

There is no other Thai that has had more impact on orchids than Rapee. He is the country's foremost orchid expert as well as a revered educator.

Rapee founded the Orchid Society of Thailand in 1957.

One of Rapee Sagarik's successful hybrids is pictured here: Van. Bangkok Sky 'Happy Summer' AM/AOS (V. sanderiana x Rhy. coelestis), Exhib: Tom and Margie Barbaree

The people of Singapore, and many of you sitting here today, are eagerly looking forward to the World Orchid Conference that will be held in Singapore in November of next year. Those of you who are involved with the planning for this event realize what a huge challenge it poses as well as the amount of work involved. You will realize, then, when I tell you that Rapee was the Chair of the Organizing Committee for the 9th World Orchid Conference in Thailand in 1979, how important his involvement was.

It was Rapee that was responsible for the first orchid library in Thailand which was opened in December 1993. He donated some ten thousand slides and two thousand books to ensure it would be a world class facility from the start.

In 2006, he was listed as one of the 35 most influential Thais.

Rapee's work was never limited to orchids which can be readily seen by his being named one of the "Agricultural Gurus of Thailand". The selection for candidates requires 1) agricultural work beneficial to society; 2) "personal background, moral ways of life, spiritual devotion to agricultural community, government agents and the public"; and 3) "work's contribution based on His Majesty's Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy". It is my distinct honor to give the Gold Medal to Professor Rapee Sagarik.

Pete Furniss

Ascda. Motes Goldpiece 'Mary Motes' AM/AOS (Ascda. Sagarik x V. Filipino) is a second generation hybrid (Motes, 1987) using Rapee's Ascda. Sagarik (V. sanderiana x Asct. miniatum) registered in 1966. Exhib: Motes Orchids. Photo © 1988 Greg Allikas.