Reminiscing

There always seems to be so much going on that it is hard to stop and spend time reminiscing, but ever since LASN started its 20th year, things seem to have a different relevance.

Last week I was at the CLCA Show in Long Beach. This was the last year it will be there; next year it moves to downtown L.A. Twenty-two years ago, that was the first trade show I attended in the landscape industry. Three years later at that show, LASN was born . . . Next year we?EUR??,,????'???ll have three booths for three different magazines. It?EUR??,,????'???s all the same, but my how it has changed.

Today I was looking for a picture of Ted Osmundson, FASLA, for a news item in this issue (see page 170). You?EUR??,,????'???d think that after 20 years of trade shows, conferences and news items, given his level of industry participation, that we?EUR??,,????'???d have at least a dozen shots of Mr. Osmundson. I mean, LASN has saved literally thousands of photos at what seems like thousands of different functions all across the nation . . . But noooo . . . It took nearly two hours of searching those archives before we found Ted?EUR??,,????'???s photo in an old Leatzow ad . . .

Anyway . . . In checking all those old archived photos, I found myself immersed in memories of old CLASS Fund roasts.

Those guys raised thousands of dollars for landscape architectural scholarships and internships. What a great group of landscape architects and what a great cause for which they donated their energies.

Today, through the able hands of the Landscape Architecture Foundation, those invested monies will generate tens of thousands of dollars every year in perpetuity. I helped make the CLASS Fund?EUR??,,????'???s first brochure before starting LASN . . . they actually paid me . . . The generosity of those folks was so great and the fellowship of the association so strong that starting LASN was almost an obligation . . .

In the search for Ted we hit the ASLA Show archives . . . There was San Francisco . . . the first in what has been continuous, consecutive years of ASLA show attendance by LASN. The turnout in S.F. was the strongest to that date for the ASLA . . . about 4,500.

And then there was San Diego, where the ASLA banned LASN from exhibiting and talking to their exhibitors about advertising.

We had to pass out the magazines on the street corner in front of the exhibit hall. LASN regional editor, Larry Shield, was the one who stood there interviewing attendees and handing out magazines in the bright California sunshine . . .

I also found a picture of our booth at the Chicago show. The ASLA moved LASN?EUR??,,????'???s 10x10 reserved booth from the front-middle to an 8x10 at the very far corner of the most remote section of the parking garage extension of the exhibit hall. The show was light on attendance even before they hid us in the dungeon, but I can remember playing football in the isles and some kid riding his bike . . .

It wasn?EUR??,,????'???t all bad though, as along came San Antonio . . . Sure enough, I came across a picture of (we called her) aunt Kay (Tiller), making sure my 6-month old first son was the main attraction in the LASN booth. That was the breakthrough show for LASN as far as working with the ASLA. LASN was ?EUR??,,????'??allowed?EUR??,,????'?? a booth, there was a new executive director, the past and present presidents were beginning to talk to us and . . . Uh-oh . . . looks like I?EUR??,,????'???m just about ?EUR??,,????'??outta?EUR??,,????'?? room, so you?EUR??,,????'???ll have to wait for the next installment of ?EUR??,,????'??Reminiscing?EUR??,,????'?? to read more about the growth of LASN and the fun we had along the way . . .

God bless you all and see you next month . . .