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All-America Selections (AAS) recently hosted the annual AAS Summer Summit August 9-11 in Monterey, California. An annual highlight of the AAS Summer Summit is the awards presentation. The first award presented was the prestigious AAS Medallion of Honor, an award designed to recognize someone with a lifelong dedication to advancement in the field of horticulture.
Mr. Kenneth (Kim) Bodger, is the 2011 recipient of the Medallion of Honor. Kim began working at his family’s seed business while still in college where he threw himself into learning the business. It is widely known that Kim led a strategic move to focus on breeding back in the 70’s which led Bodger to become one of the leading U.S. seed breeders.
“It was such an honor to be recognized and honored for my career at Bodger Seeds, which was just doing what came naturally and something I always found satisfying and rewarding,” Kim Bodger said. “Bodger's contributions to the industry would not have occurred without the efforts of our many fine former employees who are due great recognition and have the gratitude of the Bodger family. The people in this industry and especially those I worked with at Bodger are what I miss most. I truly appreciate this award and thank AAS and the board for this opportunity to see so many wonderful people again.”
The second award, the AAS Breeders’ Cup, was established in 2004 to recognize a breeder who has dramatically influenced horticulture by his or her work in bringing significant improvements to specific flower or vegetable classes.
The 2011 Breeders’ Cup Award recipient is Yosh Arimitsu, flower breeder for Bodger Seeds since 1977. Mr. Arimitsu immigrated to the United States and began working in flower seed breeding in the late 1950’s. Kim Bodger presented the award and cited Yosh’s work in ageratum, alyssum, antirrhinum, calendulas, delphinium, marigolds, pansies, portulaca, statice, sweet peas, violas and zinnias, among others.
“I have the combined feelings of honor, humility and gratitude to All-America Selections for this Breeders’ Cup Award,” Arimitsu said. “It is especially an honor to have been presented this award at the same time that Kim Bodger received the Medallion of Honor. Together, we worked toward the contributions that Bodger Seed made to the world of flowers and for that, I am grateful and proud of our work.”
Photo: (left to right) Mr. Kim Bodger, Mrs. Masako Arimitsu and Mr. Yosh Arimitsu after the AAS Awards presentations. Photo by Jen Calhoun, Ernst Benary Seed of America.