JARS v40n3 - In Memoriam: George Albert Reid

In Memoriam: George Albert Reid
Theodore S. Stecki
Marlton, New Jersey

On February 17, 1986, G. Albert Reid, hybridizer of Linwood Hardy Azaleas, Linwood, New Jersey, died at the age of 77 after a long bout with emphysema.

Al, as he was known to his friends, worked for Fischer's Greenhouses from 1953 to 1967, where he started his work on hybridizing the Linwood Hardys. When Al retired from Fischer's in 1967, he continued to hybridize with the goal to produce a better type of garden azalea with larger flowers, a longer blooming period and to develop additional bi-bloomers (fall and spring) such as his 'Opal'.

His goals were achieved with the blooming time of his plants extending from May through early July in the Linwood area. In his hybridizing program he eliminated all single flower plants. All registered Linwood Hardys are either double, semi-double or hose-in-hose flowers.

Al was a charter member of the American Rhododendron Society, Pine Barrens Chapter, and was an associate member of the Philadelphia Chapter. He was also a member of the Azalea Society since it was established. Over the years he registered over fifty varieties of his crosses, many of which were named after his family and friends. He is survived by two brothers and a sister.