the following is a transcript of a talk delivered to the 10th annual meeting of the Heritage Rose Foundation in Tallahassee, FL in 1996 by George R. Stritikus, who was a County Extension Agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System at Auburn University.
You know, it really is so. Most of us live in our own little worlds! They are so very different that it is a real miracle we can communicate with another person at all. But our lives do intersect with other people, at specific points. An interest in old roses is the reason our lives have intersected here today.
I am to speak to you on how and why I have researched old gardens and roses of Alabama for the last 20 years. Let’s begin with the more abstract aspect – Just why do I do this? There are several reasons that come to mind. Let’s look at each and see if they are a part of your world.