The Camellia Club of Mobile |
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WHO ARE WE?
The present Camellia
Club of Mobile Inc. began over eighty years ago. In the late 1930's
there were a number of Mobile businessmen who were so interested in their
hobby of growing camellias that they were proudly displaying their beautiful
blooms In their offices, show windows and building lobbies. In late 1939 and
early 1940 these gentlemen decided to organize and form the Men's Camellia
Club of Mobile. This new Club held its first Camellia Show early In 1941.
The purpose of the
Club was, and still is, to promote interest in camellias, including
providing information on growing them, and holding a free annual Camellia
Show for the public to enjoy these delightful flowers. There was no
competition or judging in the early Shows; exhibitors just enjoyed showing
off the results of their work. Murphy High School was the venue for many of
the early Shows, often with thousands of blooms on display.
The first Club
President was Dr. R. M. Shackleford, the annual dues were $5.00 per member,
and just prior to 1953 the Club was incorporated as a non-profit
organization. About 1968 the Men's Camellia Club of Mobile changed its name
to the Camellia Club of Mobile, Inc. The Club now awards trophies for the
best blooms on exhibit, but after forty-seven Presidents and over eightyty years,
our dues are STILL $5.00 per member and we are still, naturally, a
non-profit organization.
Several members who
founded the Club in 1940 were among those camellia enthusiasts who formed
the American Camellia Society which held its first Annual Meeting in Mobile
in 1946 at the Admiral Semmes Hotel. The ACS held their Annual Meeting again
at the Admiral Semmes Hotel in 1953, and in 1985 the ACS members were once
again welcomed to Mobile by its "older brother" Club. Two past
Presidents of the Camellia Club of Mobile, Mr. Hoyt W. Lee and Mr. Charles
R. Butler, also served as Presidents of the American Camellia Society.
For over eighty years many people
have been introduced to the beauty of the camellia, Alabama's State Flower,
through visiting the Camellia Shows held each January by our Club, first at
Murphy High School, then Fort Whiting Auditorium, the Municipal Auditorium.
the Springdale Mall Plaza, Colonial Bel Air Mall,
and finally, a change to our present venue at the Shriner's Abba Temple. We hope you enjoy our
shows as much as we enjoy presenting them.
Page last modified 05/06/2022 |