The Connecticut Dahlia Society History Page

History of the Connecticut Dahlia Society, Inc.

On February 21, 1959, the following eleven men met in Waterbury Connecticut to form the Connecticut Dahlia Society:

Harry Allyn, Terryville, CT
Lester Andrew, Waterbury, CT
Fred Calkins, Waterbury, CT
Franklin Dressel, Mildale, CT
Walter Hardisty, Watertown, CT
Charles Hobbs, Watertown, CT
Clarence Johnson, Watertown, CT
Thomas McNulty, Brookfield, CT
Ernest Miller, Plantsville, CT
Frank Seaman, Danbury, CT
Paul Smith, Waterbury, CTPaul Smith was the founder of the Connecticut Dahlia Society and he was also elected as its’ first President. The first show of the society was held on September 9 & 10 of 1959 in the Shopping Plaza, on Chase Avenue, in Waterbury.

The society then held its’ second and third shows in Waterbury, before moving to the Pond House in Elizabeth Park in Hartford for two years. Following shows were held in Fairfield, Wolcott, Prospect, Windsor Locks, Cheshire, and for the past 15 years annual shows have again been held at the Pond House in Elizabeth Park in Hartford. The CDS has hosted the National Shows of the American Dahlia Society in both 1982 and 1989 in Windsor Locks

The Connecticut Dahlia Society is an affiliated society of the American Dahlia Society dahlia.org and has its’ judges credentialed according to the standards of the ADS. The CDS is also a member of the North Atlantic Dahlia Conference that consists of seven other societies from the states of New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

For the past 14 years, the Connecticut Dahlia Society has been maintaining a Display Garden in Elizabeth Park in Hartford for park visitors to enjoy. Annual Root Sales are held in April and monthly meetings are usually held on the second Sunday of most months in the Waterbury area.

The Annual Show of the CDS is always held on the fourth Saturday in August. The 55th Show of the CDS will be held on August 24, 2013 at the Pond House in Elizabeth Park. Admission for the public is from 1:30 to 4:30 and it is free. Exhibitors from many states will display their blooms at this show.

The mission of the CDS is to stimulate interest in, and promote the culture and development of the dahlia; to conduct and promote public exhibition of dahlias in Connecticut; to assist its members in learning the most effective ways of dahlia culture; to promote good fellowship; and to devote all profits accruing to the society to the above purposes.

Connecticut Dahlia Society, Inc. Past Presidents

Order	Year	Name and City
1st	1959	Paul Smith, Waterbury
2nd	1960	Paul Smith, Waterbury
3rd	1961	Harry Allyn, Terryville
4th	1962	Daniel Dearborn, Bristol
5th	1963	Daniel Dearborn, Bristol
6th	1964	Walter Wengell, Bridgeport
7th	1965	Walter Wengell, Bridgeport
8th	1966	Joseph Gentile, Wolcott
9th	1967	Walter Wengell, Bridgeport
10th	1968	Paul Smith, Waterbury
11th	1969	Adolph Birkenberger, Wolcott
12th	1970	William Sperber, West Hartford
13th	1971	Michael Kantor, Watertown
14th	1972	Lester Andrew, Waterbury
15th	1973	P. Sheldon Remington, Greenwich
16th	1974	Earle Emmons, Milford
17th	1975	Thomas McNulty, Brookfield
18th	1976	Stanley Hickman, Ansonia
19th	1977	Marjorie Schnerr, Prospect
20th	1978	Marjorie Schnerr, Prospect
21st	1979	Michael Pryor, Woodbridge
22nd	1980	Michael Pryor, Woodbridge
23rd	1981	Derek Tyler, Cheshire
24th	1982	Derek Tyler, Cheshire
25th	1983	John Yarwood, Madison
26th	1984	John Yarwood, Madison
27th	1985	Barry Wight, Plantsville
28th	1986	Barry Wight, Plantsville
29th	1987	Marjorie Schnerr, Prospect
30th	1988	Marjorie Schnerr, Prospect
31st	1989	Michael Pryor, Woodbridge
32nd	1990	Michael Pryor, Woodbridge
33rd	1991	Frank Webber, Wolcott
34th	1992	Frank Webber, Wolcott
35th	1993	Marjorie Schnerr, Prospect
36th	1994	Marjorie Schnerr, Prospect
37th	1995	Kevin Wasilewski, Wallingford
38th	1996	Kevin Wasilewski, Wallingford
39th	1997	Kevin Wasilewski, Wallingford
40th	1998	Joseph Jasonis, Winsted
41st	1999	Joseph Jasonis, Winsted
42nd	2000	Bob Preuss, Cheshire
43rd	2001	Bob Preuss, Cheshire
44th	2002	Jesse Peterson, Harwinton
45th	2003	Jesse Peterson, Harwinton
46th	2004	Kevin Wasilewski, Wallingford
47th	2005	Kevin Wasilewski, Wallingford
48th	2006	Marjorie Schnerr, Prospect
49th	2007	Marjorie Schnerr, Prospect
50th	2008	Jonathan Wooten, Fairfield
51st	2009	Jonathan Wooten, Fairfield
52nd	2010	Jesse Peterson, Harwinton
53rd	2011	Jesse Peterson, Harwinton
54th	2012	Jesse Peterson, Harwinton
55th	2013	Donna Paternostro, Waterbury
56th	2014	Donna Paternostro, Waterbury
57th	2015	Donna Paternostro, Waterbury
58th	2016	Marjorie Schnerr, Prospect