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AAS Award Recipients

Every year, All-America Selections (AAS) hosts an awards ceremony to honor two individuals who have given significantly to AAS. One award is the prestigious AAS Medallion of Honor, an award designed to recognize someone with a lifelong dedication to advancement in the field of horticulture. Another equally prestigious award is the Breeder’s Cup which 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.

AAS Breeder’s Cup

The All-America Selections Breeders Cup was established in 2004 to recognize a plant breeder who dramatically influenced horticulture by breeding new cultivars that brought significant improvements to those classes.

All-America Selections is very proud to announce that the 2022 Breeder’s Cup Award recipient is Patty Buskirk of Seeds By Design and Terra Organics.

Patty Buskirk is the managing partner for Seeds by Design, Terra Organics, and Aurora Seed. She oversees the day-to-day administration, research, development, marketing, and production activities. Patty started in the seed industry in 1981 as a squash breeder assistant with Steenseed in Chico, CA. After college, she accepted a job with Northrup King in Gilroy, CA, as an assistant brassica breeder. In 1987, she moved back home to Northern California to work for NPI/Western Hybrid Seed. With her partners, she started Seeds by Design in 1994. Terra Organics was established in 1999 with the goal to offer a variety of organic seed. Patty loves the everyday challenges and ever-changing world of seed. Just a few of the AAS Winners that have come from Patty are the Chef’s Choice series of tomatoes, Blue Prince pumpkin, Mama Mia Giallo pepper, Black Hawk ornamental pepper, Pepitas pumpkin, Warrior onion, Super Moon pumpkin, Mexican Sunrise and Mexican Sunset peppers and more.

“I was surprised, honored, and humbled to be presented with the 2022 AAS Breeders Cup award. Receiving this award for my plant breeding efforts from my peers just validates that I work in the most wonderful industry filled with esteemed colleagues and lifelong friends that feel like family. I encourage all plant breeders to follow their hearts and create new varieties in any species/group they choose, creativity has no limit.” stated Patty.

Previous AAS Breeders’ Cup Recipients

Year Name Company Flower or Vegetable
2004 Daigaku Takeshita Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd. Flower
2005 Dr. Calvin Lamborn Magic Seed, Inc. Vegetable
2006 David Lemon Ecke Ranch Flower
2008 Dr. Masao Bessho Sakata Seed Corporation Flower
2009 Dr. J. Brent Loy University of New Hampshire Vegetable
2010 Todd Perkins Syngenta Flowers Flower
2011 Yosh Arimitsu Bodger Flower
2012 Dr. Paul Thomas Petoseed Co. Vegetable
2013 Robert L. Johnston, Jr. Johnny's Selected Seeds Vegetable
2014 Dr. Ellen Leue PanAmerican Seed Co. Flower
2015 Dr. Randy Gardner NCSU Vegetable
2016 Janika J. Eckert Johnny's Selected Seeds Vegetable
2018 Douglas Holden Ernst Benary Flowers
2020 Dr. Jianping (Ping) Ren PanAmerican Seed Flowers

AAS Medallion of Honor

The prestigious AAS Medallion of Honor is typically presented to one individual who has given a career of dedication to the advancement of horticulture and contribution in raising the visibility of All-America Selections and the varieties that become AAS Winners.

All-America Selections is pleased to announce that the 2021 Medallion of Honor was awarded to Mr. Barry Ruta

 Former colleague and good friend, Vicky Rupley of Harris Seeds created and presented the heart-warming presentation that highlighted Barry’s 56-year career in horticulture.

Barry began his career while in high school by working for Chicagoland garden retailer Amlings. After graduating from Illinois Benedictine College in 1971 with a BS degree in Biology, Barry moved to Florida and began working at Speedling, Inc. Then an opportunity arose and he joined the Sluis & Groot team from 1989-1995. Barry rejoined Speedling again in 1995 where he worked for six years, until 2001, when he took on a role with American Takii where he stayed until his retirement in 2010.

But no one can keep Barry from continuing to contribute to the industry, so he joined Hem Genetics in 2012 where he remains a vital component of Hem’s North American marketing team. Throughout his career, Barry has always been a strong and positive advocate for All-America Selections and the winning varieties that he helped promote. Barry also served on the AAS Board of Directors for two terms, from 2004 until his retirement in 2010.

 All-America Selections, the breeders, judges, board of directors and all the companies they represent, proudly salute this industry achiever who humbly and quietly has done so much for the industry, including the promotion of All-America Selections Winners. Congratulations Barry!

Previous AAS Medallion of Honor Recipients

Winner Year
James H. Franklin, Ph.D. 1936
Lester C. Morse unknown
Elizabeth Bodger unknown
Carl Cropp unknown
David Burpee 1945
Glenn M. Smith, Ph.D. 1945
Earl E. Wilde, Ph.D. 1949
Frank G. Cuthbertson 1952*
Paul Work, Ph. D. 1953
Schuyler Arnold 1954
James H. Burdett 1956
Charles L. Weddle 1958
Harm Drewes 1958
W. Ray Hastings 1959
Fred Statt 1959
Raymond H. Coulter 1961
Victor H. Boswell, Ph.D. 1961
Robert P. Meahl, Ph.D. 1963
James F. Harrington, Ph.D. 1964*
Carl L. Warren 1964
Holmes Bloomer 1964
Takeo Sakata 1965
Henry A. Jones, Ph.D. 1965
Winner Year
Elmer Twedt 1966*
Frank Reinelt 1967
Ian Sinclair 1968
George B. Park 1968
Ernst Benary 1968
Claude Hope 1968
John Mondry 1969
L.W. Corbett 1970
W. Atlee Burpee III 1971
Isabel Zucker 1972
Bruce Johnstone 1974
Al Kempf 1974
Jisaburo Takii 1974
Darrell Walker, Ph.D. 1974
Lyman White 1975
Harry Joy 1975
Henry M. Munger, Ph.D. 1976
Carl Dietz 1976
Howard Bodger 1977
John Holden 1977
Joseph Harris 1978
John McCabe 1978
Glenn A. Goldsmith 1979
Winner Year
Ralph Gould 1979
David S. Denholm 1979
John Waller 1979
Joseph Steinke 1980
Friedrich Benary 1980
Clinton E. Peterson, Ph.D. 1981
R. T. "Ronnie" German 1981
Fred A. Rath 1982
Warren H. Gabelman, Ph.D. 1983
Theodore C. Torrey 1983
Paul Thomas 1984
David Lemon 1985
John Scarchuk 1986
William John Park 1987
Paul Ledig 1988
Charles Kindsvater 1988
Lowell Ewart, Ph.D. 1989
G. Carl Ball 1991
Oved Shifriss, Ph.D. 1992
Yosh Arimitsu 1993
David Colegrave 1993
Rudolf Benary 1994
William Scott 1995
Winner Year
Klaus Neubner 1995
Jeannette Lowe 1996
John Gale 1997
Colen Wyatt, Ph.D. 1998
Mathillde Holtrop 1999
Corinne W. Willard 2000
Pieter van Zanten 2001
Jim Waltrip 2002
Al Gerace 2003
Jim W. Wilson 2004
Shunichiro Suda 2005
Anna Ball 2006
Heather Will-Browne 2007
Bernard F. Walraven, Sr. 2009
Nona Wolfram Koivula 2010
Kenneth Bodger 2011
Dr. Jim Alston 2012
Joel Goldsmith 2013
Allan Armitage 2014
Dr. Elisabeth Sahin 2015
Jim Nau 2016
Vicky Rupley 2017
Doug and Karen Jimerson 2019
* Award given posthumously

Previous AAS Medallion of Honor Recipients and Nominees

MISSION STATEMENT

“To promote new garden varieties with superior garden performance judged in impartial trials in North America.”

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