American Floral Endowment Update - Spring 2003
Crissey and Walton Elected to Board of Trustees
Sten Crissey and Charles Walton recently were elected to the American Floral Endowment Board of Trustees.
Sten is a second-generation retail florist with a shop in Seattle. His father started the company in 1942. Sten joined the family business after graduating from the University of Washington and has been very active in the floriculture industry. He has been an FTD District Board Member and Officer. served on the FTD Governmental Affairs Committee, is Past President of the Society of American Florists (1989-1991), Past President of the Northwest Florist Association (1998), and was a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business in 1980. Sten is a member of the American Academy of Florists (AAF) and was recognized by the Society of American Florists for the Paul Ecke, Jr. Golden Bouquet Award.
 Sten Crissey |
 Charles Walton |
Other awards include the Paul Harris Fellowship Award for his contributions to the Rotary Club, where he has been an active member since 1989. He has been married for 28 years to Maryann and has two sons: John, a recent graduate of Loyola Marymount University, and Shafer, a senior at Loyola. Also elected to the Board of Trustees was Charles Walton, President and Chief Executive Officer of Smithers-Oasis Company, an international producer and marketer of floral and horticultural products. Charles is an alumnus of California Polytechnic State University. He served as an officer in the U.S. Army and joined Srnithers-Oasis in During his career, he has held a variety of positions ranging from marketing and product development to his present position of President and Chief Executive Officer.
In 1986, Charles acquired the firm from its family owners. He has held memberships in the International Society of Soilless Culture, Ohio FloristsÕ Association Blue Ribbon Committee, American Academy of Florists, The Ohio State University CSRS Review of Horticulture Department Research/Teaching/Extension Program, and the California Polytechnic State University College of Agriculture Advisory Council. He holds several patents, and has been a guest and keynote speaker at various floriculture-related conventions domestically and internationally.
Charles has been married to his wife, April, for 34 years. They have two children: Ben, a landscape contractor in Kent, Ohio, and Melanie, a Ph.D. candidate at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
American Floral Endowment Trustees serve without pay and cover all their own meeting expenses. These volunteer leaders have a fiduciary duty to the Endowment that includes a duty of care, a duty of loyalty, and a duty of obedience. Trustees embrace the mission of the Endowment, providing vision and direction.
Memorials Established for Industry Leaders Roozen, Koppelman
A Memorial Tribute has been established within the American Floral Endowment honoring William A. "Bill" Roozen, who died July 13, 2002. The tribute was established by Mr. Tom Di Canio, President of Floral & Nursery Times. Floral & Nursery Times, a leading publication for the floral industry, traditionally establishes a special tribute each year for its Crystal Star Award for Distinguished Service recipient.
BillÕs career in the floral industry began when he emigrated from Holland in 1947. He started with a small tract of land and used William Roozen equipment, and sold out of his garage. Today, RoozenÕs small company has grown to be the largest grower of tulips, daffodils, and irises in the United States. In I 1985, he handed the business down to his five sons and his daughter. He is survived by his wife, Helen; sons Leo, John, Richard, Michael and William; daughters Lisette, Madeleine, Deborah, and Maria; and 35 grandchildren. Another daughter, Bernadette, preceded him in death. A Memorial Tribute has been established at the American Floral Endowment for Joseph Koppelman, who died in February 2000. Mr. Koppelman was the founder, with his wife Jeanette, of Fall River Florist Supply Company in Fall River, Massachusetts.
The tribute was established by Elaine and Bob Carbone to express their appreciation of the key role Joe Koppelman played in the establishment of their business and the guidance and close personal friendship he provided throughout the years.
Born in Palestine in 1914. Joe Koppelman came to the United States in 1928. After working for his father in the flower business in Boston, he entered the Air Force in 1940 and served as a mechanic until his honorable discharge in 1945. His service included time in the Pacific theater.
In 1947, he established Fall River Florist Supply Company. where he remained active for nearly 50 years. He was a leader and innovator in the industry, traveling to Colombia to begin importing flowers in the late 1960s. Although he built one of the most successful and well-regarded wholesale florist companies in the country, he is perhaps best remembered for his sense of fair play, spirit of cooperation, and help given both to customers and competitors alike.
Memorial tributes provide a way to remember and honor family, friends and associates in a special and lasting manner. To contribute to the William Roozen or Joseph Koppelman Memorial Tributes, send a check so designated to the American Floral Endowment, 11 Glen-Ed Professional Park, Glen Carbon, IL 62034. The family is always notified, and donations can be made in any amount. The Endowment is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization; all contributions are tax-deductible.
