To these now is added this signal honor from the British Iris Society and the BULLETIN and indeed all of the members of the American Iris Society join in congratulations for this well deserved honor. But it is in the feId of iris growing as an avenue of creating beauty that he has won fame, and from his Middlebury garden and to him have come innumerable recognitions, including the AIS Hybridizer's Medal and the Caparne Medal in 1964 for his FASHION LADY. He studied art at the Chicago Art Institute for five years, and is a capable musician, playing both the piano and the violin. Walter Welch's Middlebury, Indiana, garden long has been a mecca for the devotees of dwarf irises. To the long list of honors and awards which Walter Welch has received now comes the 1964 Foster Memorial Plaque, awarded by the British Iris Society. The highest award for Minature Dwarf Bearded iris, the Caparne-Welch Medal, is named in honor of Walter Welch and William J. Received the American Iris Society Hybridizer Award in 1957. Yes, we shall miss him greatly, but his work will live on". He was dedicated to dwarf iris as few are to any other iris. "He lived and breathed dwarf iris, they were his great love-a love passed on to many. From the Region 6 Newsletter comes the following tribute by Frank Williams of Kalamazoo, Mich. A number of his irises received the Caparne Award. He was awarded the AIS Hybridizers Medal in 1957 and the Foster Memorial Plaque in 1964. He started Round Robins and did much writing on iris subjects. He was also an artist and interior decorator. He was the organizer of the Dwarf Iris Society. Mr Welch was a noted breeder of Dwarf Irises. Having spent most of his life in Middlebury, Indiana, failing health several years ago caused him to move to Texas to be near his son. Death claimed Walter Welch on January 11, 1980.