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Camellia Club of Mobile |
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WHO
ARE WE? The
present Camellia Club of Mobile Inc. began over sixty-five 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-one Presidents and sixty-five 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. Over
the past sixty-five years many people have been introduced to the beauty of the
camellia, Alabama's State Flower, through visiting the Camellia Show held each
January by our Club, first at Murphy High School, then Fort Whiting Auditorium,
the Municipal Auditorium and the Springdale Mall Plaza for many years, and
finally, last year, a change to our present venue at Colonial Bel Air Mall. We
hope you enjoy our 65th Show as much as we enjoy presenting it. Page last modified 01/25/2005
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