Page 68 - BSAM 2015 Q4

promoting international friendship through bonsai
Bonsai & Stone News
Top; Rosemarie Voelker receiving a BCI Certi cate of Appreciation for her leadership in managing the social media BCI Face Book page from BCI President Tom Elias.
Middle; The second BCI Certi cate of Appreciation was awarded to Mr. Chen Chang of Guangzhou, China—a major supporter of the joint BCI/ASPAC convention in Guangzhou, a leader in the BCI-China program, and a major collector and artist of Chinese penjing.
Bottom; BCI 1st Vice President Glenis Bebb and BCI Executive Director Helen Su present Thomas S. Elias, President of BCI,
the Meritorious Service Award in recognition of his service
as president during the last three years and for his long-term contributions to the BCI Bonsai Magazine and the Bonsai & Stone Appreciation Magazine.
66 | BCI | October/November/December 2015
BCI Awards at the 2015 Convention, Guangzhou, China
Certi cates of Appreciation
Two certi cates of appreciation were awarded at the 2015 BCI convention in Guangzhou. e rst one was presented to Rosemarie Voelker of Gulf Breeze, Florida for her leadership in managing the social media BCI Face Book page. Rosemarie is an excellent photographer and frequently travels worldwide to bon- sai events. Her many postings on the BCI Facebook page have resulted in greatly increasing the number of visitors and raising the awareness of BCI worldwide.
e second certi cate of appreciation was awarded to Mr. Chen Chang of Guangzhou, China. Mr. Chang is President of the Panyu Chu Kong Steel Pipe Co., Ltd. and also President of the Guangzhou Penjing Association. Mr. Chang was a major supporter of the joint BCI/ASPAC convention in Guangzhou, a leader in the BCI-China program, and a major collector and artist of Chinese penjing.
Meritorious Service Award
is award is given to an individual or club that has contributed signi cantly to BCI over many years. omas S. Elias, President of BCI was the recipient this year in recognition of his service as president during the last three years and for his long-term contributions to the BCI Bonsai Magazine and the Bonsai & Stone Appreciation Magazine. As president, Tom implemented a board-approved annual budget along with realistic income projections. He also worked to increase income through auctions, donations, and sales of books. A surplus of income over expens- es in BCI operations in the last three years has greatly improved BCI’s nancial position. Tom worked with others to improve the BCI website and make better use of social media to promote BCI. He, along with several board members have succeeded in reversing the decline in membership and is growing BCI individual and club memberships in several areas of the world, especially in Asia where the largest number of bonsai hobbyists are located. Tom was also the recipient of BCI’s Writer, Photographer and Artist Award in 2001. He has been a regular contributor since 1999 of over 25 articles plus several books reviews and news items to Bonsai Magazine and its successor Bonsai & Stone Appreciation Magazine.
BCI Artist, Writer and Photographer Award
e recipient of this award is Canadian bonsai enthusiast Dr. Michael Collins McIntyre for his many excellent articles in BCI Bonsai & Stone Appreciation Maga- zine over the last three years. Mike loves telling a story as much as our readers enjoy hearing a good one. rough his engaging accounts, Mike has written about ne art, reviewed important books and has covered the work of bonsai artists. Here, in his own words, is his reaction to this award—another story we think you’ll appreciate.
“It all started with won ton soup; actually, its absence. I had gone to Winnipeg’s historic Exchange District on a cold, raw day for some of the glorious and warm- ing won ton soup o ered at Ken Hong Restaurant. It was closed for renovations. I was disconsolate. I decided to make the best of things and browse the area. I came across a gallery that I didn’t know—Pixel’s 2.1—and inside encountered some absolutely stunning photographs of Huangshan. My rst thought was that the bonsai community needed to see these photographs. I contacted the artist, Tse Li Luk, and told him what I had in mind. He agreed to supply the photographs. BCI Editor, Joe Grande, accompanied me on a second visit and was receptive to the idea of my submitting an article. It was accepted. I enjoyed the writing immensely. Writing has been something that, as a psychologist and professor, I have loved for my entire career. More than the writing though, I loved the friendship that Tse Li and I developed. It has been the friendships and the stories told by great artists that