2024 DeEtta Montgomery Outstanding Service Award
Introductory comments by Rob Mortko, MRHS President.
The DeEtta Montgomery Outstanding Service Award was established in 2007, to acknowledge a person, or a local society's contribution, to benefit the Midwest Region. It is the highest honor bestowed by the MRHS. There are several prior recipients present this evening. Could you all please stand and be recognized. Thank you again for your service.
They say, "It takes a village". That is a fact. It takes any number of dedicated individuals to run an organization, a local society, a regional society, or even a convention. A few of these individuals serve in leadership positions, clearly in the spotlight. However, many more individuals work tirelessly behind the scenes, escaping the spotlight, and often without our notice or our appreciation.
This year's recipient embodies the selfless volunteer that works tirelessly (mostly behind the scenes) to help bring success to a hosta club, a convention, a plant sale, you name it. You may not even recognize his name, but I bet you recognize his smiling face.
Our recipient is seldom in the spotlight, but most often found working tirelessly behind the scenes. And I want to emphasize the word 'tirelessly'. He is probably most visible to you at conventions, serving as an auction runner. At last year's convention in Rochester, he was also the high auction donor to the financial benefit of the MRHS.
Our recipient is the first one to show up at a convention looking to help wherever needed. He is often seen helping vendors set up by carrying plants from their trucks to the vending area. And he is also there to help them carry out any unsold plants at the end of the convention.
When we held the 2017 MRHS convention in Kansas City, I experienced his gracious assistance firsthand. As usual he showed up early at the convention hotel looking to help and offered to help me put down the plastic carpet covering in the vending area. Sticky carpet covering I should say - easily the most thankless job associated with holding a convention. He ended up with a lot of missing skin and blisters from the sticky plastic. Not to be denied, he simply moved on to help vendors move plants into the vending area. Never a complaint from our recipient. Always a smiling face, just looking to help.
Our recipient answered the call back in 2005 to help form a new hosta society, becoming a charter member. He has donated his time, muscle and countless plants in helping establish multiple local hosta display gardens. He has served in a number of board positions for that hosta society over the years. He has served as webmaster. He co-chairs the club's annual plant sale where he is typically the top donor. Our recipient and his spouse were the first in their local society to be awarded the AHS Presidents Award. Together they have been their society's table greeters for local meeting attendees for many years. Need a ride to a local club meeting? No problem - our recipient is there to assist. He has attended every Midwest Regional convention since 2011 including the 2012 convention hosted by his local society where he was instrumental in the planning and execution of the convention.
Our recipient truly exemplifies the model of a selfless servant. He makes everyone around him look better and more successful with his 'can do' attitude. As MRHS President I am certainly grateful for his tireless support over the years and believe this award is most fitting.
The recipient of the 2024 DeEtta Montgomery Outstanding Service Award is Dave Cocker.
