My Pal Ed Lyon (& His Selfish Career Advancement)

Some of you loyal blog readers will remember Ed Lyon (well-represented in this blog) from his time as Executive Director at Rotary Botanical Gardens for four years.  I've known Ed since 1999 when he was a graduate student at UW-Madison (horticulture) and have watched him become a force in the world of plants as well as a dear friend.  His contributions at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, the Chicago Botanic Garden and RBG are significant and lasting.  For RBG, he helped expose our garden to a national audience and continues to be such a strong advocate for us as well.  His extensive plant knowledge is augmented by his experiences with working with staff and volunteers as well as budgeting, grants, graphic design, writing, etc.  He is extremely talented in many ways.  His most recent successful endeavor as Director of Allen Centennial Gardens on the UW-Madison campus has come to an end as Ed will be the next Executive Director at Reiman Gardens which is located on the Iowa State University campus in Ames, IA.  This beautiful garden will benefit from Ed's experience, insights and leadership.  Below is a photo of Ed (and Jane) from a farewell/appreciation party last night.  We all wish Ed the best and know he'll be back to visit (and vice versa).  Ed and I have been able to spend a lot of time together including being roommates at many conferences (Philadelphia, Vancouver, Denver, etc.).  Included in this blog are just a few of the many images of Ed (most of which include his camera which is always close at hand!).  Best of luck to Ed and his selfish career advancement goals!  :)