Submitted by: Rhonda Lynn-Moeckel AIFD, CFD
AIFD, recently lost another mentor, Gary Schott AIFD. Although I did not know Gary on a personal level, I do know, he inspired me in 1999. Yes that was some time ago, but the vivid memories from that Symposium flashed back into mind.
I was introduced to Gary while viewing some of the Symposium stage designs in an area where we could take pictures. Two pieces he shared with all of us that year stand out in my mind. One of his designs was a long table piece created in the shape of an alligator, using pineapples, mixed foliage’s and flowers. Loved it!
Gary also shared the name of one of the vases he featured in his program. “The Abigail Trumpet Vase” Over the years I rented the Abigail Trumpet vase to more customers than I would have ever dreamed. Each design was different, capturing the vision for the client’s event. All of this from one of the inspirational programs offered at the AIFD® Symposium.
Who or whom has inspired you? There have been so many mentors in my AIFD® journey. No matter how grand the scale of each inspiration floral design shown during a program at the AIFD® Symposium, part of that can live on in our creative mind. Moving us forward, creating opportunities, helping us step outside the box to put our own twist into each piece we create.
