DLP Profile
Hall of Fame Nomination – 2014
Bill Beer and his wife Rosa were bitten by the dahlia bug in the early 1990s and immediately began to actively support and promote the growing and judging of dahlias by the general public.
His passion for dahlias was infectious and his commitment to educate and train new judges was an inspiration to all. Bill made sure that he and Rosa traveled to most of the yearly ADS National Shows where their input on policy, classification, and judging was greatly valued.
Bill took an active role in building the Vancouver Dahlia Society (VDS) throughout the 1990s and on into the new century. Bill and Rosa both served in many positions on the VDS executive board including president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary. Bill co-chaired many annual VDS shows where he and Rosa welcomed competitors from all over the Pacific Northwest. He was instrumental in organizing and co-chairing the American Dahlia Society’s National show held in Vancouver in 1996.
Bill took an active role in the Federation of Northwest Dahlia Growers and the American Dahlia Society. He co-chaired the Membership Committee of the Federation of Northwest Dahlia Growers, was the VDS’s Federation representative and taught many workshops on judging and clerking. Bill passed away in 2001 but his wife maintained her work for the Federation, VDS, and the ADS. There are many judges and society members today in the Pacific Northwest that can trace their inspiration, passion, and education about dahlias to Bill Beer.