A Vision for Roses

Pat Shanley
President, American Rose Society

​Pat Shanley lives and gardens in Glen Cove, NY, where she grows approximately 250 roses.  She is President of the American Rose Society.  She is also an ARS Horticultural Judge; ARS Arrangement Judge; ARS Master Rosarian; Recipient of the ARS New York District Silver Honor Medal, Outstanding Judge and Outstanding Consulting Rosarian Awards; Recipient ARS Bronze Medal; Founding and Immediate Past President of the Manhattan Rose Society; Founding Chairman of the New York Metropolitan Rose Council; Chairman of the Great Rosarians of the World™ East (GROW™) Award Lectureship; Past Vice Chairman, Queens Botanical Garden Board of Trustees and Chairman of American Garden Rose Selections™ - the new national testing program for new rose varieties.  Pat was the Guest Editor of the 2012 ARS Annual.  She is also the co-editor and a contributing author of “The Sustainable Rose Garden - A Reader in Rose Culture” 2010, published by Newbury books, (an imprint of Casemate Publishers) which received the World Federation of Rose Societies Literary Award for 2012.  

Gaye Hammond
President, Houston Rose Society

​Gaye Hammond is the Past President of the Houston Rose Society, the largest local rose society in the United States, and has served on their Board of Directors for almost 20 years.  She is also a Life Member and Steward of American Rose Society and serves as the Chair of the Development Committee of the national organization.  Gaye is also a Special Section Editor of the American Rose magazine.

Besides being a nationally-known lecturer and avid writer of more than 300 articles and book chapters, Gaye has the unique ability to develop huge numbers of members for both organizations.  In the last five years she has recruited more than 1,000 members for the Houston Rose Society and almost 700 to the American Rose Society with 138 of those being recruited in the last 90 days.

In addition to service to these non-profit horticultural organizations, Gaye is the study liaison between the Houston Rose Society and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in connection with Earth-Kind® Rose Research – the largest environmental rose research study done in the U.S.  She has co-authored a peer-reviewed journal article on Earth-Kind Roses published in 2009 in Floriculture & Ornamental Biotechnology, a chapter in The Sustainable Rose Garden and authored a chapter in the book, Gulf Coast Gardening.  Her photography has appeared on the cover of HortScience (December 2010) and she was awarded the cover story for the September 2011 issue of Parks & Recreation Magazine.  

Attracting & Retaining Members

Thoroughbred Roses for Win, Place and Show

David Clemons
Throughbred Roses

David Clemons resides in Grant,Al. where he and his wife Tammy grow more than 250 roses . As an avid rose exhibitor, he has competed and won awards on the local, district and national levels. David is a Master Rosarian and past president of the Huntsville Twickenham Rose Society in Huntsville, Al.

​His amateur hybridizing efforts have led to the introduction of several “Thoroughbred” miniature and miniflora roses to include the #1 rated exhibition miniflora ‘Whirlaway’ and the #1 rated  exhibition miniature and AOE winner  ‘Joy’. 

David’s most recent introductions include the 2014 AOE winner ‘Tammy Clemons’ and the 2016 introduction ‘Bold Ruler’.

Allen Owings
LSU/AG Center - Hammond Research Station​

Allen Owings is a horticulture professor with the LSU AgCenter. He also serves as the Gulf District director for the American Rose Society and chairs the American Rose Center committee.

Dr. Owings received his B.S. degree in plant science from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, LA and graduate degrees in horticulture from LSU and Mississippi State University. He is a native of Hammond and is currently coordinator of statewide LSU AgCenter extension efforts in commercial ornamental horticulture and serves as resident coordinator of the Hammond Research Station. He serves as the director of research and education for the Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association. He has received extension programming excellence awards for the LSU AgCenter and was early in his career named outstanding young extension horticulturist by the American Society for Horticultural Science. He has received Professional Achievement and Distinguished Service Awards from the Louisiana and National Associations of County Agricultural Agents.

​Dr. Owings is a Louisiana licensed landscape horticulturist and enjoys gardening, LSU sports, and golf.