1976 Helen Field Fischer Gold Medal
Edna Lankart
by Clara May Pittard and Ethel Smith
(Reprinted from The Hemerocallis Journal, Vol. 20, No. 4, 1976)

We feel it is a pleasant privilege to write this article on such a popular and deserving Helen Field Fischer Medal winner as Edna Lankart . Those of us who know Edna suspect she was not born normally like the rest of us, but are convinced her mother found her in a giant box of Cheer! If you have read her many articles in the newsletters and the Journal or been present at any meeting where she was speaker, you will know what a great sense of humor she has and why it is so appreciated these days. The 1969 Yearbook gives a brief resume of Edna's contributions to the American Hemerocallis Society (AHS), up to the time she started serving on the board of directors. We will borrow from this article as we attempt to enumerate some of her many services to AHS.

Edna served as RVP for three years, RPD for five years, and on the board of directors as first Vice President and Chairman of the RVP's for six years. She was associate editor of the Journal and wrote many interesting articles and encouraged others to do the same . Besides presenting humorous banquet speeches for Region 14 and also Region 15, she has given many talks and slide shows for daylily meetings and garden clubs.

This lady of many talents wrote the Southwest Guide to Growing Daylilies for the Beginners' Bulletin. She has written daylily articles for garden magazines and wrote the booklet, "Guideline For RVP's" which has been a great help to all new RVP's. She was very active in this work and initiated the RVP meetings at the National Conventions, in order that they might discuss their problems together and do a better job. Many of her articles and pictures were published in Flowers and Garden Magazine. Being a photographer of note, she has won the Schlumpf Award four times. The slide library has become much richer due to her many contributions.

Edna is a life member, Awards and Honor Judge, Exhibition Judge, and has conducted numerous Regional and National judges clinics.

She has been an enthusiastic daylily collector and hybridizer for many years. She also grows the best from other hybridizers and loves to show them off to garden visitors who are always welcome at her large garden. With her success in hybridizing daylilies and other plants, Edna follows in her famous father's footsteps. Mr. C. S. Lankart, (now deceased) was a world renown cotton hybridizer, affectionately known as "The grand old man of Texas and Oklahoma cotton breeders." Our congratulations to Edna, a distinguished lady, who has won the much deserved Helen Field Fischer Medal for service to the society.

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