Dick Porter
by Allison Lingbloom
Raised on a farm, Dick spent his childhood competing in 4H at the Jefferson County Fair. He would submit just about anything from stamps to canned goods and dairy cows to flowers. This was just the beginning of his success as an exhibitor. Dick has spent his life living in Washington State.
In his early 20s, he met his wife Kay, they soon married and had children. Following retirement as the Administrator of Computing with Western Washington University, Dick revisited his knack for showing flowers and began to grow dahlias. What started as one dahlia, White Linda, in 1995 quickly became many more. Dick and Kay ordered tubers from Swan Island, joined the Whatcom County Dahlia Society and went to the Vancouver National Show. They were hooked. Dick tended to the garden and Kay used all of these blooms to make masterful arrangements. As Dick’s love of all dahlias grew, he became particularly fond of pompon cultivars. Dick and Kay were mentored by Roy Campbell and Fred June in their early years of growing.
Dick contributed to the dahlia community in many ways. His years of growing included dahlia innovation, introduction of cultivars, club leadership and supporting and educating growers.
Innovation – Dick worked on an ADS committee that helped rewrite the classification for the anemone and peony forms as we know them today. He also heavily supported the Junior Section at shows, pushing for it to be judged liberally and fairly. He helped set the tone that junior entries should be judged by the flower, not the exhibitor.
Leadership – Dick was involved in many different club leadership positions over the years including Whatcom County Dahlia Society Treasurer, Northwest Federation of Dahlia Growers Treasurer, Co-Chair for the Whatcom County Dahlia Society Show, Northwest Washington Fair Judging, and National Show Committees. Even when he wasn’t fulfilling leadership commitments, Dick and Kay were serving and hosting other dahlia growers by offering their home as a place to stay for traveling exhibitors and offering education and seminars to dahlia growers across the Pacific Northwest.
Introducing Cultivars – As an excellent exhibitor, Dick was often showing new introductions. He would frequently show blooms from the Boley’s and Bloomquist’s, winning many ADS Bench awards and Best Seedling awards. In 2005, following the passing of Jim Rowse, with the help of the Heeringa’s land, Dick took on growing out some Parkland seedlings that Jim did not have a chance to introduce. Aptly named, one of those seedlings, Parkland Tribute, went on to win the Dudley and Hart award.
Outside of dahlia societies, Dick and Kay were very active in the Whatcom County Washington State University Master Gardener program. Kay spent her time in the clinic and with the annual plant sale. Dick spent his time tending to a beautiful demonstration garden at Hovander Homestead Park. He volunteered for nearly 30 years sharing his love of dahlias and fostering an attitude of joy, love and acceptance.
Deservingly, Dick has a stunning well sought-after pompon named for him, bred by the Boley’s, Irish D Porter. To know Dick, makes growing this cultivar that much sweeter. Even though they loved winning competitions, Dick will tell you it was always much more than that. It was about the community and having the opportunity to go home feeling fulfilled and loved, having the chance to grow beautiful flowers and to just get his hands in the soil.
