Bill Beer
2014 Inductee
Federation of Northwest Dahlia Growers Hall of Fame
History
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.
Clubs & Shows
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.