Gordon Leroux
2015 Inductee
Federation of Northwest Dahlia Growers Hall of Fame
The Snohomish County Dahlia Society nominates Gordon Leroux for inclusion into the Federation Hall of
Fame. The selection of Gordie as a member is long overdue.
History
Gordie was a scion of dahlia growing in the Pacific Northwest for over twenty-five years,
and much of that time was during the formative years of the
Federation. He was a competitive exhibitor, a world renowned hybridizer, an enthusiastic teacher, and a
strong leader within our hobby.
As an exhibitor, Gordie was hard to beat. His blooms were consistently head table quality and he
garnered numerous Best-in-Show awards. He is nearly unsurpassed throughout the world as a
hybridizer.
Hybridization
The Kenora moniker is famous worldwide and is still highly regarded among growers. Gordie
loved to share his knowledge and help fledgling novices expand their dahlia-growing capabilities. He was
certainly one of our most important mentors. His most important advice was to always chose quality over
quantity when introducing new varieties.
Clubs & Shows
As a leader Gordie was instrumental in revitalizing the Snohomish County Dahlia Society in the
late 70s and early 80s, acting as president for a number of years. Though he didn’t take an active role in
the Federation leadership during its early years because of poor health, he and Jeannie opened their
home for many Federation board meetings. Gordie’s impact on Northwest dahlia growing was truly
remarkable and many of us were influenced by his legacy.