Obituaries

Bob Berry (1916-2018)

By Roderick Cameron | August 17, 2018

Bob Berry, renowned oak collector and longtime member of the IOS, died August 2, 2018 at the age of 102 in Gisborne, New Zealand. Bob described himself as a sheep and cattle farmer who collected trees as a hobby. His life’s work is Hackfalls Arboretum, a 50-ha plantation of trees and shrubs comprising over 3,000 taxa from 478 genera, including the largest oak collection in the Southern Hemisphere (453 accessions, c 160 taxa) and one of the finest collections of Mexican oaks anywhere.

Read more about Bob Berry (1916-2018)

Ed Holm (1930 - 2018)

By Guy Sternberg | April 19, 2018

Ed Holm lived in Redwood City, California and was born on 4 September 1930 and died 1 January 2018.

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Michel Timacheff (Cannes, 1959 - Waterloo, 2018)

By Thierry Lamant | April 10, 2018

There are meetings that prove to be crucial, primordial encounters that mark our lives. My meeting with Michel Timacheff, an afternoon of October 1999 in Vallauris, was one of them.

Read more about Michel Timacheff (Cannes, 1959 - Waterloo, 2018)

Bruce Bacon (1940 - 2017)

By Dan Keiser | December 2, 2017

I first met Bruce Bacon in 1984, and since then and through his Garden Farme, I learned about soils, fruits, salads, vegetables, organics, permaculture, sustainable ag, arbor care, tree propagation, prairie restoration, forest management, wetland preservation, weeding, mulching, woodchipping, landscaping, woodstove heating, bee keeping, domestic geese, sandhill cranes, the I-Ching, cooperatives, collaboratives, allies, CSA's, resistance, revolution, kitchen table philosophy... and the list goes on.

Read more about Bruce Bacon (1940 - 2017)

Bernard de La Rochefoucauld (1922-2017)

By Website Editor | October 9, 2017

Comte de la Rochefoucauld, understandably proud of his Franklinia

Bernard de La Rochefoucauld, long-time IOS member with his wife Brigitte, founder of l’Arboretum des Grandes Bruyères, died July 18, 2017, shortly before his 95th birthday.

Read more about Bernard de La Rochefoucauld (1922-2017)

Earl Cully (1927 - 2017)

By Website Editor | June 15, 2017

Earl Cully, 90, of Jacksonville, Illinois passed away on Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at his home. Earl was a long-time member of the International Oak Society and participated in several of our conferences. Early in Earl’s life he developed a passion for trees and he was nurtured by several mentors including horticulture professor J.C. McDaniel of the University of Illinois, who shared his knowledge and ability to “see” and evaluate woody plants

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Michael Heathcoat Amory (1941 - 2016)

By James MacEwen | April 2, 2016

It is with great sadness that I share with IOS members the news that Michael Heathcoat Amory died on the 24th of February.

Read more about Michael Heathcoat Amory (1941 - 2016)

Jo Bömer (1943 - 2015)

By Trompenburg Gar... | March 12, 2015

Very unexpectedly, in her home in Klein Zundert, The Netherlands, Jo Bömer passed away on March 4^th 2015.

Read more about Jo Bömer (1943 - 2015)

Departed Friends

By Guy Sternberg | February 7, 2014

This past year we lost three of our prominent, longtime members.

Read more about Departed Friends

Editor's Picks

Past IOS President Allen Coombes, Curator of Scientific Collections at Puebla University Botanic Garden, discusses leaf variability in Quercus ceirpes (still image from the documentary)

"Oaks: the Backbone of Mexico" – New Documentary Film

A new documentary by Maricela Rodríguez Acosta

Website Editor | Feb 17, 2026

In Search of Quercus miyagii: A Field Report from Okinawa

A rare oak endemic to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan

Elion Jam | Feb 16, 2026

A moss-covered oak (Quercus orocantabrica) in Mata de Albergaria, Peneda-Gerês National Park, Portugal © Amit Zoran

Amit Zohran's "Oakollective"

Steve Potter reviews a new book that features oaks

Steve Potter | Feb 11, 2026

Plant Focus

Quercus canariensis in Cornwall Park, Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand, the champion specimen in New Zealand, planted in the 1920s, 27.2 m tall with a trunk diameter of 209 cm (G. Collett pers. comm. 2026) © Gerald Collett

Species Spotlight: Quercus canariensis Willd.

Antonio Lambe shares his views on this threatened oak native to Iberia and North Africa