Roll Call Tribute
Luke Senior Jr. '53 June 19, 2017 1:04 PM updated: June 19, 2017 1:08 PM
American Hemerocallis Society obituary
Region 6
Texas & New Mexico
Luke Senior, Jr.
1980-81 & 2002-03 AHS President
1985 Helen Field Fischer Gold Medal Recipient
August 23, 1932 - March 22, 2017
by Ray Houston
(Extracted from Region 6 Newsletter Archives and the The Daylily Journal)
(photo by Mary Gage)
Luke Senior, Jr. was born August 23, 1932, on a farm in Harris County, Texas, the son of Luke & Mamie Ruth (Copeland) Senior. Luke's nickname was "Jolly Redhead." If you were ever around Luke for any period of time and heard him laugh, you understand why he had that nickname. He grew up near Rosenberg, Texas, graduating from Rosenberg High School. He attended Texas A&M, graduating with a BS in Animal Husbandry and went on to obtain his MBA in Business Management at the University of Houston. Later he took courses at several institutions to gain teaching certification in Language Arts and Science, as well as Library Science. He taught language arts in junior and senior high schools in Texas and Oklahoma, and served as a K-12 Librarian in Oklahoma. In 1950, he started ranching and had successful ranching operations in Texas and Arkansas.
Luke became interested in growing daylilies as a result of a close association with his Aunt Bessie Senior, who gave him his first daylily, Hemerocallis 'Hyperion', then came H. 'Salmon Sheen' and H. 'Prima Donna'. It was only a few years later that Luke and his wife, Joan, began collecting the very best cultivars that were available and became active in the American Hemerocallis Society.
In 1977, Ken Durio, Opelousas, Louisiana, registered H. 'Joan Senior' to honor Joan. This daylily became one of the most popular near-white daylily cultivars in the world. Joan was the 1978-85 AHS Executive Secretary, and was the last Secretary to serve without a computer. Luke says that he married "the real Joan Senior."
On the AHS Board of Directors from 1975-83, Luke served as the AHS Slide Custodian. He completely re-organization the AHS Slide Library and assembled new slide programs for award winners, annual AHS Conventions, Popularity Poll winners, and landscape scenes. With Joan's assistance, who was a very capable photographer, Luke added slides of cultivars to the library that had previously been unavailable. He was also instrumental in activating the AHS A. D. Roquemore Photo Award for the best photo of a cultivar in a clump.
He won three photography awards - the 1980 A. D. Roquemore Memorial Award and the 1980 and 1988 Mildred Schlumpf Awards.
Luke served as 1980-81 AHS President, and again in 2002-03.
Luke was the recipient of the 1985 Helen Field Fischer Gold Medal for his meritorious service to the Society, and the 1991 Region 13 Service Award.
Among the numerous roles he filled at the AHS National level are AHS Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He was the first CFO appointed under the terms of the 1997 revision of the AHS Constitution and Bylaws. During his first term on the Board, he was instrumental in securing non-profit status for the Society from the IRS.
Luke has served AHS in Regions 8 and 13. He served as President of the Arkansas State Hemerocallis Society and as President of the Puget Sound Daylily Club. He was the 1995-97 Region 8 Publicity Director.
Luke died March 22, 2017, in Katy, Texas. He was cremated was buried next to Joan's remains in the family plot in Simonton, Texas.
AHS and Region 6 mourn the loss of Luke Senior, Jr.
Luke's adopted son, James Collins, Pastor of Fort Scott's First Southern Baptist Church, Fort Scott, Kansas, wrote an article about his life with Luke and Joan and it is presented here with permission - "Life is too short, make it count now."
Webmaster: Ray Houston
Revised: 06/01/2017
Menu by Milonic Solutions
Region 6
Texas & New Mexico
Luke Senior, Jr.
1980-81 & 2002-03 AHS President
1985 Helen Field Fischer Gold Medal Recipient
August 23, 1932 - March 22, 2017
by Ray Houston
(Extracted from Region 6 Newsletter Archives and the The Daylily Journal)
(photo by Mary Gage)
Luke Senior, Jr. was born August 23, 1932, on a farm in Harris County, Texas, the son of Luke & Mamie Ruth (Copeland) Senior. Luke's nickname was "Jolly Redhead." If you were ever around Luke for any period of time and heard him laugh, you understand why he had that nickname. He grew up near Rosenberg, Texas, graduating from Rosenberg High School. He attended Texas A&M, graduating with a BS in Animal Husbandry and went on to obtain his MBA in Business Management at the University of Houston. Later he took courses at several institutions to gain teaching certification in Language Arts and Science, as well as Library Science. He taught language arts in junior and senior high schools in Texas and Oklahoma, and served as a K-12 Librarian in Oklahoma. In 1950, he started ranching and had successful ranching operations in Texas and Arkansas.
Luke became interested in growing daylilies as a result of a close association with his Aunt Bessie Senior, who gave him his first daylily, Hemerocallis 'Hyperion', then came H. 'Salmon Sheen' and H. 'Prima Donna'. It was only a few years later that Luke and his wife, Joan, began collecting the very best cultivars that were available and became active in the American Hemerocallis Society.
In 1977, Ken Durio, Opelousas, Louisiana, registered H. 'Joan Senior' to honor Joan. This daylily became one of the most popular near-white daylily cultivars in the world. Joan was the 1978-85 AHS Executive Secretary, and was the last Secretary to serve without a computer. Luke says that he married "the real Joan Senior."
On the AHS Board of Directors from 1975-83, Luke served as the AHS Slide Custodian. He completely re-organization the AHS Slide Library and assembled new slide programs for award winners, annual AHS Conventions, Popularity Poll winners, and landscape scenes. With Joan's assistance, who was a very capable photographer, Luke added slides of cultivars to the library that had previously been unavailable. He was also instrumental in activating the AHS A. D. Roquemore Photo Award for the best photo of a cultivar in a clump.
He won three photography awards - the 1980 A. D. Roquemore Memorial Award and the 1980 and 1988 Mildred Schlumpf Awards.
Luke served as 1980-81 AHS President, and again in 2002-03.
Luke was the recipient of the 1985 Helen Field Fischer Gold Medal for his meritorious service to the Society, and the 1991 Region 13 Service Award.
Among the numerous roles he filled at the AHS National level are AHS Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He was the first CFO appointed under the terms of the 1997 revision of the AHS Constitution and Bylaws. During his first term on the Board, he was instrumental in securing non-profit status for the Society from the IRS.
Luke has served AHS in Regions 8 and 13. He served as President of the Arkansas State Hemerocallis Society and as President of the Puget Sound Daylily Club. He was the 1995-97 Region 8 Publicity Director.
Luke died March 22, 2017, in Katy, Texas. He was cremated was buried next to Joan's remains in the family plot in Simonton, Texas.
AHS and Region 6 mourn the loss of Luke Senior, Jr.
Luke's adopted son, James Collins, Pastor of Fort Scott's First Southern Baptist Church, Fort Scott, Kansas, wrote an article about his life with Luke and Joan and it is presented here with permission - "Life is too short, make it count now."
Webmaster: Ray Houston
Revised: 06/01/2017
Menu by Milonic Solutions
505 George Bush Drive
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 845-7514
When Aggies see a need, their energy and their selflessness draw others into the cause, and good things happen.
© 2024 The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University, All Rights Reserved