WILLIAM HILLMAN, JR.
1928-2001

By Connie Wilke

Bill (Wilke) and I first met Bill Hillman at a meeting of the Rio San Gabriel Rose Society in 1959. He was already an established exhibitor and we were but neophytes in the area of growing roses, much less exhibiting them. From the advice and encouragement given us by Bill, we tried our hand at exhibiting in local rose shows. It was always a pleasure to see Bill and his mom at these shows and even a greater pleasure when we could give him some competition.

Bill became an ARS horticultural judge and consulting rosarian in later years, and eventually dropped out of exhibiting to devote his time to his rose growing, judging and consulting. There was not much that Bill didn't know about growing roses and he was always eager to tell you his methods of growing the best roses possible. Bill received the Pacific Southwest District Outstanding Judge Award in 1991.

During his years working for the phone company, he became involved with computers and it was only natural that he would take his experience with computers into building his first home computer from a Heathkit. From there, his affair with computers became his major love, second only to his roses.

Even though Bill was busy with his roses and computers, he also had time to devote his time and efforts to the Pacific Rose Society and was President in 1994 and 1995. He was Judges Chair numerous times for many of Pacific Rose Society's rose shows and was on the Board of Directors.

In 1990, a new love entered his life, namely Janie, whom he met on the garden board of Prodigy and finally got to meet in person in May of 1991 in the poppy fields of Gorman, California with a group of other garden board members. Later that year they were married in Bill's rose garden with many of Bill's phone and rose friends in attendance.

The rose world has lost a fine rosarian and his many friends will miss him.