Ray Myrick John was born in Fort Worth, Texas, January 7, 1934, to Robert H. and Helen (Steinfeldt) John. Ray was one of those rarities, a fourth generation Texan. He graduated from Polytechnic High School, Fort Worth, Texas.
Having been blessed with parents and family that loved horticulture, both utilitarian and ornamental, he had the opportunity to experiment with many various plants which will grow in the Fort Worth area, and after some fifty years, he settled on Daffodils, Daylilies, and Irises for the featured plants in his garden.
He served with honor as a Sergeant in the U.S. Marines during the Korean conflict. Ray attended Texas Christian University, majoring in radio-television film. However, after working in television news for two years, he decided that this was not the field in which to spend the rest of his life. He went to work with a firm which provided accounting and tax service to small and medium sized businesses, developing his knowledge of taxes. He operated his own tax service and earned the designation of Certified Tax Professional.
Ray became very interested in daylilies and contacted some other folks who shared his desire to form a new Society. The North Texas Daylily Society-Fort Worth was organized July 21, 1988, with thirteen members. Ray was elected the first President of the Society and served in that capacity for two years. From this small beginning, the Society prospered.
Ray was blessed with a photographic memory. He was virtually a reference library not only of the Iris genus, but of many other plants, as well.
Over the years, Ray filled many plant Society offices. He always volunteered his time and money to make sure that numerous Society needs were met for growth and activities. His love and concern for the Daylily Society and its members was always evident.
Ray served as Region 6 Puzzle Chairman 1990-91, developing daylily crossword puzzles for the Region 6 newsletter.
Webmaster: Ray
Houston
Revised: 01/21/2024
Menu by Milonic Solutions