In
both my personal and daylily life, Lula Mae Purnell has held a very big place
within my heart. I've never conversed with her nor listened to one of her
programs without coming away with more inspiration and dedication to do better
in whatever I was attempting to do. I was never too fond of miniature daylilies
until I met Lula Mae and witnessed her love and enthusiasm for the small and
miniature daylilies growing in her garden at 2926 Maple Springs, Dallas. My
first National Convention to attend was in Dallas in 1965, and her garden was
one of the highlights of the Convention. It was open to visitors years before
and gave joy to thousands of viewers until seven years ago when Lula Mae moved
into the retirement Presbyterian Village North. To quote from the Village's
little monthly newspaper that I acquired a couple of years ago, "One of the
loveliest, most colorful corners in Presbyterian Village North is Lula Mae
Purnell's garden. The statues of the gentle St. Francis, the enigmatic
Chinese Flower Goddess, the many varieties of miniature Roses and daylilies and
even stepping stones were brought from her home place in the original Cedar
Springs area of Dallas."
Lula Mae was born in Lewisville, where she graduated from high school. After finishing at the College of Industrial Arts in Denton (now Texas Women's University), she returned to Lewisville to teach school and married her high school sweetheart, Hugh Allan Purnell. Her natural gift for public speaking, enhanced by excellent training, has been a source of pleasure to many throughout her lifetime. A member of the Dallas Story League, for many years she gave her Saturday afternoons to the children of Scottish Rite Hospital and was referred to as "the story Lady from flower land."
Lula Mae is a professional lecturer, is a nationally accredited Master Flower Show Judge, and has taught many gardening and flower arrangement seminars. She was not a charter member of the American Hemerocallis Society, but joined in 1952. She became an AHS Exhibition Judge in 1957. She served as 1961-63 Region 6 RVP. She was presented with a life membership in AHS at the end of her three year term at the Regional Meeting in Beaumont. She conducted and helped conduct Clinics for both Exhibition and Awards and Honors (now called Garden Judges) judgeships for several years. I remember very vividly the Beaumont Clinic and also the program she presented in helping to organize our Athens Area Daylily Society. She helped organize several local Daylily Societies and has given many programs to daylily clubs, garden clubs, and other groups where she could promote more interest in the daylily.
Lula Mae attended 22 National Conventions and every Region 6 Meeting until she was not able to walk and move about freely. She conducted the Texas Charter Bus Tour for 12 National Conventions.
She was presented the Helen Field Fischer Award during the National Convention in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1966. This, of course, is the highest honor of the American Hemerocallis Society, and this most deserving Lady still proudly keeps it in a glass dome on her desk. I'm still not sure that she is more proud of this honor than she is of the naming of the Kraus-Shillings award-winning miniature, Hemerocallis 'Lula Mae Purnell'. This little melon miniature won every National award that it was eligible to win and has won "best miniature" in many a flower show throughout the United States. It was voted "Queen of the Show" at the Dallas show in 1985, the second time it had won this honor in this show. Lula Mae was presented the Regional Service Award in 1977.
Last September, Lula Mae gave up her cottage and moved to the Health Unit where she can have nursing supervision around the clock, but she can still walk around with the aid of her walker and even ride on her "Amigo," visiting other residents of the Presbyterian Village North Nursing Unit.
A book could be written about Lula Mae's contributions to the daylily world and kind deeds to her fellow man, but I will close this article with another quote from that little Village newspaper: "No longer having the spacious gardens of her old home place, Mrs. Purnell today cultivates hardy, perennial friendships by regularly visiting the residents of the P. V. N. Nursing Unit, riding her trusty "Amigo." She always finds space in her basket for a few flower arrangements for those she visits. With loving heart she is still giving away her two most wonderful gifts - warm, inspiring speech and beautiful flowers!"
Remembering
Lula Mae Purnell
Tom Hughes
(Reprinted from the Summer 1994, Region 6
Newsletter)
When my telephone rang recently, I was saddened to here that I had lost another good friend - Lula Mae Purnell. To me she was a synonym for daylily. I can remember her from her hair being in a tight bun on the back of her head, to her twinkling eyes behind her rimmed glasses on past them, to her grinning smile that she had when she talked about her favorite things - flowers, plants and friends, always gesturing with her hands. What a bundle of enthusiasm she was. Her excitement just spilled all over all those who would listen - especially about flower arranging or Region 6 of the AHS. She inspired a great number of us to work for our Region and our daylily kindred all over. A rare personality comes by from time to time who can motivate others to go on to greater things and she was just that sort of person. We will all miss her, but whenever we see miniature daylilies or think about the organizational work behind daylily societies, we can thank her for the good work she did promoting both.
Good bye Lula Mae
Webmaster: Ray
Houston
Revised: 01/21/2024
Menu by Milonic Solutions