Fr. Ted Speaks at First Meeting of 2023

Learn About Houston Judging Center and the Judging Process

At our January 5 meeting, Fr. Ted Baenziger will speak to the Houston Orchid Society about the Houston Judging Center. He will explain the orchid judging system of the American Orchid Society and show some wonderful plants and flowers that have been judged previously.

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Fr. Ted has lived in Houston since 1983. He received his doctorate from the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, in 1996, and he was a French professor at the University of Saint Thomas until his retirement. He also taught a not-for-pay course on orchid genetics in the UST Biology Department for the past 10 years. Fr. Ted remains a priest in the Basilian Fathers and is the pastor of the French-speaking parish of St. Basile.

Father Ted is an AOS-certified judge and serves as coordinator for the Houston Judging Center. He also helps the AOS on the Species Identification Task Force. He has been growing orchids for more than 35 years and currently cares for about 250 orchids at home and in his homemade 11 ft x 19 ft greenhouse.