The Tulsa Rose Society, an affiliate of the American Rose Society, exists to promote the culture, preservation and appreciation of the Rose, and to improve its standard of excellence for all people, through education and research.
We are an organization with a rich History in Tulsa. In 1945, a small group of men sharing a passion for the beauty of roses came to be known as the Men’s Rose Club. Since one of these “Founding Fathers”, Arthur F. Truex, a Tulsan, had served as President of the American Rose Society back in 1942, it was only natural that the techniques of growing beautiful roses would become a point of high interest in Tulsa.
In 1998, Norma Whitehead (Hedrick) was the first woman to be elected president of the Tulsa Rose Society.
In 1969, the name of the club was changed to the Tulsa Rose Society, at which time women were admitted. As you would guess, many improvements were made over the years with the development of new horticulture methods, the introduction of new roses and the members sharing of rose growing experiences, through the Consulting Rosarian Program, seminars and mid-winter workshops. In addition, a significant change in the association occurred with the Tulsa Rose Society when a charter was issued by the American Rose Society.In October 2004, the Tulsa Rose Society, assisted by the Fort Smith, AR and Oklahoma City Societies hosted the American Rose Society Fall Convention and Show at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Tulsa. The South Central District Fall show was held in conjunction with the national show. The event was attended by almost 300 rosarians from many states.The Tulsa Rose Society now has nine American Rose Society Accredited Judges and four ARS Accredited Arrangement Judges.The Tulsa Rose Society has been fortunate to have leaders that have carried out the objective of the society “To study and encourage rose culture, to promote interest in and love for the rose and to be affiliated with the American Rose Society.”During 2007 The Tulsa Rose Society was awarded the Council Oak Award by the Tulsa Parks Department for our volunteer work.