KFWW - Rudolph Fuchs and Irises

Perhaps most of all, Rudi loved flowers, daylilies and irises and was a member of the Daylily and Iris Societies of Dallas. His 1½-acre yard on Donna Road was a riot of colors in the spring when his irises were in bloom. He acquired many iris-themed nicknacks for his house. On Jim’s first visit to Rudi’s home in 1983, Rudi gave him some iris rhizomes, and ever since then irises have been a major part of our lives together. Rudi eagerly attended the American Iris Society National Conventions and made many new friends there. When I began attending the conventions with Jim, older A.I.S. members would look at my nametag and ask, “Are you related to Rudi Fuchs?” Everyone remembered his infectious smile, his sense of humor, and his piano playing.

One of Rudi’s closest friends was Marie Caillet, one of the foremost authorities of Louisiana irises, who lived a few miles away. I first met her while visiting Rudi when she walked into Rudi’s house carrying armfuls of woven material. She had made curtains for Rudi’s house from his own material. The bedspreads in his bedrooms were also hand-woven. Rudi also devised a method for threading his loom with a code based on people’s names. He then made wall hangings based on names and gave them to friends and relatives. One of my own treasures is a hanging he created for me in 1974 soon after I bought my house.