TUCSON BONSAI SOCIETY
Established 1972
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS
Stephen Ross
President
Mike Pontifex
Vice President
Pat Stoll
Treasurer
Phyl Peltier
Secretay
GENERAL BOARD MEMBERS
Tracy Fronimakis
General and Webmaster
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Sus Ikuta
General
Future Member
General
Future Member
General
2024 Tucson Bonsai Society Board Bios
Stephen Ross, President
Stephen is from El Paso, Texas, and before landing in Oro Valley, he also lived in northern California and Flagstaff, Arizona. Stephen handles much of the social fun of the organization – both digitally on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok) as well as in-person gatherings (monthly happy hours, bonsai in the park events, and garden visits). Stephen enjoys that bonsai combines his love of art and gardening. He’s a lot of fun and wants you to know that he is always willing to help!
Mike Pontifex, Vice President
Mike is from Champaign, Illinois. He loves bonsai because it is an art form in which the artist must collaborate with their medium because it is another living thing and this makes us more connected to our shared environment. Mike is a dog dad, retired professional chef and culinary instructor, but mostly he likes just digging in the dirt.
Pat Stoll, Treasurer
Pat is fairly new to bonsai; she has two trees. She is an experienced bookkeeper with many years of Quickbooks expertise. She has been a small business owner in Tucson since 1998. She is also a glass blower and makes jewelry in her spare time.
Phyl Peltier, Secretary
Phyl is from San Diego where he started doing Bonsai. He retired from law enforcement in 2003. Other than bonsai, his primary hobbies are golf, kayaking, fishing and stained glass. He is meeting the challenge of Tucson's climate and rebuilding his bonsai collection, living in Saddlebrooke Ranch.
Tracy Fronimakis, General Board Member
Tracy is from Salt Lake City, Utah and keeps our website beautiful and up to date. She loves the zen-like hobby of caring for bonsai trees and loves the challenge of creating a beautiful tree from scratch. After operating Fronimo's Greek Cafe for 25 years, she has jumped back into her previous passion of real estate.
Sus Ikuta, General Board Member
Sus is fairly new to Bonsai. He is still learning the silo knowledge that make plants desirable. He is easily distracted by “new ideas”… has many “Black thumb” experiences..
Goals and Objectives of the Society
The Society was formally organized in May of 1972 by David and Judy Meyer, following the first bonsai exhibition ever held in Tucson. The Society is a contributor and sponsor of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington, D.C. We hosted the national convention of the American Bonsai Society here in Tucson in 1999. We have applied for federal tax-exempt status under IRC Code 501(C)(3).
We seek to encourage and foster the study of the art, appreciation, collection, and exhibition of bonsai as adapted to the horticultural growing conditions of the Sonoran Desert and Southern Arizona. Our educational purposes include such fundraising activities as may be deemed appropriate for the operation of the Society, and to sponsor programs, seminars, workshops, and annual exhibitions for the benefit of its members and the community.