THE OTTO RICHTER MEMORIAL LECTURES

The Otto Richter Memorial Lecture is presented by the International Herb Association at its annual conference in honour of the late Otto Richter, founder of Richters Herbs. Otto Richter was a founding director of the International Herb Growers and Marketers Association, now known as the IHA.

Otto Richter was born in 1918 in Austria where he operated a nursery before emigrating to Canada in 1953. In 1969 he and his family began growing and selling herbs in Locust Hill, Ontario, and put out the first mail order herb plant and seed catalogue in 1970. The business quickly grew into the leading supplier of herb plants and seeds in Canada, and after a move to its present location in Goodwood, Ontario, continued to grow, adding many varieties new to the herb world. In addition to running Richters, he served over twenty years with the Metropolitan Toronto Parks Department until his retirement in 1984. He was active in community beautification projects and organized public displays at garden shows and at the 1980 International Floralies Exhibition in Montreal. Otto Richter served as president of Richters Herbs until his death in 1991.

The Richter family is very grateful to the International Herb Association for establishing the Otto Richter Memorial Fund in honour of our beloved father and husband. Such gestures of thoughtfulness and kindness prove once again that the herb industry is populated with wonderful and caring people.
 

1993 Arthur O. Tucker "Is This Plant a Hoax?"

1994 Tomas DeBaggio, "The Herbal Curmudgeon?"

1995 Varro E. Tyler "Herbs and Health Care in the Twenty-first Century"

1996 Holly Simizu, "The Herbal Renewal—How Herbs Affect the Way We Live"

1997 Mark Blumenthal "Herbs: Out of the Cauldron and into the Clinic"

1998 James E. Simon "Development of New Herbs, Natural Products and Predictions for the Future"

1999 Christopher Hobbs, "Integrative Herbalism: Herbs Hit the Mainstream"

2000 Brian Lawrence, "Which Essential Oil Crops Have Potential in North Carolina?"

2001 Don Haynie, "An Herbalist’s Journey Down a Winding Road"

2002 Steven Foster, "Plants and Personalities: The Historical Evolution of American Medicinal Plants"

2004 Patricia Reppert, "International Herb Association: Past, Present and Future"

2006 Sal Gilbertie, "The History of the IHA from a Grower’s Point of View"

2007 Daniel Gagnon, "Herbal Medicine in America: A Short History"

2008 Cyrus Hyde

2009 Susan Belsinger, "Herbs: The Green Connection"

2010 Jim Long

2011 Maggie Oster, "Herbal Connections—Past, Present and Future"

2012 Rosemary Gladstar

2013 Doug Elliott

2014 Charles Voigt, "Otto, Adelma, and Me"

2015 Jane Taylor, "Creating Magical Gardens for Kids"

2016 Pat Crocker

2017 Scott Allen Stokes, "Decorating with Hops"

2018 Phyllis D. Light, "Folk Medicine—Past, Present and Future"

Copyright © 1997-2024 Otto Richter and Sons Limited. All rights reserved.