Announcing a transition on the Board of Directors

After three years of dedicated service, our Chair of the Board Richard Kahn is transitioning from his role. His contributions over the years have been notable, including leading the board out of the pandemic, helping to initiate a Federal advocacy effort, establishing an annual financial gift to support operational and educational efforts for the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, and helping to secure a significant gift of suiseki (known as viewing stones or scholars' rocks). We are grateful for his leadership and the impact he has had on our organization and the bonsai community at large.

As we move forward, Dan Angelucci has been appointed as Chair of the Board. Dan has been a passionate board member since 2018, serving as Secretary-Treasurer elect and on the Executive Committee for the past two years. His dedication to bonsai spans nearly four decades, and he is currently a member of the American Bonsai Society and the Pittsburgh Bonsai Society and is a past member of the Ann Arbor Bonsai Society of Michigan.

Dan's love for bonsai is deeply rooted, and he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to NBF. He is committed to promoting the arts of bonsai, penjing, and suiseki; partnering with the U.S. National Arboretum to support the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum; and working to cultivate recognition of, and appreciation for, the art of bonsai in America. As Chair, he will guide us through an exciting new chapter, helping to ensure that this remarkable living art form continues to inspire and educate future generations.

We look forward to continuing our work together under Dan’s leadership. Please join us in thanking Richard for his service on the board, and in welcoming Dan to his new role!

Dan Angelucci, second from left, helps cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the 8th annual U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition in Rochester, New York.

In Memoriam: Larry Ragle

We recognize and celebrate the life of Lawrence “Larry” Ragle, a beloved figure in the bonsai and suiseki communities, who recently left us peacefully at home in Laguna Beach, CA at the age of 91, with his loving wife Nina by his side.

Larry joined the National Bonsai Foundation (NBF) to contribute to the mission of elevating and expanding the value of bonsai on a global scale. As one of the original board members when the organization was founded, Larry was deeply involved in the bonsai community, with constant partnership and support from Nina. His directorship was an important step to honor his teachers, bonsai legends John Naka and Harry Hirao.

While founding NBF and helping grow the organization, Larry also supported the early development and expansion of the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum in Washington, DC. He played a pivotal role in planning events that honored bonsai masters like Naka, Hirao, and George Yamaguchi.

“It has been a delight to see the Museum become a reality and watch all the improvements with so many dedicated volunteers,” Larry once said. “It was an honor to have played a small part, along with the rest of the bonsai community and beyond, to help make NBF the quality organization it has become.”

Nina and Larry Ragle.
Photo credit: usnationalbonsai.com

In June 2023, the Ragle family generously donated a commemorative bench in Larry’s honor, which now sits in the courtyard of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.

Felix Laughlin, Chair Emeritus of the National Bonsai Foundation, shared: "I have so many memories of Larry, and Nina as well who was always by his side. We usually chatted via email given their location in California, but they were very active members of the NBF board of directors and came to Washington frequently for meetings at the US National Arboretum. I fondly recall having breakfast meetings with Larry and Nina during their DC visits, in which they filled me in on everything going on in the West Coast bonsai world, and told me about their adventures collecting viewing stones. They were close to bonsai luminary and founding NBF board member Marybel Balendonck, and the three of them were strong and effective advocates for the creation of the John Y. Naka North American Pavilion. The bonsai and viewing stone communities will certainly miss Larry, and he left a lasting legacy in both art forms."

Larry at the 2018 Japan Suiseki Exhibition with his Buffalo stone.
Photo credit: samedge.wordpress.com

Born in Springfield, Missouri in 1932, Larry's family moved to Albany, CA in 1940. He graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in chemistry and served as a Patrol/Investigator for the City of Berkeley. In 1956, he married Carole Watchers, and they relocated to Costa Mesa, California in 1960, where Larry pursued a career at the Orange County Crime Lab.

It was during this time that he developed a passion for the art of bonsai. He started training his first three bonsai in 1962 – trees that are still alive today and represent vibrant examples of the art form.

Larry married Nina Shire in 1981, and in 1989, he retired as the Director of Forensic Sciences, Orange County Sheriff-Coroner, later writing the book "Crime Scene" in 1995. It was his first book, but not his last. Later, he authored two additional texts on bonsai and suiseki (viewing stones).

Larry deepened his study of bonsai under his sensei and the father of American bonsai, John Naka, in 1966, and later with bonsai master Harry Hirao in 1974. With Harry, he co-founded Kofu Bonsai Kai in 1977. Larry served as president of the Golden State Bonsai Federation, California Bonsai Society, and Kofu Bonsai Kai. Larry, along with others, established the California Shohin Society in 1989. He held memberships in several bonsai organizations, including Nan Pu Bonsai Kai, John Naka’s select club. Along the way, Larry took iconic photographs of many major bonsai figures, especially of Naka and Hirao.

Harry Hirao and Larry Ragle, longtime friends and co-founders of Kofu Kai.
Photo credit: bonsaial.wordpress.com

Larry was an original board member of the National Bonsai Foundation when it was founded in Washington, D.C., and served on its Board of Directors from 1982 until 2020. Jim Hughes, a Chair Emeritus of NBF and former Museum Curator, reflected, "Larry helped establish and maintain a West Coast connection to the National Bonsai Museum and National Bonsai Foundation, ensuring the national scope of both entities."

Larry dedicated himself to promoting the art of bonsai and suiseki on a local, national, and global scale. Together, Larry and Nina founded California Aiseki Kai in 1983, a club focused on suiseki and the traditional values and techniques of Japanese viewing stones. They organized and led many collecting trips for the club in California and surrounding desert areas. Larry and Nina also studied bonsai display with Susumu Sudo in Japan and have displayed some of their masterpiece stones in the Nippon Suiseki Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. Larry was also chairman of the Golden State Bonsai Federation, which established the collection at the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena.

One of Larry’s suiseki.
Photo credit: bonsainut.com

In 2002, Larry authored text for Awakening the Soul, a book about the national viewing stone collection at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. In a review, Dr. Thomas Elias of the Viewing Stone Association of North America rates the book as “excellent,” and says, “This volume is as pertinent today as it was twenty years ago when it was first published. This book beautifully illustrates and identifies the best examples from this modest but important collection. This is a book to study and learn how to appreciate a great viewing stone.”

Jack Sustic, Chair Emeritus of NBF and former Curator of the museum, reflected, "I've been thinking a lot about Larry, and so much has been said about him and his work for NBF and the art of bonsai. We know his contributions well, such as being a driving force in establishing the viewing stone collection and the Harry Hirao reception room. Personally, he was always kind and friendly, a true gentleman who truly possessed the spirit of bonsai, bonsai-no-kokoro."

Larry was clever, creative, charismatic, and humble. He will be remembered for his charm and wit, perfect timing, and keen skill for public speaking. His legacy in the bonsai community and beyond will be cherished and remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

National Bonsai Foundation Introduces 2020-21 Board of Directors

National Bonsai Foundation Introduces 2020-21 Board of Directors

We are thrilled to announce the National Bonsai Foundation 2020-21 Board of Directors! James Hughes is our new Board Chair. Read about his curatorship at the Museum and his background in our August blog posts. Marybel Balendonck, one of the founding NBF directors, will retain her position as vice president. 

We also have some new faces in officer positions. Help us welcome Chair-Elect Daniel Angelucci and Secretary/Treasurer James Brant. 

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Daniel Angelucci, Chair-Elect

Daniel Angelucci will serve as the NBF chair-elect for two years, followed by a two-year term as the NBF board chair. Angelucci has been practicing bonsai for 36 years. 

He was first introduced to the art when he lived in Flint, Michigan, and came across a bonsai demonstration at a local mall. Angelucci was inspired to buy books about bonsai to learn more. 

In 2008, his interest in bonsai took off after he joined the Ann Arbor Bonsai Society and the Four Seasons Bonsai Club of Michigan. The clubs exposed him to nationally recognized groups, like the American Bonsai Society (ABS), and bonsai artists like Jack Wikle and former NBF Co-President and Museum Curator Jack Sustic. 

Angelucci first joined the NBF board as a member in 2018. He decided to apply for the chair-elect officer position to contribute a varying skill set to the operations in support of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.

“It seemed to me that about 90 percent of the people who were on the board of the Foundation were bonsai professionals in some form or another,” he said. “I’m mediocre in bonsai art at best, but I thought I might have something to offer with regard to the time and talent I accrued in my financial and business backgrounds.” 

Now fully retired, Angelucci brings to the NBF board an extensive background in wealth management and investment strategy, with educational certificates from Duke, Harvard, Yale, Wharton and University of California, Berkeley.

He is a longtime friend of the arts, serving on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and holding memberships in NBF, ABS, the Ann Arbor bonsai society and Pittsburgh Bonsai Society. 

As chair-elect, Angelucci will focus on forging relationships with U.S. bonsai professionals and broadening the awareness of the Museum to maintain its significance as a U.S. national treasure. 

“There’s so much history in the original gift that the Japanese gave to the United States and in trees like the Yamaki pine, which survived the Hiroshima bombing,” he said. “It would be a travesty if we were not able to maintain the health of trees like that.” 

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James Brant, Secretary/Treasurer

James Brant will serve as Secretary/Treasurer for two years, then step into the full position of Secretary/Treasurer for two more. 

Brant taught various levels of education, from elementary school to adult evening school, for 31 years in Pennsylvania, retiring in 1999. He became involved with bonsai in the 70s, starting classes at Rosade Bonsai Studio in 1978. 

Brant has served several positions in the Pennsylvania and MidAtlantic bonsai societies and is a member of the Bonsai Society of the Lehigh Valley, Second Sunday Study Group and Delaware Valley Bonsai Study Group. He has served as coordinator for the Delaware group and Bonsai Kaido Ken Shu Kai Study Group. 

Brant has also instructed children’s bonsai classes and presented programs on wintering and bonsai display. He received the 2002 Bonsai Clubs International Meritorious Service Award. 

He was honored and pleased to join the board after being asked to fill in for a departing member. Before the joint Secretary/Treasurer position was created this year, Brant served solely as the NBF treasurer and has been a board member since 2005. 

Brant said some of his most memorable moments from the last 15 years at NBF were the compilation and publishing of Bonsai Master John Naka’s sketchbook, which you can find on our website, and the renovation of the Japanese exhibit.

In his new position, Brant hopes to provide NBF with a continuity of service and contribute to the Board’s goals in as many ways possible. 

“My wife Linda and I have met some truly wonderful people, and traveled to some remarkable places to spread the fellowship of bonsai,” he said. “Bonsai – and, to a degree, NBF – is a hobby that has given my life meaning, serenity, fellowship, and learning all rolled into one.” 

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Here is our full 2020-21 Board of Directors. We can’t wait to see what this year will bring under the stewardship of these devoted individuals!

OFFICERS

• James Hughes (‘22) - University Park, MD, Chair of the Board

• Daniel Angelucci (‘22) - Harrison Township, MI, Chair-Elect of the Board

• James Brant (‘22) - Royersford, Pennsylvania, Secretary/Treasurer

• Marybel Balendonck (’23) - Fullerton, California, Vice President

DIRECTORS

• Ross Campbell (‘23) – Silver Spring, MD

• Milton Chang, PhD (‘23) – Los Altos Hill, CA

• Christopher Cochrane ('22) – Glen Allen, Virginia

• Julie Crudele ('22) – Annapolis, Maryland

• Edward Fabian, ('21) – Niceville, Florida

• Joseph Gutierrez, MD, FACS ('21) – McLean, Virginia

• Karen Harkaway, MD (‘21) – Mount Holly, New Jersey

• Richard Kahn, PhD (‘22) – Alexandria, VA

• Cheryl Manning ('21) – Los Angeles, California

• Ann McClellan ('21) – Washington, DC

• Carl Morimoto, PhD (‘21) – San Jose, CA

• Pauline Muth ('21) – West Charlton, NY

• Doug Paul (‘21) – Kennett Square, PA

• Glenn Reusch (’21) – Rochelle, Virginia

• Deborah Rose, PhD (’22) – Beltsville, Maryland

• Stephen Voss ('21) – Washington, DC

EX-OFFICIO

• Charles Croft – President, Potomac Bonsai Association

• Mark Fields – President, American Bonsai Society

ICYMI: We profiled our recently retired board members! Reflect on their legacies with us here.