While working in aerospace on the shuttle rockets, Bill Bergstrom began selling orchids that he had collected in Mexico while taking vacations. He was prompted to do this by George Kennedy who, at the time, was writing for the Orchid Digest. Bill soon found that selling orchids was making him more money than the aerospace industry. He could make twice his daily pay with just a few Cattleyas sold from on top of the time clocks at Marquardt. He therefore began placing ads in the AOS magazine and after a while quit rocketry and went full time into collecting.

As time went along, Bill started lecturing throughout the United States and also began selling at a large number of Orchid Shows. In those days South America took precedence and Phragmipediums were really what made him famous. (Or infamous, as he usually puts it.) Bill was the first to sell Phragmipedium besseae on the West Coast and suddenly everyone knew his name. He specialized in that species and in rare Cattleya species and species varieties for many years until he decided to move to Hawaii, which, maybe, was not such a hot idea. No one wanted to pay the air fare to bring Bill to talk to their societies, and he was suddenly dropped off the lists for shows. But he has made up for this by putting up a very extensive web site, which according to Bill has helped him make do.

He also entered the judging system and has gained a great deal of knowledge in regards to hybrids and has also benefited the program with his extensive knowledge in the species field. Bill's big regret is that, being a person-loving individual, he is now like the Maytag Repairman, tucked away in Hawaii, far from mainstream activity. His main expertise is now in the realm of Bulbophyllums, Stanhopea, and Catasetinae, all of which grow exceedingly well in Hawaii. Phragmipediums, Bill regrets to inform, do not; at least not at 200 feet.

Bill is also enormously grateful to Sibelius, his faithful feline companion, for his expertise in the field of advertising. Bill says that without Sibelius, he never would have made it. "He was the one who came up with the phrase 'Be the first on your block to own this orchid,' a phrase for which I am now well known," claims Bill.

Bill and Dorris specialized in Peruvian orchids for many years before collecting orchids came to an end with the advent of the CITES regulations. During the ten plus years that they collected orchids, they spent many months traveling in Peru and had more than their share of adventures. Many near fatal. Bill figures that he has all but used up his nine lives.

To take advantage of his knowledge of the various species he became familiar with during those days, he wrote articles for the Orchid Digest, newspapers, and various newsletters about them and, indeed, his article on the Cattleyas of Peru is still the only write up on them to this day. They ventured to Peru the first time to gather information on and to collect the justly famous Phragmipedium besseae. And while the trip was not a perfect success, the article in the Orchid Digest was the first one printed on this species. When asked about his experiences collecting in Peru, Bill exclaimed: "I must have been out of my mind."

Bill's talk The Weird and Wonderful World of Orchids will cover the genera Stanhopea, Catasetinae, and Bulbophyllums amongst the weird and plenty of wonderful stuff as well. Make sure you don't miss this one. It's not always that we have such a knowledgeable speaker from Hawaii give a lecture at our club.