 Norman Disch, a longtime floral educator in the industry passed away on Saturday, Aug. 8. Disch was well-known and recognized for his efforts in training and educating other florists and sharing his expertise.
His prior training and employment in fashion and interior design
equipped him with a solid background to aid him in his career in the
floral industry. Disch joined Edna Miller Flowers in Hamilton in 1965,
and then worked at Van Bassen Flowers. He eventually opened the
Fairview Mall shop for Aberdeen Florist and later went on to become the
manager of King Edward Florist. During this time, he had been teaching
part-time at Seneca College, and when a full-time position became
vacant, he took it. He officially retired as the coordinator of the
Retail Florist program in 2004, after 25 years at the college.
Disch was instrumental in putting the exam process for the Flowers
Canada Accreditation program together, and he was actively involved
with the preliminary planning stages of CAFA in the late 1980s. His
achievements and credentials are extensive. He conducted countless
design shows, workshops and seminars throughout his career. Disch also
taught the advanced level of floral design at Olds College in Alberta
and at the Toronto School of Floral Design for 15 years. He once
presented an AIFD program to 1,000 of the world’s finest designers and
he did it all in carnations. He always insisted that his students come
to respect and love carnations. A scholarship in Norman Disch’s name
was established in 2004, which is awarded to the newer members of the
industry to encourage and stimulate them into taking their career
further – a concept that he himself practiced throughout his years at
Seneca.
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