Bob Stiffler speaks at the 2003 Mid-Atlantic Home & Garden Show
Bob Stiffler died yesterday at the age of 88. He was a popular gardening columnist for The Virginian-Pilot, a book author and a true Southern gentleman.
At Tidewater Builders Association, he’ll always be remembered fondly for The Bob Stiffler Green Thumb Theater.
For over a decade, it was a regular feature at TBA’s Mid-Atlantic Home & Garden Show. Bob got experts to speak about cutting edge topics in gardening and landscaping, always reserving a few spots for his own expert commentary. He resigned from the project when he moved to Pennsylvania to retire in 2003.
Conditions weren’t always ideal for the Green Thumb Theater. At the time, the convention center was still too small to accommodate all of the exhibits, so a tent was set up outside adjoining one of the entrances, and that’s where the Green Thumb Theater was located.
When it was cold, gas blowers spewed heat and noise into the room. Every now and then, an exhibitor demonstration outside the curtain made it a challenge to hear the speakers. Like the time an exhibitor demonstrated the latest in surround sound by showing a movie’s battleground scenes. And then, there were the jets.
Back then, slides could get stuck in the carousels, you could get feedback from the speakers and other little annoyances that might challenge others. Bob handled it all with calm and professonalism.
Show organizers knew that having Bob in the tent would drive traffic to that area of the show. And they were right. No matter what the challenges, his presentations always drew a crowd. Click here to read The Virginian-Pilot’s remembrance of Bob.
