Wayland Morse Rudkin

Pete attended Tracy High School where he was awarded the Bausch and Lomb Science Award for achieving academic excellence during four years of science classes. During a field trip to UC Davis, he learned how to pollinate fruit trees. He graduated in 1942 and entered Stockton Jr. College, to start pre-dental studies, but was soon shipped off to boot camp as America was at war. He was enrolled in hospital corps school and dental technician school and was then enrolled in the College of the Pacific. His vision and hearing challenges didn’t qualify him to become a navel officer, and, at the end of the semester, he was sent to the South Pacific. While enlisted in the US Navy from 1943-1946, he enjoyed the flowers of New Guinea, particularly, the hibiscus. He had fond memories of his fellow servicemen, as well as, the people of New Guinea and the Philippines.

After the war, he attended UC Berkeley where he graduated with a life science minor and a business major in retailing. He later earned an MBA from UC Sacramento. He worked years in retailing, aerospace, and the lumber business. He loved to submit articles to periodicals such as Popular Science and was published more than once. He was very crafty and would never purchase something he could build himself. He had many hobbies, including playing the French Horn, Photography (where he developed pictures in his dark room outfitted by McCurry Foto Co.), and later in life, cultivating iris flowers with his wife, Virginia. He was also an avid Sacramento Kings Fan.

Pulling from memories of his trip to UC Davis, pollinating fruit trees, he started hybridizing tall bearded iris in 1985. Once he retired in 1989, Pete and Ginny joined the Sacramento area farmer’s market community, and, he became known as the Iris Man from Rudkin’s Iris Patch. They had a nice hobby business with a display garden and filled orders for neighbors, as well as, iris enthusiasts around the globe. Neighbors and market goers knew Pete as the nurturing gardener who was all too willing to share his knowledge with new gardening enthusiasts.

Pete and Ginny were both past presidents of the Sacramento Iris Society, members of the American Iris Society (AIS) and the Society for Louisiana Iris (SLI). Over the years, he introduced many flowers that he had hybridized. Two of his favorites were the tall bearded iris, Sandy Larson, which honored his step-daughter, who was killed in the line of duty as a Sacramento Deputy Sheriff. His proudest achievement was winning the 2012 “Mary Swords DeBallion Medal” (the highest award given strictly to Louisiana iris), for his Louisiana iris, “Ginny’s Choice.”

Pete attributed his long life to good eating habits, genetics, and exercise. In their mid-50’s, Pete and Ginny started jogging three miles per day, then, eventually went to walking the same distance. They also got their heart rates going at the Saturday night dances at the Stockton Boulevard Moose Lodge.

He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 43 years, Virginia, daughter Sandy and brother Ralph. Pete is survived by his sisters Marion and Virginia, his daughter Pam (Ron), and sons Terrence (Rene), Taylor (Judy), Bill (Billie) and John. He will be missed by many, including his nieces, nephews, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and dogs, Sassy and Sonny.