I have waited so many years to register this cross and I have an interesting story about this cross. We finally registered Phal. Raymond Burr named after the actor Mr. Raymond Burr (1917-1993). I am forever grateful for having the opportunity to manage the Raymond Burr orchid collection that he donated to California State Polytechnic University at Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona). In 1980, Mr. Burr donated his prized collection of 3,000 orchids. I was a student studying ornamental horticulture at Cal Poly Pomona at the time. The collection came from Sea God Orchid Nursery that he owned with his life partner Robert Benevides (they also had nurseries in Fiji, Hawaii, and the Azores) when they moved from Southern California to a ranch near Santa Rosa north of San Francisco. He also donated two greenhouses and greenhouse equipment. The redwood greenhouse housed his Cattleya stud collection.
Over the years, he donated over 100,000 orchids. He and Robert Benevides created more than 2,000 orchid crosses, and registered about 200 (under the name Sea God Nursery). Some of the orchids registered by Sea God Nursery: Lc. Drumbeat (1967); Cattlianthe Panipasa (Ctt. Adolph Hecker x C. guttata, 1979); Blc. Sea God Gold (1984); Cattleya Friendship (1985); Blc. Memoria Minerva Burr (1996); Rhyncatlaelia Memoria Raymond Burr (2016, Rlc. Magic Bells × Laelia anceps).
I met Mr. Burr many times when he came to visit the campus and the orchid collection when he was nearby shooting the TV show Perry Mason Returns. This was also the time of modern standard Phalaenopsis breeding in the USA. I was making many Phalaenopsis crosses and Mr. Burr was very interested in the breeding of modern Phalaenopsis. Many years later, I visited Mr. Burr at his Raymond Burr Vineyards at Dry Creek Valley (Healdsburg, California) he remembered the Phalaenopsis hybrid that I was working on. He asked me what the outcome was. I told him it was spectacular and that I would like to have the honor to name it after him.
Phal. Raymond Burr, an orange/art shade, is the result of crossing a waxy novelty Phal with one of the best French spots. We selected the clone ‘Fiji Sunset’ as it was Mr. Burr's favorite island, a place he referred to as his second home and the location of his orchid garden “The Garden of the Sleeping Giant” (near Nadi, Fiji). Highly recommended.