**ASLA Press Releases**

(Washington, D.C.) – The 1999 ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO was a record-breaking success with more than 5,500 design professionals attending and representatives from 425 companies exhibiting in 600 booths on the 150,000-square-foot EXPO floor. Attendees visited the best-selling EXPO in ASLA history, listened to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Carol M. Browner speak, attended a record number of education sessions and participated in a host of centennial activities.

"This was a very special year for us because it was our centennial," said ASLA Executive Vice President Peter Kirsch. "That energy was very obvious in our members’ enthusiasm."

This year, EXPO hours were compacted into a two-day period during the morning and early afternoon, which did not conflict with the popular education sessions. This allowed more participants to visit the EXPO hall and made more efficient use of exhibitors’ floor time.

"The 1999 ASLA EXPO was the best year yet, and we have been exhibiting for over 18 years," said Vicki Bohnhoff, president of Invisible Structures. "Designers came to our booth to discuss our products and talk about their needs. The new EXPO hours made very productive business sense."

Praising the contributions of landscape architects over the past century while speaking at a kick-off session, Browner asked the audience to work actively in supporting the passage of the administration’s proposed Better America Bonds. This initiative ultimately would lead to an enormous number of local projects and positively affect many in the green industry.

Annual meeting participants also witnessed the historic unveiling of the 1999 commemorative postal stamp honoring Frederick Law Olmsted. The U.S. Postal Service distributed the first-day issue of the stamp to attendees of the opening general assembly.

Another unprecedented moment occurred when nearly all of the living ASLA presidents gathered for a special book-signing ceremony. Purchasers of American Landscape Architecture: Some Patterns of a Century, a book by ASLA and Spacemaker Press commemorating the centennial celebration, had their books signed by the historic group.

The 119 education presentations, the largest number of sessions ever, focused on four main tracks: people, places, land and the celebration of life. Leaders in the design profession educated the packed audiences on historic preservation, practice management and technical innovations.

New officers were inducted at the closing general assembly. They are Janice C. Schach, FASLA, president; Leonard J. Hopper, FASLA, president-elect; Patrick A. Miller, FASLA, vice president for education; Paul F. Morris, FASLA, vice president for public affairs; and Rosheen M. Styczinski, ASLA, vice president for communications.

The three national vice presidents who will continue serving their two-year terms during the 1999-2000 program year are Russell A. Adsit, FASLA, vice president for finance; Robert A. Callans, FASLA, vice president for membership; and Patrick W. Caughey, ASLA, vice president for information and professional practice.

The American Society of Landscape Architects, celebrating its centennial in 1999, represents more than 13,000 members nationwide. Landscape architecture is a comprehensive discipline of land analysis, planning, design, management, preservation and rehabilitation. Typical projects include site design and planning, town and urban planning, regional planning, preparation of environmental impact plans, garden design, historic preservation, and parks/recreation design and planning. Landscape architects hold undergraduate or graduate degrees. They are licensed to practice in 46 states and are required to pass a rigorous national three-day examination.