Hello to all!
Anyone who came in contact with Francis Bezdek was forever touched. He was by all rights a leader, not a follower, and gave a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to the field that he essentially founded. When I first began working on the idea of hybrids some 30 plus years ago, Francis was the only person available with the same interests as I. He had already begun his trek down the hybrid route, and was readily eager to work with me in my quests. On at least 3-4 occasions that I can remember, he took time out of his busy life to join me on my farm for a week or so each visit. We worked side by side, and he stimulated me to continue on my search for the best hybrid available. I considered him a personal friend and a wonderfully kind-hearted person who was a true inspiration to me. We kept in touch often over the years before his passing, and he was nothing but a positive influence in my life and my work. He worked on hybrids, I worked on hybrids, and we worked on them together. The last fish that he and I shared the recipe on however was not the true Georgia Giant. Although we spoke on the phone often, he did not come back to the farm after I had stumbled onto the Georgia Giant. I believe he was as excited for me at that time as I was. I must again state that his influence is probably the reason I held out as long as I did while working toward the Georgia Giant (and several other hybrids [not just bream]}. It is really a loss to all of us here that he is not on this forum to share his expertise.
Ken Holyoak
