Weegie Caughlan was widely known in the SF Bay area and beyond as an award-winning Cymbidium grower, AOS and CSA judge, teacher to new growers, and generous donor to GCCS and other orchid clubs.
Weegie’s first interest in orchids came as a young girl in the 1950s when one of her weekend chores to earn allowance money was watering her mother’s orchids. When she and her husband (later ex-husband) returned to her family home in 1976, just ten of her mother’s Cymbidiums were still alive. Weegie took over their care and started reading all the books she could find. And then she went with a friend to Rod McLellan’s greenhouse where her Cymbidium collecting began.
By 1980, curiosity had turned to passion. By 1990, she had become “a fiercely, out of control, noncommercial, Cymbidium hobbyist”! In 1994, she won her first SBIOS (Santa Barbara International Orchid Show) Grand Champion Cymbidium with Gladys Whitesell ‘The Charmer’ AM/AOS, S/CSA, interrupting a 7-year winning streak by commercial grower Gallup & Stribling. In 1997, she founded the Gold Coast Cymbidium Growers (later renamed to Gold Coast Cymbidium Society), with the purpose: “to bring together, at regular intervals, those who are interested in the study and culture of Cymbidiums and other cool growing orchids". The first year ended with 60 enthusiastic members, and the club continues to this day, still fulfilling the original charter. In 1998, the club was granted recognition as an affiliated branch of the Cymbidium Society of America (CSA). Weegie was also a founding member of the Golden Gate Society Branch and served as a Director on its first Board.
Weegie became a fully accredited judge with the AOS and served as a CSA judge for a number of years. She served as President of the Peninsula Orchid Society, two terms as President of the Malihini Orchid Society, and three terms as President of the Gold Coast Cymbidium Society (GCCS). At the time of her death, she was serving as the Past President of GCCS.
Weegie’s first love was Cym. tracyanum and the other Cymbidium species. She learned early that she had an eye for balance and award quality and began submitting plants for AOS judging. She was successful more often than not. This was unusual in the Pacific Central Region at the time, as the judging center did not see many quality cymbidiums.
Over the years, Weegie won numerous AOS and CSA awards, including the AOS Ernest Hetherington Cymbidium Award in 2013 for Cym. Tower of Fire ‘Sunset Flame’ AM/AOS (82 points). The AOS awarded her 95 awards between 1984 and 2024, all but 3 for Cymbidiums. She was awarded several CSA yearly trophies, and many Best in Show and Best Cymbidium in Show awards in local shows. She won a total of 6 Grand Champion Cymbidium awards and 5 Reserve Champion awards at SBIOS.
The SBIOS Grand Champion Cymbidium awards are:
1994 Cym. Gladys Whitesell ‘The Charmer’ AM/AOS-S/CSA- GM/13 WOC
1998 Cym.Autumn Crisp ‘Cinnabar’ S/CSA
2002 Cym.Kirby Lesh ‘Cinnabar’ AM/AOS
2003 Cym.Pearl Dawson ‘Grey Day’ B/CSA
2010 Cym.Satin Dragon ‘Cinnabar’ B/CSA
2018 Cym.Elle Ronis ‘Cinnabar’ AM/AOS, S/CSA
Weegie was also known for her award-winning displays. She worked as Display Coordinator with clubs she was a member of, and her Gold Coast Branch display at the 2006 SBIOS won the CSA Gold Medal. At local GCCS Shows, her displays were notably artistic and inspiring to new growers.
At its peak, her collection had about 1,000 cymbidiums of blooming size and approximately 300 small seedlings. Most of her orchids were grown outside under 200-year-old oak trees and in a lath house. Weegie also did selective hybridizing, primarily limited for the show bench. Some of her favorite hybrids include Cyms. Satin Dragon, Tower of Fire, Golden Valley and the Jack Halpern cultivars.
Weegie liquidated her collection in 2024 and 2025, and it is likely that most everyone in GCCS is growing at least one of her plants! She donated her last Opportunity Table, consisting of many of her favorites, for the Oct 2025 meeting.
Over the years, Weegie opened her home to many growers, who shopped and attended her re-potting workshops and GCCS Board planning meetings. Many met her adopted champion Great Danes, another hobby she was passionate about. As Weegie said, “I always let my Dane quality speak for me and I have continued to do so with my Cymbidiums.”
Weegie died at home on October 13, 2025.
