All I know is what I read on the SSE website in their press releases. I have no personal contacts within the SSE, and I’m not a member anymore.

http://www.seedsavers.org/

Some months ago George de Vault, who replaced Kent Whealy, resigned and was himself replaced with Kent Whealy’s son. I’m sure this brought about more fault lines as well as some healing, but I don’t know the details.

I published this letter because I disagreed with the SSE position that demanded Kent Whealy shut up under threat of legal action. I believed Kent had the right to say these things if he wanted. It wasn’t particularly intended to be an attack on the SSE.

Whatever you decide in the end about supporting the SSE, I hope you understand they are a well funded non for profit organization. On the other hand there are a number of small seed companies that don’t have the benefit of such a high level of funding, who could also benefit from your support. Many people think the non for profit status of the SSE is unfair competition for these other smaller but equally important companies.

Consider for example:

http://www.annapolisseeds.com/

http://www.bountifulgardens.org/

http://www.heirloomacresseeds.com/

http://www.seedlibrary.org/

http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/

http://www.seedstrust.com/

http://www.sustainableseedco.com/

There are of course others…

I am also bothered by the division and the secrecy that currently defines the SSE organization. I don’t like the changes that have been put forward in the organization by the new leadership. And I really don’t like all the money going to lawyers over this whole Whealy disagreement. Frankly, I was way more comfortable with one of us (grower, gardener, bootstrap entrepreneur) in charge of our organization than having it run by some über wealthy, trust fund heiress and her pundits.

I’m curious as to why Mr. Kent Whealy got fired in the first place for what appears to be a misunderstanding at worst. It seems to me that his years of highly successful service to the organization warranted a bit of latitude with regards to punishing him for the whole “garden shed incident”. If this isn’t a case for a proverbial slap on the wrist, I don’t know what is.

And if Mr. Whealy merely “overstepped his bounds”, why is a gag order on the table both for him and those of us making inquiries? It’s time to hear the full “official” side of the story because keeping it quiet makes me think that there is a good reason the current leaders don’t want the members talking and I have a big problem with people in charge who don’t want the rest of us to know how they got there!

Another issue I have is why Mr. Whealy is being denied access to his intellectual property (by that I mean his writings, files, speeches and photographs)? The material has already been out in the public eye so what difference does it make to the SSE to let him have it? What is he going to do: let us see it again! Considering what SSE became with Mr. Whealy at the helm, his request doesn’t seem too much to ask no matter why he was ousted. I also feel that he should be asked/begged to write the second and third decade volumes of SSE history since he is clearly the only one capable of writing about what he made happen.

Honestly, I find Mr. Whealy’s version of events much more believable than the official story put out thus far by the SSE. It is a completely disgusting way to treat someone who gave their life to an organization that benefits all mankind.

sincerely,

Sarah Kehler Ewing
B.Sc. Biology