One of my favourite memories of Dr. Lam is on that happy day, April 3, 2008 in VanDusen Botanical Garden when the David C. Lam Cherry Grove was planted in his honour.  With the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival banner flying behind him, he sported a pink shirt with the official Festival pin proudly next to his Order of Canada pin and my wool pink scarf around his neck; he talked about his favourite subject "the cherry".  Captivating everyone with his amusing stories and his Cherry Blossom Wisdom he reminded us all:

When you promise to do something, give it all you've got and be like the cherry.  The cherry tree gives us everything it has: its beauty, fragrance and colour, and asks for nothing in return.  Alas, they have but only a short life; they give us everything they have to make us happy.  I am mindful of the shortness of my own life and with all of us helping he wished to make his life the fullest and make as many people happy as possible.

He certainly did this and more!!

Thanks to his concentrated cherry tree plantings across Metro Vancouver from David Lam Park, VanDusen Botanical Garden, UBC Botanical Garden & Centre for Plant Research, Regent College UBC, to Richmond; Dr. David Lam has brought joy to so many residents and visitors who love to visit Vancouver at springtime to admire our 37,000 flowing cherry trees.  Thanks to the Honourable Dr. David Lam, Vancouver is one of the Cherry Capitals of the World and our cherry count will grow to 40,000 on Vancouver's landmark 125th birthday when we really paint Vancouver cherry blossom pink with Dr. Lam's favourite cultivar, the Akebono!

As the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Blossom Benefactor.  The David and Dorothy Lam Foundation has made it possible for property owners to order commemorative Birthday Blossoms flowering cherry trees on this website to Celebrate 125 Vancouver and plant a living legacy to the Honourable Dr. David Lam.

With our sincere and heartfelt thanks, Dr. Lam.

Linda Poole, Festival Director