In July of 1959 a small group of succulent enthusiasts gathered in the Rialto home of Bill and Eleanor Hughes. While these first gatherings were a far cry from the organized meetings of today, their visitors expressed enough interest that by their third meeting, held in October in the city of Redlands, that official by-laws began to take shape and a name was chosen: The Howard E. Gates Memorial Cactus and Succulent Society. By 1960 the club applied for and was granted their status as an affiliate of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America.
While now known more simply as the Gates Cactus and Succulent Society, our organization recently celebrated our 60th anniversary in 2019. Gates CSS is a 501(c)3 non-profit.