PI CHI OMEGA SUPPLEMENT: 50 Years Of Excellence

It is said that from the tiniest of seeds mighty oak trees grow. That’s been the case for Pi Chi Omega, the industry’s international pest control fraternity. It started out humbly, as a meeting of seven entomologists around a living room table. Since then, it has become an organization uniting hundreds of pest management professionals around the world.

What’s more, through its many contributions, Pi Chi Omega has left an indelible mark on the pest control industry. In its 50-year history, the fraternity has awarded generous scholarships, sponsored prominent industry speakers and hosted memorable workshops, all in the name of promoting professionalism.

This world-class organization now has close to 500 members located across the country and throughout the world. And its original goals, to further the science of pest control, to promote the career of urban entomology and to raise the standards for professionalism in the industry, have remained intact throughout its 50 years.

Perhaps the key to Pi Chi Omega’s success lies in its humble beginnings. What seven men created was an organization truly ahead of its time; one that would infuse the industry with professionalism, knowledge and pride. These are honorable efforts still sought by professionals every day. This year, as Pi Chi Omega celebrates its golden anniversary, its members can be justifiably proud of its ideals, achievements and remarkable history.

Humble Beginnings. The fraternity was founded by Dr. John Osmun, renowned professor of entomology at Purdue University and six of his students in May of 1950. Osmun had developed the first college program in urban pest control and fellow charter members Bill Brehm, George Gilmore, Frank Harder, Harlan Shuyler, Clifford Weiss and Clayton Wright were among his first students.

Brehm went on to invent the indispensable B&G sprayer, while Wright founded B&G Chemicals & Equipment Co., a thriving distribution company based in Dallas, Texas. Meanwhile, Shuyler went to work for the World Health Organization, eventually being based in Italy. And Osmun, who is now the only surviving charter member still involved in the industry, became the head of the entomology department at Purdue, where he would serve as a role model and mentor for countless other professionals in the pest control industry.

The six founding students were some of the more involved individuals in the pest control program, Osmun recalls. "We talked about creating a formal organization which would be composed initially and primarily with entomologists associated with urban pest control," Osmun said. "We all sat around a table and worked it out." The first meeting was held in the living room of Osmun’s home. The group had already decided on the name of the fraternity: Pi Chi Omega, which also stood for Pest Control Operator.

Osmun’s wife, Dottie, witnessed the fraternity’s founding. "Since it was Pi Chi Omega, she decided that a cherry pie would be in order," Osmun recalled. To help commemorate the occasion, Dottie carved the fraternity’s name into the crust. "We all cut the pie," Osmun said, "and that was the beginning of the fraternity."

From that fateful day, the fraternity’s growth over the years can only be described as remarkable. "It could have fallen flat on its face any number of times during the first 10 years," Osmun says. "It was solid enough in its concept to go forward."

The organization’s early success signaled changing times for the field of entomology. During the 1950s, Osmun recalls, it was difficult to find anyone outside the business world that paid much attention to urban entomology. But by the end of the decade, that mindset began to change. "Entomologists began to recognize that there ought to be more entomologists working in the area of urban entomology," Osmun said.

Osmun credits that gradual change to Professor J.J. Davis of Purdue University. Davis conceived the idea of offering a four-year program in urban entomology and hired Osmun in 1948 to develop it. "You have to give the guy credit for being daring enough to step forward to associate with the exterminators," Osmun said. "In doing so, he risked his (academic) reputation."

Healthy Growth. As is the case today, individuals could join the fraternity only by invitation, after being sponsored by an existing member and voted on by the membership. And as the organization’s healthy growth over the years attests, Pi Chi Omega members have been especially vigilant in bringing their peers into the fold. In just three years, the membership topped 60. By 1976 there were 181 members. Today, there are close to 500.

The charter members had intended for the membership to be limited to urban entomologists. But not long after its founding, the fraternity recognized that opening the doors to professionals with other educational and professional pursuits was crucial to fulfilling the organization’s mission statement. Thus, the classes of active and associate memberships were created. Active members are those with either a degree in entomology or a related discipline and are actively engaged in the pest control industry. Associate members are individuals without formal entomological training but who are actively engaged in the pest control industry and have made documented contributions toward the betterment of the industry. Although the original bylaws did not require associate members to have college degrees, this restriction was imposed from 1975 to 1999.

"It started out very strongly oriented to the university professional," says Dr. Bill Jackson, executive director of Pi Chi Omega. Today, he notes, individuals working for or managing active pest control companies now make up the body of the fraternity. Pi Chi Omega’s members credit this broadening of the membership requirements as being perhaps most influential in the fraternity’s evolution to a powerful, diverse organization.

"As time went on, we realized there were a lot of good, qualified people," said Paul Adams of Adams Pest Control, Alexandria, La., a member since 1952. "They started revamping the constitution and bylaws to involve some of these people in membership and I think that was a great thing, because we have a lot of very capable people who have a lot to contribute."

The category of honorary membership was created upon the fraternity’s founding, Osmun notes, to recognize individuals who were influential in the organization’s creation. "Right off the bat we identified some people who should be honorary members," he said. Included in the list were Bill Buettner, founder of the National Pest Control Association (known today as the National Pest Management Association), and Purdue’s J.J. Davis.

Students of entomology were later made eligible for membership via the student membership category. And prestigious lifetime memberships were also created to honor existing members who have made outstanding industry contributions in terms of professionalism and education. Only three individuals in the fraternity’s history have been honored with these prized memberships: Jim Nelson, the first executive director; industry legend Norm Ehmann; and Pi Chi Omega founder Dr. John Osmun (see related story on page 6).

Historical Highlights. Within just a few years of its founding, the fraternity was well on its way to becoming a significant force in the pest control industry. It had incorporated as a nonprofit organization, an emblem was chosen (see related story on page 9), committees were established and the organization’s original constitution and bylaws were completed.

During the 1960s the fraternity worked to clarify its objectives while also beginning to reach out to professionals around the world. Long-time member Norm Ehmann, who was president in 1964 and 1965, helped the fraternity further develop its focus by overseeing the development of the official aims and purposes of the fraternity. These five objectives (see related story on page 22) continue to lead the fraternity’s efforts today.

"The aims were an analysis of what the fraternity was all about," Ehmann says. "I put them down on paper so that everyone would know them." Doing so was critically important, he observes, not only for the benefit of existing members, but also when explaining the role of the organization to prospective members.

One of the fraternity’s first events to be open to all industry members was an international luncheon held during the 1964 National Pest Control Association convention in New York. The purpose of the luncheon, as noted by President James Steckel in a letter to members, was to "honor and acquaint the international guests with our professional fraternity, its members and guests."

The informal gathering was widely regarded as a rousing success. The event earned special commendation from Ralph E. Heal, who was executive secretary of the NPCA. In a letter to Steckel, Heal wrote, "Your Pi Chi Omega luncheon made the difference between just an ordinary program and one that had some sparkle and some gracious hospitality connected with it."

The fraternity held its first off-site workshop, the Pi Chi Omega Workshop on Undergraduate Education in Pest Control Technology, in July of 1969, at Spring Mill State Park, located in southern Indiana. The event was co-sponsored by the Department of Entomology at Purdue. It was a significant undertaking for the fraternity, designed to review the pest control programs of colleges across the country. In attendance were representatives of colleges and universities, representatives of the armed forces, the food processing industry, the chemical industry and NPCA. It proved to be one of the most memorable events in the fraternity’s history for many of its early members, partly because it occurred at the same time as the first lunar landing.

Osmun remembers the occasion as if it were yesterday. "We all sat around the living room area of a state park in Indiana and watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon," he said. "It was quite a moment, one we’ll never forget." That Armstrong was a graduate of Purdue made it all the better, Osmun added.

The 1970s were a period of intense growth and productivity for the fraternity, which developed a number of successful projects that have continued through today. To help manage its quickly growing operations, the fraternity established the role of executive director in 1974, inviting long-time member Jim Nelson to fill this role. The publisher of Pest Control magazine, Nelson was widely respected for his business acumen and professional expertise. He had joined the fraternity soon after it was founded and served as treasurer for many years.

During the 1970s, the fraternity began what would become its most noted tradition: the awarding of scholarships in urban entomology. Although awarding scholarships wasn’t part of the founders’ original plans, it fit well with the organization’s objectives, says Osmun.

"The promotion of formal education in pest control was a primary goal," Osmun said, "and a natural outgrowth of that was to sponsor scholarships."

Pi Chi Omega’s first scholarship, in the amount of $500, was awarded to Robert M. Corrigan in 1977, then a graduate student at Purdue studying urban and industrial entomology. Today, Corrigan, president of RMC Pest Management Consulting, is a staunch supporter of the fraternity and its ideals, as well as an internationally known expert in vertebrate pests.

Receiving the scholarship meant a lot to Corrigan, who worked his way through college. "That Pi Chi Omega Scholarship made the difference as to whether or not I could stay at Purdue," Corrigan says.

Recognizing fellow industry peers both inside and outside of the fraternity also became important to the fraternity during the 1970s. The Pi Chi Omega Book of Professional Services was created in 1971 to honor members providing distinguished service to the industry, the profession and the fraternity. Through the years, a number of outstanding industry professionals have received this honor, including Ehmann, Corrigan and Osmun.

In 1976, the fraternity instituted yet another long-standing tradition: the sponsorship of speakers at NPCA conventions. Through the years the fraternity has hosted some impressive figures for the benefit of its members as well as the industry at large, including scientists, politicians and corporate executives. Sponsored speakers have included such well-known names as Dr. Norman Gratz of the World Health Organization, David Dietz of the Pesticide Public Policy Foundation and Dr. Judy Mollett of Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

In 1979, Nelson announced his retirement from his position as executive director of the fraternity, having provided 30 years of distinguished service in a variety of capacities. The role of executive director was turned over to Dr. William Jackson, who stills holds the post today.

As Pi Chi Omega entered its 30th year, it had developed for itself an impressive list of accomplishments, including its growing scholarship program, the sponsorship of speakers and award programs honoring worthy individuals in the industry. The fraternity also had a healthy treasury and many committed, hard-working members.

These accomplishments would only continue. The scholarship program continued to grow, with an increasing number of members helping to fund more scholarships in larger denominations. In addition, awards went to entomology students at universities other than Purdue.

A second Pi Chi Omega workshop, co-sponsored by NPCA, was held in 1983, in Alexandria, Va. The workshop, titled "The Next 20 Years," was designed to analyze changes in the industry and related industries that would likely ensue before the turn of the century.

"We wanted to get a feel of what the pest control industry would face in the next 20 years," recalls Charles Haggerty of American Pest Control Inc., Hanna City, Ill., who was president of the fraternity at the time. The symposium was chaired by member Jon Hockenyos of Sentinel Insect Control Laboratory, Springfield, Ill., and some funding for the program came from the Hockenyos family, in memory of Jon’s father George, who was also a member.

Professional legacy. As the 1990s rolled in, Pi Chi Omega’s membership continued to increase, with unprecedented numbers of associate members signing on. The fraternity had evolved into a truly world-class organization, representing professionals from all areas of the pest control field.

In recent years, fraternity efforts have focused on marketing the organization as well as its programs. The organization’s scholarship program has continued to grow, thanks in part to the creation of the Pi Chi Omega Founders Endowment Scholarship Fund and silent auctions held each year at the annual Purdue Conference. Today, several $1,000 scholarships are given each year to entomology students at universities across the country and around the world. To date, the fraternity has awarded more than 60 scholarships totaling in excess of $70,000.

As Pi Chi Omega celebrates its golden anniversary, its members should be proud of their many contributions to the industry. But of all its notable achievements over the years, says Osmun, Pi Chi Omega should be proudest of helping to raise the bar for professionalism in the pest control industry. "I think what Pi Chi Omega has done is to further the educational level of people coming in and raising the competency standards in general," Osmun said. "It’s been a continuing torch for professionalism."

A LIFETIME OF INDUSTRY COMMITMENT

Only three individuals in the history of Pi Chi Omega have received the fraternity’s highest honor: lifetime membership. The award is given to members who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and dedication to the fraternity and who have made posi-tive contributions to the industry.

The first lifetime membership was award-ed to James A. Nelson, the first executive director of the fraternity, in 1980. Nelson was a member since the fraternity’s earliest days and he served in many capacities for more than 30 years. Nelson was also publisher of Pest Control magazine and was respected for his business acumen and expertise. "Not only was he a real professional," Osmun says, "but he took great interest in Pi Chi Omega and really shepherded it through a number of difficult years. He was persistent in making sure the fraternity was run right."

In 1995, Norm Ehmann, vice president emeritus of Van Waters & Rogers, was named a lifetime member. Ehmann, who served as president of Pi Chi Omega in 1964-65, was one of the fraternity’s most dedicated members. He set a new standard for training by pioneering workshops and seminars given on behalf of suppliers. "I consider him the pioneer among suppliers in terms of education," says Osmun.

Fraternity founder and industry legend Dr. John Osmun was named a lifetime member in 1987. Osmun, often referred to as the industry’s "guiding light," has been a role model and mentor for countless individuals in the industry. "John Osmun is really the centerpiece of Pi Chi Omega," says fellow Lifetime Member Norm Ehmann. "He was the one who really pushed it along through the years."

THE EMBLEM OF PI CHI OMEGA

The emblem of Pi Chi Omega has become a readily recognizable symbol of professionalism. It was designed by Glen Lehker, a Purdue extension entomologist and an honorary fraternity member. In designing the emblem, Lehker was asked to incorporate many aspects of urban pest control: the chemicals used to control pests, sanitation practices and a cleaner environment. Lehker’s design incorporates these factors. A benzene ring, the chemical structure found in chlorinated hydrocarbons in use at the time, formed the centerpiece of the emblem. Inside is a blue shield, symbolizing health and sanitation, superimposed on an insect. "We suggested he use the benzene ring because it was a fundamental symbol of chemistry," said John Osmun. "It was Lehker’s idea to add the blue shield symbolizing sanitation." The fly behind the shield was the tie-in to entomology.

PI CHI OMEGA ASSISTS IN RUSSIANS' RELEASE

One of the fraternity’s more intriguing efforts over the years was assisting in the release of Drs. Igor and Inna Uspensky from the former Soviet Union in 1988, during the height of the Cold War.

Igor Uspensky, an internationally known tick specialist and his wife Inna, also a scientist, had been denied exit visas. They also had been prohibited from conducting research and from publishing their work.

Pi Chi Omega member Dr. Austin Frishman heard about Uspensky and relayed his story to the fraternity, asking for its help. In response, the members unanimously approved a draft resolution addressed to the Central Party Secretary requesting Uspensky’s release. The letter addressed the United States’ urgent need for research on ticks associated with Lyme disease. "We raised more than 3,000 signatures to get him out," Frishman said. The effort was a success: Uspensky was subsequently released and in 1990, he was honored by the fraternity and the National Pest Control Association with a Courage in Science Award.

The author is former managing editor of PCT magazine and can be reached via e-mail at lmckenna@pctonline.com.