HISTORY

Compiled by D. Michael Chambers, February 1985
Revised August 2005

The Foundation is Laid (1903-1904)

The foundation for our national association was laid long before the 1935 founding of our predecessor society, some 30+ years ago. An attempt was made to form a national organization of mosquito control workers under the name, "National Mosquito Extermination Society" (Mosquito News 17:52). The participants included such notable entomologists and mosquito control specialists as W.E. Britton, D.W. Coquillett, H.C. Dyar, E.P. Felt, L.O. Howard, V.L. Kellogg, H. Osborn, and J.B. Smith. This Society held only two recorded meetings, in 1903 and 1904 (both in New York), before it faded into history. Obviously, the conditions were not yet right for this organization to survive. Prior to its demise, this Society had established annual membership dues of $4.00 for an Active Member, $5.00 for an Associate Member, $25.00 for a Benefactor, $100.00 for a Life Member, $500.00 for a Patron, and $1000.00 for a Founder. The records show that although no Patrons or Founders were solicited, the Society did have four Benefactors and one (1) Life Member. In the ten years following the demise of the National Mosquito Extermination Society, efforts to organize mosquito control workers lay dormant. In 1913 the need arose to organize mosquito control workers in New Jersey - resulting in the founding of the New Jersey Mosquito Extermination Association. In 1922 and 1930, respectively, similar state associations were formed in Florida (Florida Anti-Mosquito Association) and in California (California Mosquito Control Association). Until 1935, local associations seemed to be able to meet the needs of mosquito controllers in their respective areas. At this time, the need for an organization of larger scope was realized.

The Early Years (1935-1950)

The next formal effort to establish an association of a more national scope occurred in 1935, when the need for such a group was discussed at a monthly meeting of the Associated Executives of Mosquito Control Work in New Jersey. Mosquito control officials were facing ever-increasing charges from wildlife enthusiasts regarding the alleged disruption of waterfowl habitats along the Atlantic Coast. The mosquito abatement practice most frequently criticized at that time was the ditching of marshlands for mosquito control. This practice had become more prevalent as a result of the Depression, which made labor relatively inexpensive and this management technique more economical. In a united effort to counter these charges with scientific data, the Eastern Association of Mosquito Control Workers (EAMCW) was organized in Trenton, New Jersey, on June 26, 1935. Twenty five individuals were installed that day as charter members of the EAMCW (Table 1).

Table 1 - Charter Members of the EAMCW

At this meeting, the members of the EAMCW elected T.J. Headlee of New Jersey as President, R.D. Glasgow of New York as Vice-President, and T.D. Mulhern, also of New Jersey, as Secretary-Treasurer. Between 1935 and 1942 the EAMCW held most of is annual meetings in New Jersey, with one meeting each in Delaware, New York and Rhode Island. These meetings consisted of conference and discussion sessions, an annual business meeting, as well as post-meeting tours of mosquito control operations in nearby localities. However some field inspection tours traveled to the southeastern states, as far south as Georgia and Florida in 1939.

Membership in the EAMCW continued to increase from its original 25 members to 37 members in 1936 and 67 members in 1942. Prior to 1941 typed and mimeographed handouts containing scientific knowledge and the minutes of the EAMCW meetings were distributed to all members, some as far way as California. In 1941, the membership voted to levy annual dues of $4.00 per year to cover the publication and mailing costs of a formalized booklet, called Mosquito News, which was to consist of quarterly issues. In an effort to help support this journal, advertising was also actively solicited. In March of 1941, Volume 1, Numbers 1 and 2 (bound together) of Mosquito News made its appearance. This was indeed a bold step by the EAMCW. The publication costs of the first volume consumed one half of the $144.00 operating budget of the Association. From 1941 to 1943 Mosquito News was published under the direction of a Publication Committee with no formally appointed editor, with the main text of Volumes 1 through 3(1) being typed and mimeographed. Starting in 1943 with Volume 3(2), all of the text was set in type y a local printer in New Brunswick, NJ.

During World War II, the membership of the EAMCW continued to increase, both in numbers and in geographic distribution. In 1943, with wartime travel restrictions in effect, the EAMCW did not hold a formal annual meeting (the only time that this occurred to date). Due to this broadening of the geographic base of the EAMCW membership, a demand for a more nationally oriented association of mosquito control workers arose from the membership. On March 16, 1944, the EAMCW was renamed the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA).

Since the Constitution and Bylaws of the old EAMCW were no longer appropriate for the AMCA, a Constitution Committee of E.. Cory, R.E. Dorer, and R.L. Vannote was appointed in 1944 and charged with the responsibility of drafting a new Constitution. The new Constitution was adopted by the membership, which allowed state and regional mosquito control organizations or related interest groups to join the AMCA. This document, with the Bylaws, originally appeared in Mosquito News in 1945 (5:56-58).

In 1944, this new Association assumed the responsibility of publishing Mosquito News. Starting with Volume 4(2), R.D. Glasgow was appointed as its first editor. In 1945 at its annual meeting in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the membership dues were increased to $5.00 annually. Starting in 1946 with Volume 6 of Mosquito News, Boyd Printing Co. of Albany, New York, was given the contract publish this journal, a relationship which continues to this day. In 1947, at the first meeting of the AMCA outside of New Jersey (held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), the increased responsibilities and business operations of the AMCA had become more apparent. The need for incorporation as a non-profit corporation was realized. R.D. Glasgow, then editor of Mosquito News, was selected by AMCA President H.H. Stage to serve as chairman of a committee on incorporation with B.B. Pepper, H.F. Gray, D.M. Rees, and J.A. Mulrennan, Sr. On November 30, 1948, the AMCA was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in New Jersey. The Articles of Incorporation appear in the 1948 edition of Mosquito News (8:190-192). The original incorporators were R.E. Dorer, R.D. Glasgow, H.F. Gray, W.V. King, T.D. Mulhern, T.E. McNeel, H.D. Peters, D.M. Rees and L.W. Smith. These men were appointed as the Interim Board of the AMCA pending the adoption of the Bylaws. The Articles of Incorporation now served as the Constitution of this incorporation of mosquito control workers. Upon receipt of the Articles, the Executive Committee of the old unincorporated AMCA, who until now had served as the custodian of the property, including Mosquito News and other assets, transferred all assets and liabilities to the newly incorporated AMCA. A new set of Bylaws was required and the Interim Board was charged with this responsibility. After much discussion, review and compromise, the Bylaws were finally adopted by the membership in 1951.

During the time between the adoption of the Articles of Incorporation and adoption of the Bylaws of the, four other important items of business occurred. In 1948, the AMCA published its first special bulletin entitled, The Use of Aircraft in the Control of Mosquitoes. This publication, edited by R.D. Glasgow, was unique in that the text of this bulletin was compiled in only three days when some fifty mosquito control experts met in Ashville, North Carolina, in October 1947. In 1948, at the AMCA Annual Meeting in Fort Pierce, Florida, the Board of Directors adopted the policy of holding annual meetings of the Association in conjunction with state or regional associations around the country, a policy the AMCA still follows to this day. In 1949, R.D. Glasgow, who had served the Association as the first editor of Mosquito News, retired and was replaced by Donald L. Collins. This marked the beginning of a 24 year term for D.L. Collins as the second editor of Mosquito News. And finally, between 1935 and 1949 the business affairs of the Association were handled by the Secretary-Treasurer, Thomas D. Mulhern, who resided in New Brunswick, New Jersey. When Tommy accepted full-time employment with the California State Department of Health in 1949 and moved to Fresno, California, the business of the Association moved with him.

1950-1970

During the twenty years from 1950 to 1970, the AMCA experienced numerous changes in the managerial posts of the Association. In 1950, when the duties of the combined position Secretary-Treasurer became too much for one man to handle, the AMCA reorganized slightly to split the duties into two positions, one being Executive Secretary and the other being the Treasurer. T.D. Mulhern, the individual who had been the Secretary-Treasurer of the AMCA since the EAMCW originated the post in 1935, agreed to serve as the AMCA's first Executive Secretary. R.E. Dorer of Virginia agreed to serve as the first AMCA Treasurer, a post he held until 1953. In 1953, T.D. Mulhern asked to step down from the Executive Secretary post and T.G. Raley was appointed to this important job. With Raley taking over this post, the AMCA "business office" was relocated Selma, California, where it remained for approximately 21 years. About the same time that T.G. Raley was assuming the duties of Executive Secretary of the AMCA, L.W. Smith of New Jersey was appointed as the Association's next Treasurer. He served in this job until 1965, when W.D. Murray of California was appointed as the third Treasurer of the AMCA.

In addition to these changes in key personnel, the AMCA Board of Directors took a very important step toward making the AMCA a more international organization in 1955. Under the guidance of Harry H. Stage, the "Good Neighbor Club" was initiated. This group's plan was to aid people in foreign countries who were interested in mosquito control, but due to post-war difficulties were unable to afford membership in the AMCA. This aid consisted of subscriptions to Mosquito News and other literature being sent at no cost to those requesting such help. This good will gesture was supported by voluntary contributions from U.S. based members of the AMCA. By 1956, some 25 persons in foreign countries were being helped in this manner.

In 1957, the AMCA Bylaws were again completely revised. They were adopted by the membership on May 1, 1957 in Miami, Florida, at the general business meeting of the Association. A major product of these revised Bylaws was the establishment of the new position of President-Elect, with that individual automatically assuming the presidency of the Association. It was felt that this progression would help maximize the efforts of the President during the brief one year term of office by providing an overview of the business operations of the AMCA prior to assuming the presidency.

Also worth noting during this time period, the AMCA annual dues were increased twice, raising the dues from $5.00 to $8.00 in 1963 and from $ 8.00 to $10.00 in 1968. The Association continued moving its meetings around the country, holding three meetings each in California and Florida; two meetings each in Illinois, New Jersey, Texas, Utah, and Virginia; and one meeting each in Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. Three AMCA meetings held during the period deserve special recognition. The 1955 AMCA Meeting held in Los Angeles, California, was unique in that it was dedicated to Harold F. Gray's retirement from active duty with the Alameda County Mosquito Control District. In lieu of a formal post-meeting field trip, an extensive demonstration of mosquito control equipment was held. The 1956 AMCA Meeting held in Beaumont, Texas was also somewhat unique. This location was selected partly in an effort to promote mosquito control in Texas, a state which at that time did not have any wide area organized control programs. The 1965 AMCA Meeting held in Tampa, Florida, was also unique in that it was the first major attempt to gather aerial application equipment for mosquito in one place at one time. This meeting concluded with a post-meeting aerial application demonstration.

Also during this period, the AMCA created two special awards to officially recognize individuals who demonstrated outstanding service to the Association and to the field of mosquito control. In 1964, the AMCA Board of Directors awarded the first and only Harold Farnsworth Gray Memorial Citation Award to F.C. Bishopp, and in 1968 the first and only Dr. Thomas J. Headlee Memorial Award was given to G.H. Bradley. Both of these awards set the stage for the creation of the current awards which followed during the next decade.

During this period, the publication of the AMCA's Journal, Mosquito News, continued to improve under the direction of Donald L. Collins, Editor. This period also saw the AMCA continue the practice of publishing special bulletins on important topics relating to mosquito control.. In 1952, AMCA Bulletin Number 2, entitled Ground Equipment and Insecticides for Mosquito Control was published with E.F. Knipling serving as the Editor. This bulletin was 118 pages long, with numerous illustrations and tables containing useful data. In 1955, Bulletin Number 3, entitled Mosquito Culture Techniques was published; with Helen Louise Trembley Durkee serving as Editor. This booklet contained 73 pages and was highly acclaimed. In 1961, the AMCA published Bulletin Number 4, entitled Organization for Mosquito Control, with Harold F. Gray serving as the Editor. In 1968, the AMCA updated and completely revised Bulletin Number 2, Ground Equipment and Insecticides for Mosquito Control, a task much needed at that time to bring the information presented in the earlier volume up-to-date. Andrew J. Rogers of Florida served as the Chairman of the Revision committee for this booklet. In 1970, the AMCA published Bulletin Number 5, entitled Manual for Mosquito Rearing and Experimental Techniques which superseded the previously published Bulletin Number 3. Eugene J. Gerberg served as the Editor of this informative publication. In 1969 the AMCA took another bold step in its history, when the publication of the scientific journal Mosquito Systematics Newsletter was initiated. This quarterly publication was placed under the editorial leadership of Kenneth L. Knight, a position he held for ten years.

The Decade of the Seventies (1971-1979)

As the AMCA entered the 1970's, the need for a full time business office and a paid staff was becoming readily apparent. Up until 1973 the business affairs of the Association had been handled on a part-time voluntary basis. In 1973, T.G. Raley, who held the executive Secretary position between 1953 and 1973, was named the first Executive Director of the AMCA, a position he held for one year. During this year, the business affairs for the Association continued to be handled by Mr. Raley from his Selma, California home; however, at this time he was partly supported by a small stipend from the Association. In 1974, Tommy Mulhern accepted the position of Executive Director, and the first Central Office of the Association was established in Fresno, California. This was the first office of the Association to be staffed by paid personnel, with Linda Shields Raiche being hired on a full-time basis to assist with office operations. She later assumed the duties of Business Manager, the position she currently holds for the Association.

In 1974, the American Mosquito Control Association was re-incorporated in California as a non-profit tax exempt scientific/educational association. This incorporation was ratified by a vote of the membership present at the annual business meeting of the AMCA held in February 1974 in Anaheim, California. As a result of the action, the incorporation papers were filed and on September 19, 1974 the AMCA was re-incorporated in the state of California. The incorporators were listed as R.M. Altman, W.D. Murray, M. C. Kramer and T.D. Mulhern.

In 1975, due largely to the efforts of Executive Director Mulhern, the AMCA initiated the printing of q quarterly Newsletter to facilitate better communications among its members. Largely to support his increased service to the membership, as well as to cover other increased costs of operation of the Association, the annual dues were raised from the $10.00 it had been charging since 1968 to $15.00 per year in 1975. In the three years that followed, Tommy continued as Executive Director of the AMCA until 1978 when he asked to step down. In 1979, W.D. Murray was appointed in his place and served for approximately on year. In 1980, Tommy agreed to again take on the responsibilities of Executive Director of the AMCA on an "acting basis", a position he currently holds.

In 1977 the Central Office continued to expand its services to the membership by taking over the responsibility of securing advertisements for all of AMCA's publications, a job previously handled b the AMCA Publication Committee. In 1979, the Board of Directors of the AMCA also took two actions worth noting herein. First, they approved another increase in AMCA annual dues from $15.00 to $20.00 per year, while at the same time creating another type of membership, that of Student membership, with the annual dues being half the price of regular membership Secondly, the Board approved an AMCA Policy Statement on Mosquito Control. This document summarized in one page the goals, objectives and methods to be used in conducting proper mosquito control, as envisioned by AMCA members.

Also during this period, the Board of Directors continued to heighten the prestige of the Association and to recognize outstanding members. In 1972, the Board of Directors initiated two of its current annual awards. The Medal of Honor Award was created to acknowledge outstanding service in the field of mosquito control, while the Meritorious Service Award was established to recognize outstanding service to the AMCA. In 1973, the current Official Seal of the Association was approved, along with the design of AMCA Membership Lapel Pins as well as special AMCA Past-President Lapel Pins. In 1979, thanks to the wholehearted cooperation of a number of commercial firms, and largely as a result of the efforts of Lewis T. Nielsen, the very popular Memorial Lecturer/Memorial Honoree Award was initiated. This award annually recognizes an outstanding lecturer in the field of mosquito control, while at the same time, memorializes the contributions to mosquito control of one or more outstanding individual(s) who is/are deceased.

In the area of AMCA publications, the Associations two major journals continued to improve. In 1972, the journal Mosquito Systematics Newsletter was renamed Mosquito Systematics. In 1979, Kenneth L. Knight, this journal's editor since its inception in 1969 retired and was replaced by Lewis T. Nielsen. The AMCA's original journal, Mosquito News, also experienced an editorial change during this time period. Don L. Collins, who had served as the second editor of this journal since 1949, retired in 1973. He was replaced by W.E. Bickley. The AMCA also continued the publication of special bulletins in 1977, when the first Directory of Mosquito Control Agencies in the United States & Canada was published. Gilbert L. Challet, served as the Editor. The AMCA printed two booklets for use in mosquito control public education programs. In 1978, Katherine A. Moore wrote and illustrated a children's coloring book entitled, Mosquitoes - presented by Skeeter Mosquito which was published by the AMCA. Later in 1979, an eight page educational pamphlet containing 24 color pictures was published by the AMCA. This booklet, entitled Mosquitoes and their Control in the United States was compiled by the AMCA's Public Relations Committee, under the editorial direction of Harry D. Pratt.

Progress in the 1980's

As previously mentioned, in 1980 Thomas D. Mulhern was reappointed as Executive Director on an "acting basis" . About the same time, James R. Caton was appointed as the fifty Treasurer of the Association. Once during this period, annual association dues were raised, going to $25.00 per year in 1982. This adjustment in dues was caused primarily by increases in the costs of publishing and distributing AMCA's two journals , additional membership services being offered by the Central Office, as well as annual inflation. In 1983, the AMCA Central Office entered the "Computer Age" with the purchase of a Radio Shack Model 16 Computer. To date, many important records of the Association are now on computer. In addition, thanks to the letter quality printer purchased with the computer, the Central Office is also now handling the "typesetting" of the AMCA Newsletter, resulting in a significant savings for the Association.

In 1981, when W.E. Bickley retired as Editor of Mosquito News, Ronald A. Ward was named as his successor. This publication also got a new look in 1983, when the color of the front cover changed from the familiar gray to light blue and the page size was changed from the 6" X 9" to 7"X10". These changes were necessary to help keep the cost of publishing Mosquito News at a reasonable level. Other changes in this journal were also approved by the membership of the Association during this period. Starting with the March 1985 issue, this journal has been renamed, The Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, while still retaining the log, Mosquito News as a subtitle on the cover. The Association also took another old step in 1981 with the publication of the book, Identification and Geographic Distribution of the Mosquitoes of North America, North of Mexico as Supplement Number 1 to Mosquito Systematics. This outstanding book, contains 313 pages of easy to use pictorial and written keys to both the larval and adult stages of mosquitoes of the United States and Canada, was edited by Richard F. Darsie, Jr. and Ronald A. Ward. In addition to this fine publication, the AMCA also published two updates on previous special bulletins. In 1981, a revision of the Directory of Mosquito Control Agencies in the United States & Canada previously issued in 1979 was published under the editorial direction of Gilbert L. Challet. In 1982, the long awaited replacement for Bulletin Number 1 entitled, The Use of Aircraft for Mosquito Control was published. This bulletin was written by Norman B. Akesson and Wesley B. Yates.

Also during this period, the AMCA continued its efforts to recognize members and others that had distinguished themselves by approving two new awards. In 1980, the AMCA Board of Directors created the Presidential Citation Award to recognize those individuals who are not eligible to receive other AMCA awards, but who are eminently deserving of special recognition by the Association. In 1981, the AMCA awarded its first John N. Belkin Memorial Award for meritorious contributions in the field of mosquito systematics and/or mosquito biology. In addition to these two new awards, the AMCA initiated the annual AMCA Insect Photographic Salon in 1980. From 1980 to 1982 the format of this salon was altered annually until 1983, when the current photo salon concept was adopted. Under this current format the slides are judged by approved PSA judges, with the Photographic Society of America awarding a Silver Meal for the slide judged Best of Show. The AMCA issues two additional awards: an AMCA Plaque for Best Mosquito Slide and an AMCA Plaque for Best Slide by an AMCA Member.

THE AMCA's Participation in the EPA's PESP Program

In 1997, at the urging of Dr. Robert Rose of the EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs, the American Mosquito Control Association became a "Partner" in the EPA's Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP). The goal of this partnership program is to encourage reducing pesticide risk. Initially within the AMCA, a PESP Working Group was formed and as part of the original partnership application, a Strategy Document was developed. This document provided an overview of the mosquito control industry's methodologies and how they contribute to reducing pesticide risk. Later, the Working Group developed criteria allowing State and Regional mosquito control associations to become a "PESP Partner under the AMCA's auspices". By 2005, 7 associations have become partners in this program. The AMCA's PESP participation has been rewarded with the Association receiving a "PESP Excellence Award for pesticide risk reduction" in November 1999. In October 2003, the AMCA was chosen as a "PESP Champion for demonstrating outstanding efforts towards risk reduction and exhibiting an extraordinary level of commitment to our common goals". As a partnership requirement, annual reports are provided to the EPA documenting activities in which the AMCA is promoting PESP goals.