Following is a historical timeline of highlights of entomology in Indiana. Please feel free to send us updates, or corrections along with a place to verify the information. This gives us a snapshot of the development of the department via college history, government actions and environmental factors.
Year Highlight
1824 Thomas Say publishes first of 3 volumes of ‘American Entomology, or Descriptions of the Insects of North America’
1826 Thomas Say moves to New Harmony, IN
1834 Thomas Say died in New Harmony, IN at the age of 47
1854 1st professional entomologist hired by the US Patent Office
1862 Morrill Act passed establishing the Land Grant University system
1865 Indiana legislature approves Morrill Act
1869 Purdue University is founded as the Land Grant university in Indiana
1874 First students enrolled and first courses taught at Purdue; 1st entomology courses listed in “Purdue Course of Study”
1877 1st insect teaching collections established
1879 1st Ag students enrolled and first Ag courses taught at Purdue
1880 1st entomology course (6-weeks) taught in 3rd term (spring) of 1st yr
1884 School of Agriculture is established; J. Troop hired as first head of Horticulture and Entomology
1884 F.M. Webster, a special agent from USDA and consulting entomologist to the department, becomes 1st professional entomologist in IN, authored 1st Exp Station Bulletin – The Hessian Fly – Dec 30, 1884 (published in 1885)
1887 Hatch Act passed establishing Ag Experiment Stations
1890 2nd Morrill Act passed creating the historically blackcolleges and universities
1896 Department purchased the T.B. Ashton collection of beetles – originally to support teaching, but later moved to the research collection by JJ Davis
1899 J. Troop appointed 1st State Entomologist following invasion of San Jose scale in Indiana orchards and nursery stock
1905 1st federal field lab (USDA Division of Cereal and Forage Insects) in Indiana established in Richmond
1907 Indiana established separate office of State Entomologist in Indianapolis
1909 USDA Division of Cereal and Forage Insects lab in Richmond moves to Purdue Experiment Station in West Lafayette
1912 Department of Horticulture and Entomology split into separate departments; J. Troop stays with Entomology as head
1914 Smith-Lever Act establishing the Cooperative Extension System
1914 1st entomologist BS in Ag
1916 1st entomologist MS in Ag
1919 USDA personnel stationed at Purdue to develop Hessian fly project
1920 JJ Davis joins Purdue as 2nd department head
1921 1st meeting of the North Central States entomologists held at Purdue
1922 USDA Division of Biological Survey (future USDI Fish and Wildlife Service) established a field station for Predator and Rodent Control; program staff work closely with department
1923 BOT approves a lease for USD Bureau of Ent at 500 University St
1924 1st insect collection & ID clubs and contest in IN started by JJ Davis; Eldo Brown of Hartford City winning first honors
1926 European corn borer arrives in Indiana
1927 1st student society established – The Purdue Entomological Society
1928 1st curriculum in Entomology
1931 Purdue Entomological Society changes name to Thomas Say Entomological Society
1934 Japanese beetle arrives in Indiana
1935 Research on the development of Hessian fly resistant wheat initiated in Indiana
1936 1st extension entomologist (Glen Lekher)
1937 1st Purdue Pest Control Conference
1942 1st PhD in Entomology (George Gould)
1943 1st DDT trials at Purdue
1946 2nd curriculum in Urban Entomology
1948 1st structural pest control course in US
1949 1st faculty sabbatical – BE Montgomery worked on bumble bees in New Zealand (1949-50)
1950 1st Hessian Fly resistant wheat released
1956 John Osmun becomes 3rd department head with JJ Davis’ retirement
1956 USDA Cereals and Forage Insects program scientists move from offices in Lafayette Post Office to department and become adjunct faculty along with USDI Rodent Control staff
1959 1st curator of insects – Leland Chandler
1961 Urban pest management correspondence courses begin (William ‘Bill’ Butts w/ Lee Truman)
1962 McIntire-Stennis Act provides research support for forestry
1962 Truman’s Scientific Guide to Pest Control Operations – 1st edition
1962 Cereal leaf beetle arrives in Indiana
1965 1st female faculty hire (V. Ferris)
mid 1960s Alfalfa weevil arrives in Indiana
1960s Alfalfa insect resistance developed – glandular hairs in 70s; commercialized in 80s
1966 2nd curator – Ross Arnett
1968 Western corn rootworm arrives in Indiana
early 1970s Symptom circus – presented by the two Dons (Don Schuder and Don Scott)
1971 1st director of the Purdue Entomological Research Collection – Pat McCafferty (3rd curator – Arwin Provonsha)
1972 Eldon Ortman becomes 4th department head; gypsy moth arrives; 1st integrated pest management program started at Purdue on alfalfa
1972 Gypsy moth arrives in Indiana
1973 Integrated pest management program on corn started at Purdue
1974 Corn program expanded to include soybeans; International Plant Resistance to Insects workshop started at Purdue
1975 1st efforts to train and certify people applying restricted use pesticides according to 1972 Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act (FEPCA)
1970s Insecticide and Acaricide Tests – initiated and edited for several years by York
1976 Purdue pesticide applicator training program established by John Osmun
1978 Bug Scout was a series of cartoons published in Indiana Prairie Farmer to communicate concepts about pest management (1978-1983)
late 1970s Plant protection “Scout School” for agronomic crops
early 1980s Organized Indiana Association of Independent Crop Consultants
1981 National Pesticide Information Retrieval System established
1981 Research collection in basement of Entomology Hall damaged by flood due to construction of Whistler Hall
1982 Linnaean Games started by Turpin and Edwards at North Central Branch meeting
1983 Diagnostic Training Center established by Marlin Bergman
1985 Department wins contract to manage USDA National Agricultural Pest Information System
1986 Purdue pesticide applicator training program moved to Botany and Plant Pathology
1986 Interdisciplinary crop protection major established
1986 US Department of Interior Animal Damage Control Unit moved to USDA APHIS & assigned to department
1988 1st JV Osmun distinguished alumni award given to Max Summers
1988 Winter crop production meetings initiated (Edwards)
1990 Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory established (Edwards & Gibb)
1990 Chris Oseto becomes 5th department head
1990 1st Bug Bowl event featuring ‘Roachill Downs’ cockroach racing
1991 Center for Environmental Regulatory Information Systems established
1992 Center for Urban and Industrial Pest Management established
1992 “Roachill Downs” cockroach racing moved to Indiana State Fair
1992 Insect Expo started at Purdue, moved to ESA annual meeting for a few years
1994 1st transgenic seed with insect resistance – alpha amylase inhibitor (Murdock)
1990s Corn rootworm variant arrives in Indiana
1995 “Insectaganza” outreach program for 5th graders started
2000 Steve Yaninek becomes 6th department head
2000 Soybean aphid arrives in Indiana
2003 Purdue Butterfly Encounter begins
2004 O. Wayne Rollins Foundation committed $1.5 million to endow a chair in urban entomology – the first in the department
2004 The department receives a $1.5 million commitment from William Bindley as a deferred match for the endowment from the O. Wayne Rollins Foundation. This was the 4th and final Bindley matching endowed chair in Agriculture, and is tied to the Bindley estate.
2005 Emerald ashborer arrives in Indiana
2006 John V. Osmun Professorship in Urban Entomology is established with gifts and pledges from 51 donors totaling just over $1 million
2006 Boiler Bug Barn outreach center created
2010 The O. Wayne Rollins/Orkin Endowed Professorship in Urban Entomology and Insect Physiology is filled with the hire of Mike Scharf (BS ’91, MS ’93, PhD ’97)