Professor Earns Presidential Citation Award, Delivers Keynote Address

MELBOURNE, FLA. —Gordon Patterson, Florida Institute of Technology professor of history, has received the Presidential Citation Award from the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) at its annual convention in Lexington, Ky. He also delivered the keynote address to an audience of approximately 750 medical entomologists and public health workers. His address was “Acting Well Our Parts: Mosquitoes, Humans and the Environment.”

“The Presidential Citation is presented to individuals who are eminently deserving of special recognition by the AMCA,” said Doug Carlson, AMCA president. Patterson’s plaque reads: “For outstanding service to the American Mosquito Control Association in documenting the history of our profession.”

Patterson has written two books documenting the history of mosquito control. The first, The Mosquito Wars: A History of Mosquito Control in Florida,

covered the history of mosquito control in Florida and earned the 2005 Presidential Book Award of the Florida Historical Society. His second book was the highly praised The Mosquito Crusades: A History of the American Anti-Mosquito Movement from the Reed Commission to the First Earth Day. It was published in 2009.

Professor Patterson’s most recent effort, AMCA: The 75 Year History, was published in March. It was distributed to the participants at the American Mosquito Control Association’s meeting in Lexington, Ky.

Robert Taylor, head of the Florida Tech Department of Humanities and Communication, said, “Dr. Patterson is the national authority on the history of this important topic. This recognition is well-deserved.”