AUSTIN, Texas — A well-known former professor was recently named a legend by the Plant-Insect Ecosystems (PIE) section of the Entomological Society of America. The award recognizes entomologists for their outstanding contributions to the science of entomology and as their role as a student mentor.
Professor Emeritus Dr. George Teetes was the third Legends after announcement during the P-IE’s annual networking session at the ESA Annual Meeting in Austin in November of 2013.
During his 36 years as a professor, Dr. Teetes identified and deployed insect-resistant sorghums pivotal to successful integrated pest management programs in Texas and worldwide. In addition to IPM programs, Teetes has written over 300 publications on sorghum insect management and was a co-founder of the US-AID INTSORMIL projects.
According to the organization’s site, the US-AID INTSORMIL projects help enhance the research capacity of agricultural research institutions in food deficit countries and to focus this increased capability on ensuring national food security through the alleviation of constraints that limit the sustainable production of sorghum, millet and other grains.
Teetes taught the Field Crop Insects course for 25 years and advised more than 40 graduate students. In his teaching career he received numerous awards, including being honored with the 1979, 1981, and 1991 Outstanding Entomology Professor Award given annually by The Undergraduate Entomology Student Organization (UESO) at Texas A&M University.
Dedicated to his profession, Dr. Teetes’ service was highlighted by his roles as President of the American Registry of Professional Entomologists (1990) (forerunner of the current Board Certified Entomology program conducted by the Entomological Society of America) and President of the Entomological Society of America (1994). He was also named Fellow of the Entomological Society of America in 1996 for his outstanding contributions to entomology.
Some of the advice Teetes gave his students includes always striving for perfection and being prepared and that the quality of the work they do reflects on them and to network.
“I am honored and humbled by the efforts of my former students to nominate me for the P-IE Section award,” he said. “The thought they would do so is significantly rewarding.”