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January 17, 1932 - March 17, 2017
It is with great sadness that the association informs its members of the passing of Dr. Stanley G. Green. Services will be held on Saturday, April 8 at Bryers Funeral Home in Willow Grove. Friends will begin to gather at 11:00 am with an informal service to begin at noon. Friends of Dr. Green who would like to speak at the service are welcomed to. Afterwards, friends are invited to join the family for a luncheon at the nearby VFW. If you plan to attend, please contact Becky Meacham, Dr. Green's daughter who is no stranger to PPMA events, at (215) 840-2672 or [email protected].
A Life Of Unselfish Service
Most people have folks who they call friends. In this day and age, with billions of people subscribing to Facebook, the term "friend" has taken on a casual yet curiously impersonal meaning. That is not the type of friend I am referring to here.
Stan Green was one of the best friends this industry ever had.
From 1968 - 1972, I was an undergrad at Penn State, on the main campus, majoring in General Ag, and minoring in Entomology. Although Stan and I later found out we were often in the same buildings at the same time, our paths did not cross there. In 1973, Entomology Department Head, Robert Snetsinger, gave Stan, then an Associate Professor, a mandate: "Applicator Certification is coming, and those structural pest control guys in the Philly area are gonna need a lot of help getting legal!" Thus was born the position of Southeast PA Extension Coordinator For Structural Pest Control.
So, in the fall of 1973, I was one of about 150 "exterminators" who were sitting in the bleachers in the gym at Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, PA, for the first of ten classes in "Modern
Pest Control". Imagine the collective shock when the first thing he did was pass out a test! Leave it to Stan to find a way to figure out what we DID know, before steering us to learn what we needed to know! The course was tough, but balanced, and I still have my certificate for completing it successfully.
When pesticide applicator certification did arrive, in 1975, his contributions to our education, combined with his contributions to the exams for the four categories that impact structural pest control the most - 11, 12, 13, 15, & 16 - made us better applicators, and made sure the exams were hitting the areas that should be hit. Eventually, he totally re-wrote those 4 exams. I recently took the Cat 13 exam for structural fumigation, and was shocked to see that it was still the 1993 test, the questions for which he had "bounced off" me in 1992 when he was rewriting it! If it ain't broken, why fix it?!
Stan quickly became the "go-to" guy for identifying insects and other multi-legged critters from his office at Broad and Grange in Philadelphia, and later at 46th & Market. We learned from him, and he learned from us.
His evening classes became a mecca for those of us who thirsted for knowledge of our craft long before certification update credits became the criteria for "should I go or not?" We went to learn. His Monday evening classes became a fixture in our area, held at the Penn State Ogontz campus. He partnered with a knowledgeable gentleman named Richard "Dick" Caldwell, who was Technical Director of a now long-gone company. It was through these classes that I purchased my first Mallis Handbook, 5th edition, for $20...including dust jacket. I now have the first through tenth edition, including another 5th edition with a special inscription: "To Stan from Arnold". He and Arnold Mallis knew each other well through their Penn State connection!
The Monday evening classes developed over the years to include a variety of guest speakers, from manufacturers' reps to other Pest Control Operators [we were no longer "exterminators!"]. Dick Caldwell passed away, and Dave Steiger became a steady presenter at these seasonal events [1 x ten week session in the fall, and one in the late winter]. As time passed, I was honored to become a regular speaker, and learned even more than I ever did in the classroom under Stan. He was a mentor to everyone.
His reputation as a great presenter was well-founded. Audiences sat in quiet attention for this unassuming, unpretentious, unselfish man who knew so much, and who made it all sound so interesting. He spoke throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, not only to the structural pest control industry, but to 4-H groups, ladies' garden clubs, boards of health, vector control groups, in-service programs, etc. The local news stations, both TV and radio, knew they could always get a great interview from him on any public health issue. His newsletter was a great source of information, although we teased him extensively when, just prior to his second marriage, he mailed out a newsletter that dealt with "Panty Pests." A most unfortunate typo!
All the area pest control associations sought him out as a speaker, and he even graced the stage at the Purdue Conference and NPMA Eastern Conference. Along with his Extension Newsletter, he contributed to a variety of industry and other publications, including Chapter 28: Itches, Illusions & Phobias in the Mallis 8th edition. His extension work in this area led to a referral program with the Psychology Department at Jefferson University in Philadelphia
His most lasting work, however, was being a champion for reducing the threat of litigation against this industry by developing a higher standard for the performance and issuance of real estate transfer termite inspection reports. The introduction of the pioneering PPCA-1 Wood Destroying Insect Inspection Report which was spear-headed by the late Len Bruno, which recognized the need for a higher standard for these inspections, led to the development of the PPMA Accredited Wood Destroying Insect Inspector's Manual, co-written by Stan and his great friend Dave Steiger, and formatted for the computer by their friend the late Bill Wilson.
He embraced the computer as a great new tool, and never met a "free" computer program that he did not install! As his computer would slow down, he would call my son, EJ, to "fix 'er up."
After the death of Bobbie, his third wife, with Stan already retired, the shock occasioned him to slip into a gradual state of dementia. It was hard on those of us who would get together several times a year to see Stan and "spring him from the home" for dinner. The decline became more rapid in the past two years.
It is hard to measure the worth of a man simply by his professional accomplishments. Stan's resume lists his BS, MS & Ph.D., his professional experience, responsibilities, areas of specialty, publications, etc. Not listed, but of equal importance are Loving Son, Loving Husband, Loving Father, Loving Grandfather, Loving Friend, Mentor, Guide, Traveling Companion, Accomplished Photographer and Professional Conscience.
For those of us who knew him, we will miss his quick wit, his readiness to help a Pest Management Professional [yes- another name change on his watch], and that seemingly endless fountain of useful and fascinating information that flowed from his mind.
Stan Green was one of the best friends I have ever had.
Ed Van Istendal
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