The North Carolina Pest Management Association Hall of Fame honors the individuals who have made significant life-long contributions to the association throughout its history. These individuals have been instrumental in forming and shaping NCPMA and North Carolina’s pest management industry. We are proud to honor the following individuals:
Harden Blackwell began his pest management career in 1971 and currently serves as Chairman of Terminix Company in Greensboro. An active member of the NCPMA for decades, he has served as the co-chair of the Rules and Regulations Committee, helped rebrand the Pest Control Technicians’ (PCT) School with more involvement from NCPMA and was elected president of the association in 1994.
Charles Cooper began his career in pest management in 1960 and founded Cooper Pest Control, Inc. in Raleigh in 1970. An active member of the North Carolina Pest Control Association since 1962, Charles served as president of the association in 1986 and was among the first class of inductees into the NCPMA Hall of Fame. He was appointed to the Structural Pest Committee by Governor Jim Martin from 1987-1990.
Delia Copley was the first licensed female pest control operator in North Carolina. A founding member of the North Carolina Pest Control Association, she served in many roles in the association including Executive Secretary in 1958 and editor of the newsletter in 1955. As editor, she turned the newsletter into a monthly publication. She assisted in the creation and passage of the first Structural Pest Control Act in 1955. A regular attendee of association meetings, Delia received a 25-year attendance award at the 1976 Pest Control Technician’s School and was among the inaugural class of NCPMA Hall of Fame inductees.
One of the founding members of the North Carolina Pest Control Association, Ivey Coward attended the first association meeting in 1951 in Winston-Salem. He continued to be an active member of the association serving as vice president in 1957 and president in 1963.
E. David Dodd, Jr. is one of the founding members of the North Carolina Pest Control Association (NCPCA). He served as president of NCPCA in 1959 and was editor of the association newsletter in 1962. In 1962, he lobbied the telephone companies to stop listing pest control companies in multiple places in phone books. Thanks to his efforts, pest control companies were listed under one heading in the phone books making it easier for consumers to find their phone numbers.
David (Dee) Dodd, III has been a licensed operator since 1984 and has worked for Carolina Pest Management, his family’s business, for the majority of his career. He has been active in NCPMA for much of his career serving as association president, chairman of the Rules and Regulations Committee since 1990 and helping to found the NCPMA Education Foundation and Past President’s Scholarship available to employees and their children in the industry. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
J.W. Efird was among the inaugural class of NCPMA Hall of Fame inductees. His pest management career began in 1941 and continued until his death in 1982. After founding Modern Exterminating Company in 1952, he was active in the association from 1958-1982 where he served on several committees regarding termite and pest control procedures. An early member of the new North Carolina Pest Control Association, J.W. Efird is credited with influencing the path the association took in shaping the professionalism of the industry and building the association on a solid foundation which has helped to make it what it is today.
R.B. Goforth is a second-generation pest management professional who spent most of his career working in his family business, Arrow Pest Control. He has been an active member of NCPMA since 1962 and served in numerous leadership roles including as the 1968 association president. R.B. graduated from North Carolina State University with a bachelor's degree in agriculture and entomology, served in the United States Navy, trained in the Navy's flight program and went on to serve in the Navy Reserve as a Commander until his retirement from the service in 1976. In addition to his professional career, he has been active in several civic organizations for decades including the Jaycees, Kiwanis, Boy Scouts, Boys Club, USO Board, Air Port Commission and more.
David Goforth was a pioneer in the pest control industry. After founding his own pest control company with his brothers Roy and Frank, he and Walt Wilson joined forces to transform the industry and eliminate bad business practices by other pest companies. David is one of the founding members of the North Carolina Pest Control Association and is listed on the association’s Certificate of Incorporation along with S.J. Stern, Jr. and Alice Bray. He served as president of the association in 1952.
Frank Goforth and his brothers Roy and David founded Arrow Exterminating Company. In 1959, he founded Go-Forth Pest Management in High Point with his wife Johnie. An active member of the association, he assisted in the creation and passage of the by-laws and constitution of the North Carolina Pest Control Association (NCPCA), attended the first NCPCA meeting in 1951 and served as president in 1966.
Roy Goforth founded Arrow Exterminating Company with his brothers Frank and David. After attending the first North Carolina Pest Control Association (NCPCA) meeting, he became an active member of the NCPCA and served as president in 1957.
Don Hamby of Don’s Pest Control in Clemmons, N.C. served as NCPMA president in 1991 and was inducted into the NCPMA Hall of Fame in January 2023.
Arnold Hamm served as president of the North Carolina Pest Control Association in 1967 and was inducted into the first class of the NCPMA Hall of Fame.
Mark Harrison started in the Pest Control Industry with Orkin as a Temite Technician eventually working his way into sales and then management. He started Whitco Termite and Pest Control in 1988 with Aaron Whitley. Years ago He bought his Partner out and owns it now with his oldest son Josh. Mark was President of the NCPMA in 2000. He also co-chaired the PCT school for 10 years. In 2013 he won the small business of the year award from the Granville County Chamber of Commerce. Mark has been an active member of NCPMA since 1989.
Charles (Chuck) Hazelwood began his pest management career in 1980 when he came to work for his wife's father at Go-Forth Pest & Lawn. He owned the company until 2012 when he sold the company to his son Chase Hazelwood. Chuck has been active in the High Point community and was elected Small Business Person of the Year in 1999 by the High Point Chamber of Commerce. He has been active in NCPMA throughout his career serving as association president, helped create the NCPMA Wood Destroying Insect Report Accreditation program and served as co-chair and director of the NCPMA Pest Control Technician's School for several years. In addition, he has been active in the National Pest Management Association serving on many boards and as regional vice-president.
James Hutto was the 1958 president of the North Carolina Pest Control Association. He was an active member in the association for many years and served on the legislative committee. Hutto worked with Orkin in North Carolina and South Carolina and served on the Structural Pest Control Committee in the 1970s.
Ralph Killough helped develop training policies to benefit the pest management industry. In 1987, Ralph helped start the Wood Destroying Insects Report (WDIR) Committee, which now provides accreditation to WDIR inspectors in the state. Dedicated to training and educating his own employees, Ralph developed a manual of company policies and procedures known as United We Stand for his own company which was adopted by the association for statewide implementation in 1994. The United We Stand manual written by Ralph inspired a two-day business seminar for owners and managers to help assist in their business operations, consumer relations and sales/technician training.
On Dec. 3, 1951, Walter Killough served as the temporary chairman at the meeting to adopt the constitution and by-laws for the newly formed North Carolina Pest Control Association at the Robert E. Lee Hotel in Winston Salem.
Eugene Lynn began working for Orkin Exterminating Company in Wilmington at the age of 15 and later founded Surety Exterminating Company in Raleigh in 1957. Gene assisted in lobbying the state legislature for passage of the North Carolina Structural Pest Control Law in the 1950s and was appointed by Governor James Hunt to be the Governor’s appointee for the Structural Pest Control Committee for a 4-year term in 1981. An active member of the North Carolina Pest Control Association, he was elected president of the North Carolina Pest Control Association in 1965.
Les May championed professionalism among the pest management industry and promoted individual membership and participation in association activities. An active member of the North Carolina Pest Control Association, he served as president in 1972 and chaired the legislative committee in 1974. During his tenure on the legislative committee, the committee helped incorporate changes into state pest control law based on changes by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Bill McClellan helped shape the pest management industry into what it is today. In 1955, he worked alongside Ike O’Hanlon, Dr. Clyde Smith and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture to develop minimum standards for termite control. These standards later became part of the North Carolina Structural Pest Control Act which became law on May 17, 1955. Bill also chaired the NCPCA committee to help develop the Structural Pest Control Act. A founding member of the association, Bill served as president in 1962 and was among the inaugural Hall of Fame inductees.
Bobby Moffitt is responsible for building the association’s involvement with Special Olympics North Carolina. In 1989 he urged the association to sponsor and provide volunteers for Special Olympics which resulted in a 17-year involvement with the nonprofit organization. The North Carolina Pest Control Association’s involvement included raising funds, providing volunteers and selling first aid kits as a special fundraiser dedicated solely to the nonprofit group. Bobby served as association president in 1983 and was included in the inaugural class of the Hall of Fame inductees.
Sam Newman championed regulation and professionalism among the pest management industry. He was a dedicated and active member of the association for many years serving as a regional vice president for 15 years before being elected president in 1988. He volunteered for every committee on the North Carolina Pest Control Association, planning regional workshops and the Winter PCT School. In 1987 he served as chairman of the first Wood Destroying Insects Report (WDIR) committee which produced a new reporting form for WDIR inspections.
Ike O’Hanlon helped shape the 1955 North Carolina Structural Pest Control Commission. Working alongside Bill McClellan, Dr. Clyde Smith and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, the team developed minimum standards for termite control which later became part of the Structural Pest Control Act. In addition, he was one of two industry representatives appointed to the Structural Pest Control Commission and served as a state representative in the General Assembly. In 1965, he served on a North Carolina Pest Control Association committee to review the pest control law and provide input for revision, and he served on the 1967 Structural Pest Control Committee.
T.C. Smith was actively involved in the North Carolina Pest Control Association (NCPCA) during his time as owner of Smith Exterminating in Raleigh, NC. He was instrumental in the progress made by the NCPCA during his involvement with the Association.
J.W. Taylor was a founding member of the North Carolina Pest Control Association who eventually became a Lifetime Member and was included in the inaugural Hall of Fame class. He attended the first meeting of the association in 1951 and was elected president in 1955, the same year that the Structural Pest Control Act was passed. In 1974 he was elected a Lifetime Member of the association, a new, non-voting designation given to retired pest control operators who had been active in the association for at least 20 years.
Steve Taylor founded Capital Pest Services, Inc. in Raleigh in 1981. Throughout his career, he has been an active member in the North Carolina Pest Control Association. His accomplishments include helping to set up the association’s annual Legislative Day, chairing the annual summer conference, helping the association to rebrand the PCT School and serving as the association president in 1993. In 1998, he served as Interim Executive Director for the association following the unexpected death of the association’s executive director.
Billy Tesh has been involved in the pest management industry since the age of 14. With more than 40 years of experience in the pest management industry, Billy has been active on both national and state levels. He served as NCPMA president in 1987 and the 2014-2015 president of the National Pest Management Association and has been active in public policy and legislative committees for both organizations for many years. Billy owns and operates Greensboro-based Pest Management Systems, Inc., which he co-founded with his wife in 1984, and is a graduate of North Carolina State University.
Mike Waldvogel, Ph.D., is the former Extension Associate Professor & Extension Specialist at North Carolina State University’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. To honor his contribution to North Carolina's pest management industry, NCPMA created the NCPMA Extension Program Endowment in Honor of Mike Waldvogel that will support the ongoing work of North Carolina State University, focusing on supporting positions that directly contribute to the education of the pest management industry.
Walter Wilson was a visionary for professionalism in the pest control industry. After founding Wilson Exterminating Company with Bob McNeely in Winston-Salem in 1939, Walter joined forces with David Goforth and Dr. Clyde Smith to form a partnership among the industry and North Carolina State University’s entomology department to help make the pest control profession more honest in 1948. Walter was also involved in many other firsts for the association. He was a founding member of the association, attended the association’s first meeting in 1951 and was a member of the North Carolina Structural Pest Commission. He was elected president in 1953 and 1954 and was named Pest Control Operator of the Year in 1961.