Volume 11, Number 4, 2003
On the first day of each semester, Dale F. Bray always took a photograph of each of the 90 or more students enrolled in his classes in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. By the next class meeting, the entomology professor invariably knew everyone by name.
Former students and colleagues say Dr. Bray, who served as chairperson of the Department of Entomology and Applied Ecology from 1958-80, was dedicated to his research and had an even greater devotion to his students. He advised, encouraged and mentored them during their academic years and, very often, throughout their careers, they say.
Dr. Bray retired in 1983 and eight years later moved to a cabin in northern Pennsylvania, where he lived until shortly before his death in October 2001. But even in his retirement years, he stayed in touch with his former students, who say that his commitment to them was boundless and that the admiration was mutual.
That's why the Delaware Pest Control Association--composed of many of Dr. Bray's former students--has created the new Delaware Pest Control Association/Dale F. Bray Structural Entomology Endowment Fund to honor his memory.
The association initiated the fund with a $10,000 contribution, and individual members have built upon that with personal donations. The scholarship will offer financial support to students matriculated as entomology majors in the College. Scholarship winners will have demonstrated an interest in pursuing a career in structural pest research or structural pest management.
The endowment fund is a tangible way that his fellow entomology alumni can demonstrate what Dale Bray meant to them, says Mark Lacey, AG '71. At Dr. Bray's urging, Lacey went on to earn master's and doctoral degrees at Cornell University.
"Dale Bray was, without question, my mentor ... the single individual who sparked my interest in what would become my life's work," says Lacey, who owns IPM Network Inc. and travels the country consulting on pest management issues. "As soon as I took Dale's 'Elements of Entomology' course, I was hooked. He made learning very easy."
Dr. Bray helped found the Delaware Pest Control Association and stayed active with the group. His research interests included a type of small moth known as Microlepidoptera. His private insect collection, which includes three insects he discovered, is housed in the Smithsonian Institution.
--Margo McDonough, AS '86, '95M
For more information about the endowment fund or to contribute, contact Joe Bradley, the College's director of development, at 113 Townsend Hall, Newark, DE 19716, by phone at (302) 831-2501 or via e-mail at [jbradley@udel.edu].