Joe and Mary Wilson Fulfill Pledge to Establish Virginia Tech Endowed Urban Entomology Professorship

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - Joe and Mary Wilson, of Fredericksburg, Va., announced they have fulfilled their pledge to establish the Joseph R. and Mary W. Wilson Endowed Urban Entomology Professorship in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Wilson is the former owner of PermaTreat Pest Control, a leading pest control company located in Central and Northern Virginia.

The Wilson Urban Entomology Professor will lead entomology research efforts with the goal of discovering new and innovative ways to fight the scourge of urban pests such as bedbugs and cockroaches and share that information with the public.

In 2018, the couple had pledged to establish the professorship, and at that time Joe Wilson told his local newspaper, “We felt like this was an opportunity to give back to an institution that helped build our business. Our industry is very closely tied to Virginia Tech. They have provided most of the training and instruction for pest control officers like myself.”