PHOTO: PMP ARCHIVES
Cleanup time
Pest control can be a dirty job. Technicians who needed to wash their hands while out in the field had few options. One enterprising pest management professional — Robert L. Gunn Jr. of Gunn’s Exterminating Service in Montgomery, Ala. — took matters into his own hands and devised a unique setup: A 5-gallon Army gas can, on an 18-inch stand, that holds water. Connected to the can is a 0.5-inch-diameter water hose that leads to a spigot attached to the back door of the vehicle. A powdered soap dispenser and paper towel holder also are attached to the back door. The total cost of this makeshift handwashing station: $24, which in today’s dollars is $175.88. Gunn’s is a legacy company of Bug Hunters Inc., owned by Carey Bloodworth in Mobile, Ala.
PHOTO: PMP ARCHIVES
This woman’s work
Women who worked for pest control companies as technicians were so uncommon, one appeared on the popular television game show “What’s My Line” and stumped the panel. Marie Maxey, a 25-year-old “servicewoman” who worked for Orkin in Atlanta, Ga., was a former advertising manager’s secretary. She shared that, at 5 feet 6 inches tall and 108 pounds, her size and being female were not drawbacks on the job. Maxey said she found her work satisfying because she helped people maintain good health and living conditions.
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