DATE:     1/8/04
CONTACT:  Dr. Eric Benson, (864) 656-7860; ebenson@clemson.edu
WRITER:   Diane Palmer, (864) 656-4741; spalmer@clemson.edu

Benson receives Clemson Extension
Superior Performance Award

     CLEMSON -- Eric Benson, a Clemson University entomologist, has
received the Cooperative Extension Service Superior Service Award.
     Benson, a Clemson faculty member for six years, received the award
during the Dec. 17 faculty meeting.
     He was recognized for dedicated service in providing "outstanding
innovative and creative programs and information delivery for the
public and private citizens of South Carolina."
     Benson delivers nationally recognized programs for the pest
control industry through his the annual Pest Control Operators
Conference, Apprentice Termite Technician Training Program, Master
Termite Technician Training Program, Master Pest Control Operators
Course and other programs.
     He has also been doing a weekly radio show with Cam Lay and
Charlotte Holt called "Got Bugs" for the past three years on the "Your
Day" radio program. Your Day is a daily radio program heard statewide
through the S.C. Educational Radio Network.
     "Eric is a rare individual who, on a regular basis, exceeds the
expectations of all who work with him," said Pat Zungoli, professor in
the Department of Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences.
     Serving as program chairman, Benson's annual pest control
operator's school is attended by approximately 500 people from nearly
200 companies.  His The school is nationally recognized in the trade
magazines as one of the best in the country for the pest control
industry.
     He is also a member of the team that offers two other nationally
recognized programs for termite technicians in South Carolina -- the
Apprentice Termite Technician Program and the Master Termite Technician
Program. These programs are known nationally as the first of their kind
in the country.
     "I have had the privilege of knowing Eric since he was a graduate
student in the Department of Entomology," said Clyde Gorsuch, Clemson
Extension entomologist. "He has taken a strong educational program and
made it into an outstanding program that is nationally recognized."
                              END