Orange County FlArchives Obituaries.....Yothers, William Walter July 10, 1971
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Orlando Sentinel, 11 July 1971
Mr. William Walter Yothers, 91, a resident of Orlando for more than half a 
century and a retired entomologist, died Saturday.  He was a pioneer in the 
growth and development of the Florida citrus industry.

Mr. Yothers, father of Jean Yothers, society editor and columnist of the 
Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Evening Star, was born Sept. 15, 1879, in Ashton, 
Ill.

He was raised in Idaho where his family moved when he was 10.  He was graduated 
from the University of Idaho with a B.S. degree in 1903 and obtained an A.B. 
degree from Cornell University in 1904, both in agriculture.

From 1904 until he retired in 1935, Mr. Yothers was employed by the United 
States Department of Agriculture in the Bureau of Entomology.  He was 
transferred to Orlando in 1907 to work on citrus insects.  The Orlando USDA 
station was one year old at the time.

For 25 years he was in charge of the Bureau of Entomology's laboratories in 
Orlando and responsible for valuable research on insects that plague Florida's 
most important agricultural industry.

In 1917, he married the former Ada Bumby, Orlando, in the Bumby home located at 
Orange and Jackson, present site of the CNA Building.  After living there for 
many years, they moved to Boone Street on property now occupied by the city.  
In 1964, they moved to 826 W. Alameda Street.

In 1915 Mr. Yothers published the first insect and mite control program for 
Florida citrus growers.  He developed early recommendations for the use of oil 
for the control of scale inscects and of sulphur for the control of rust mites.

These materials are still in use.

In 1926 when the Mediterranean fruit fly was threatening the entire citrus 
industry, Mr. Yothers was sent to Honolulu by the USDA to research the problem, 
helping to develop the sterilization process that stopped the growth of larvae 
in the peel before it could damage the fruit.

In 1965, the Florida Entomological Society bestowed upon him the annual Honors 
Award, acknowledging his contributions to entomology in Florida.  A charter 
member of the socity, founded in 1927, he served as president in 1927.

Following his USDA retirement, Mr. Yothers went into business for himself, 
freelancing as citrus consultant for insecticide and citrus organizations such 
as Chase & Company, Fosgate Growers, Fort Pierce Citrus Growers Association, 
Wilson & Toomer Fertilizer Co., and Rhome & Haas Chemical Co.

A long time grower-member of Plymouth Citrus Growers Association, Mr. Yothers 
served as a member of its board of directors.  He was a former director of the 
Florida Citrus Exchange, former officer and honorary member of Florida State 
Horticultural Association, member of Central Florida Cornell Alumni 
Association, and member of the First Presbyterian Church.

Survivors include his widow; two daughters, Mrs. Russell F. Fisher, Winter 
Park, and Miss Yothers, Orlando; sister Mrs. Maud Y. Cox, St. Petersburg; 
brother Merrill A. Yothers, Seattle; and four grandchildren.

Franklin-Cole Funeral Home.

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