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Earlier this year, we received some sad news: George and Wilma Fong
were retiring after almost 50 years at the helm of Florida Pesticide
Residue Workshop (FPRW). The field of pesticide detection and analysis
would not be what it is today without FPRW or George and Wilma Fong.
They will be missed.
After cheering the Fongs when they accepted the inaugural FPRW ser-
vice award—named in their honor—I was fortunate enough to catch up
with George. Here’s just a small peek at our discussion.
Jack: What made you decide to start FPRW?
George: I felt very isolated from technical information. I suggested... that
a periodical meeting for all Chemical Residue Laboratory (CRL) chemists
and inspectors to discuss analytical technology and regulatory matters
was necessary.
The first intra-lab CRL meeting was held in Tallahassee during the holidays of 1964. The fol-
lowing meeting in 1965 was held at the Sanford field laboratory. The late Dr. Charles H. Van
Middelem was invited to speak... Dr. Van Middelem presented to us the technical require-
ments of pesticide residue analysis. He suggested that CRL and Interregional Research Project
(IR-4) could work closely and encouraged such meetings…
Jack: Has the meeting always been called the Florida Pesticide Residue Workshop?
George: There were no names for the first few meetings; they were like discussion gather-
ings. The 1966 workshop… had speakers from the FDA in addition to CRL chemists... We asked
each attendee to speak or just to give a short talk about their laboratory work. We particularly
encouraged attendees from government agencies to describe their programs. I believe the
name [FPRW] was introduced a few years later.
Soon after, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) became an issue. CRL was one of the first labo-
ratories to analyze residues of PCBs and PCB congeners using the Pestilyzer. We shared our
knowledge with other state laboratories…
Jack: How has FPRW impacted pesticide
residue analysis over the years?
George: Its biggest impact has been in pro-
viding a way for us to share knowledge and
network with colleagues…When a pesticide
residue crisis arose, the agencies were no
longer alone. They could find advice and
assistance…
For the entire interview, be sure to visit
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Sitting DownWith a
Chromatography Icon:
W. George Fong
By Jack Cochran
W. George Fong
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Only CRL personnel and a few chemists from the
Florida Dept. of Ag. attended the first meetings.
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