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Born into slavery in 1864 and the humblest
of surroundings in Diamond, Missouri, George Washington Carver
lived pursuing the "dreams" of America - the country
he loved and the country that grew to love him.
Dr. Carver lived a fairy tail type life from
slavery to national prominence; a life so rich that when Dr.
Carver is studied he appears almost mythical.
Given books at an early age by his owner, Dr.
Carver began a lifetime pursuit of knowledge. A pursuit which
covered such diverse areas as endless uses for the sweet potato
and peanut, to successful treatment of polio patients, to nutrition
research for the United States Army during World War I.
Dr. Carver is also credited with saving Southern
agriculture. Dr. Carver revitalized the one crop economy of
the South by introducing wide ranging profitable uses for crops
like the peanut and sweet potato.
In addition to being an eminent scientist,
Dr. Carver was also a notable teacher. Dr. Carver helped found
and teach at the legendary Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. At
Tuskegee, Dr. Carver worked with another renowned figure - Booker
T. Washington. George Washington Carver died in 1943, still
a humble man, but now a famous and worldly admired as a scientist
and educator with peers and friends like Edison, Ford and Wallace.
Dr. Carver received the living American Legion
Department of Missouri Distinguished Service Award posthumously
in 1971. In 1994, Carver City replaced Coontz City at Missouri
Boys State.
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