Today's Out Spotlight is an inventor who invented much more than what he is most well know for. He was a groundbreaking agricultural scientist, known for discovering innovative uses for peanuts, sweet potatoes and clay. He invented a staple in many kitchens and a beloved treat for many, peanut butter. Today's Out Spotlight is George Washington Carver.
Born during the Civil War,July 12, 1864, Carver overcame racism to establish himself as a preeminent scientist and renowned academic.
He was born a slave in southwest Missouri. As an infant, he was kidnapped by slave raiders, and then abandoned when they discovered he suffered from whooping cough. His mother’s former owners, Moses and Susan Carver, adopted and raised him.
At the age of 13, Carver left home to attend a school for African-Americans. In 1890, he went to Simpson College in Iowa, where he was the only black student. In 1891, he transferred to Iowa State College to focus on his passion for agriculture. After graduating, he served as the only black member of the Iowa State faculty.He was then invited to head the agriculture department at the Tuskegee Institute, a university for black students founded by Booker T. Washington.
As a professor, Carver encouraged students to think creatively and independently. He emphasized self-sufficiency and resilience, and he pursued broad interests, including painting and religion. Throughout his life, he maintained a positive approach. Even in the face of overt racism, Carver said, “I can’t do my work if my heart is bitter.”
Carver is best known for his advances in the agricultural field. He devised and taught impoverished farmers uses for nutritious, commonly grown crops. He was the first scientist to discover multiple uses for peanuts, developing products as diverse as flour, ink and face cream. He experimented with developing rubber from the sweet potato. Carver’s discoveries are seen as the basis for many products, including biofuels and fruit-based cleaning products.
In 1916, Carver was offered membership in the Royal Society of London. In 1923, he was given a Spingarn Medal by the NAACP. Simpson College awarded him an honorary degree in 1932.
During the last two decades of his life, Carver seemed to enjoy his celebrity status. He was often to be found on the road promoting Tuskegee, peanuts, and racial harmony. Although he only published six agricultural bulletins after 1922, he published articles in peanut industry journals and wrote a syndicated newspaper column, "Professor Carver's Advice". Business leaders came to seek his help, and he often responded with freeWhile Carver was never out, the never married Carver was private about his orientation during a time when homosexuality was not publicly accepted. It has been surmised that he was homosexual, based on assertions by his biographers Linda O. McMurry and Rackham Holt.
George Washington Carver passed away January 5, 1943.
“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.”