Dr. Carver:The Man and His Mission Peanuts.

Sometimes an elderly friend disappears and says 'You must read this' and it will be a book or article about something relevant at the time. On Sunday my friend had the sudden thought to share her favourite poem - kept in the kitchen.

Handing me the paper as written 'One of Dr. Carvers favourite Poems' - I knew this was timely and to share the message.

Afterwards I thought....is this just about the message in the poem or something else? Who is Dr. Carver and why his memory brought forth these days.

So I am sharing a little information about the man, quoting Wikipedia. The link below includes other information about childhood and growing up.

George Washington Carver (1860s – January 5, 1943), was an American botanist and inventor. He actively promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion 

He wanted poor farmers to grow alternative crops, such as peanuts and sweet potatoes as a source of their own food and to improve their quality of life. 

His 44 practical bulletins for farmers contained 105 food recipes using peanuts. Although he spent years developing and promoting numerous products made from peanuts, none became commercially successful.

 

One of America's greatest scientists.

During the last two decades of his life, Carver seemed to enjoy his celebrity status. He was often on the road promoting Tuskegee University, peanuts and racial harmony.

With his increasing notability, Carver became the subject of biographies and articles. Raleigh H. Merritt contacted him for his biography published in 1929. Merritt wrote:

At present not a great deal has been done to utilize Dr. Carver's discoveries commercially. He says that he is merely scratching the surface of scientific investigations of the possibilities of the peanut and other Southern products

From 1933 to 1935, Carver worked to develop peanut oil massages to treat infantile paralysis (polio) Ultimately, researchers found that the massages, not the peanut oil, provided the benefits of maintaining some mobility to paralyzed limbs. 

From 1935 to 1937, Carver participated in the USDA Disease Survey. Carver had specialized in plant diseases and mycology for his master's degree.

Upon returning home one day, Carver took a bad fall down a flight of stairs; he was found unconscious by a maid who took him to a hospital. Carver died January 5, 1943, at the age of 78 from complications (anemia) resulting from this fall. He was buried next to Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee University.

Due to his frugality, Carver's life savings totaled $60,000, all of which he donated in his last years and at his death to the Carver Museum and to the George Washington Carver Foundation.

On his grave was written, He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world.

Carver believed he could have faith both in God and science and integrated them into his life. He testified on many occasions that his faith in Jesus was the only mechanism by which he could effectively pursue and perform the art of science. Carver became a Christian when he was still a young boy, as he wrote in connection to his conversion in 1931: 

I was just a mere boy when converted, hardly ten years old. There isn't much of a story to it. God just came into my heart one afternoon while I was alone in the 'loft' of our big barn while I was shelling corn to carry to the mill to be ground into meal. 

A dear little white boy, one of our neighbors, about my age came by one Saturday morning, and in talking and playing he told me he was going to Sunday school tomorrow morning. I was eager to know what a Sunday school was. He said they sang hymns and prayed. I asked him what prayer was and what they said. I do not remember what he said; only remember that as soon as he left I climbed up into the 'loft,' knelt down by the barrel of corn and prayed as best I could. I do not remember what I said. I only recall that I felt so good that I prayed several times before I quit. 

My brother and myself were the only colored children in that neighborhood and of course, we could not go to church or Sunday school, or school of any kind. 

That was my simple conversion, and I have tried to keep the faith. 

— G. W. Carver; Letter to Isabelle Coleman; July 24, 1931'

Throughout his career, he always found friendship with other Christians. He relied on them especially when criticized by the scientific community and media regarding his research methodology.

Carver viewed faith in Jesus Christ  as a means of destroying both barriers of racial disharmony and social stratification.He was as concerned with his students' character development as he was with their intellectual development. He compiled a list of eight cardinal virtues for his students to strive toward:

• Be clean both inside and out.
• Neither look up to the rich nor down on the poor.
• Lose, if need be, without squealing.
• Win without bragging.
• Always be considerate of women, children, and older people.
• Be too brave to lie.
• Be too generous to cheat.
• Take your share of the world and let others take theirs

Beginning in 1906 at Tuskegee, Carver led a Bible class on Sundays for several students at their request. He regularly portrayed stories by acting them out. He responded to critics with this: "When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world."

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Carver

Sometimes, a name will come to our attention because we are meant to take notice - even if we do not know the actual reason why.

My only visit to California USA as a child with my paralysed mother brought diverse experiences. It is there I first ate Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich and since from time to time. I never gave more thought to that.

'Allergic reaction to peanuts' is since brought to people's attention. As there is a reason for everything, is there also discovery of the reason why?

Dr. Carver a man of God found faith in Jesus Christ. He did not see science as a different religion but I wonder, how much more did he discover that never was accepted in this time...Another man who had a fall down the stairs 

Too many falls have come to my attention, with broken necks and head injuries. - This is around the time and since I had fallen -

Something is causing these falls...'unseen forces' 

And if this is unseen forces, what is the reason why? We are living in difficult and very strange times and this is an era that is long foretold... 

The people who have passed, who contributed positively to progress celebrate and commemorate them all but remember, somewhere there are people who remain invisible in their own struggles who do not seek fame - but are born to make a positive difference in our world. A great many people.

If men could realise their true value and seek less to puff up their egos and muscles, to cultivate their soul, to be with pure heart and pure intentions our world will be transformed. The dog eat dog world cannot endure. 

There is no competition - each person is born with a purpose, man woman and child. Time will tell what will be in this world We are entrusted with.

Peace be with you

Pauline Maria