George Washington Carver Day

George Washington Carver Day of Recognition Program - February 1, 2024

On George Washington Carver Day in Iowa, Carver’s life and legacy live on as a potent symbol of courage, perseverance and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Join Iowa State University in celebrating the second annual George Washington Carver Day of Recognition, February 1, 2024.

In-person event:

Durham Great Hall, ISU Memorial Union

5 p.m. - Registration

5:30-6:50 p.m. - Program

Registration requested

Join the livestream

Agenda

5:00-5:30 p.m. – Registration/Meet and Greet
5:30 p.m.-6:50 p.m. – Program
- Welcome - Dan Robison, Endowed Dean’s Chair, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Presentation: Iowa State University Food Insecurity Challenge – Student Leaders
- Keynote Address, "A visit with Professor George Washington Carver" – Paxton Williams, Attorney, Belin McCormick, PC
- Remarks: Rolundus Rice, Chief Operating Officer, Vice President for Student Affairs, Tuskegee University
- Remarks: Jay Byers, President, Simpson College
- Remarks: Reflecting on the Legacy of George Washington Carver -
  - Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, Emeritus President, World Food Prize Foundation
  - Simon Estes, F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Artist-In-Residence, Iowa State University Department of Music and Theatre
6:50 p.m. – Closing Remarks – Dan Robison, Endowed Dean’s Chair, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Program speakers

Keynote Address:

Paxton Williams, Attorney, Belin McCormick, PC

Additional Remarks:

Dan Robison, Endowed Dean’s Chair, Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Rolundus Rice, Chief Operating Officer, Vice President for Student Affairs, Tuskegee University

Jay Byers, President, Simpson College

Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, President Emeritus, World Food Prize Foundation

Simon Estes, F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Artist-In-Residence, Iowa State University Department of Music and Theatre

Carver's Legacy

Carver’s story is one of extraordinary resiliency. Born into slavery in Missouri around 1864, he sought higher education in Iowa, at Simpson College and Iowa State University. He was Iowa State’s first Black student, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees. After graduation, he became Iowa State’s first Black faculty member.

Carver left Iowa for the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where he spent the rest of his life applying his innovative genius to agriculture. He became world renowned for creating hundreds of products made from peanuts, sweet potatoes and other native Southern crops.

A kind and patient teacher, Carver showed farmers how alternative crops and practices could benefit their bottom line and sustain their land. He took practical knowledge gained from science and delivered it to those working in the fields and rural areas.

Carver died in 1943. He received many honors during his life and after his death, including election to the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, and an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Iowa State.

It has been said of Carver that he wanted to turn the ugly into the beautiful and the wasteful into the useful, so that even “the poorest of God’s creatures” would be healthier, their homes more comfortable, their surroundings more beautiful and their lives more significant.

In Iowa, on Feb. 1, the reason to celebrate his legacy is to remember and honor George Washington Carver’s work ethic and inspiring innovation, and to help young people understand the extraordinary opportunities in science — and life.

"Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom."

George Washington Carver