President of World Bank tours Newtonia

A parade of “official looking” black vehicles turned many heads Monday morning at the Ritchey Mansion in Newtonia.

The black cars and a large contingent of Secret Service personnel arrived at the Mansion house about 10 a.m. bringing Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt and Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank.

Mr. Zoellick, a Civil War buff, spent about 45 minutes touring the under-restoration mansion and grounds. His interest and knowledge of the Civil War was evident and he expressed great interest in what happened in Newtonia during the 1862 and the 1864 battles.

Three members of the Newtonia Battlefields Protection Association were on-hand to answer questions and lead the tour around the property.

“This was very exciting for us,” noted Russell Hively, “we have been talking with Secret Service people and Mr. Blunt’s staff for a week or so. We were asked not to talk to anyone else about this for security reasons.”

Russ Hively, Jr., who spent several years as caretaker of the mansion, served as guide.

“He was very, very interested in what happened here,” Hively said. “It’s refreshing to see someone interested in us who is so far removed from this because of what he does on a daily basis.”

And what Zoellick does on a “daily” basis affects the entire world. As President of the World Bank, he is responsible for helping impoverished people and nations around the world.

According to its Web site, the World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding for the developing world. Its primary focus is on helping the poorest people and the poorest countries.

 It uses its financial resources, its staff, and extensive experience to help developing countries reduce poverty, increase economic growth and improve their quality of life.

Zoellick has an impressed resume’. He served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. State Department; served in the President’s cabinet as the U. S. Trade Representative; served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House; and was honored for his work in unifying East and West Germany. He was educated first at Swarthmore College and then earned his law degree from the Harvard Law School and his MPP degree from the Kennedy School of Government.

A native of Naperville, Ill., Zoellick serves on many prestigious boards, including the Council on Foreign Relations, the European Institute, the American Council on Germany, The German Marshall Fund of the U.S., the Overseas Development Council and the Advisory Councils of the World Wildlife Fund.

On his visit to Newtonia, Zoellick was asked which country in the world he would consider the poorest.

After a pause, he said, “I just got back from Afghanistan and things are bad there, but there’s a war there. When I was first asked the question two countries came to mind, Liberia and Haiti.”

Asked if The World Bank has been able to help in these countries, he said there were things the Bank has been able to do.

But, he said, until some basic issues are resolved and people can work together, it is very difficult to help very much.

He did, however, point to agriculture as one of the best ways to help a poor nation.

He noted that developing agricultural projects causes an effect that ripples through the nation.

Not only does that provide more food to eat, it leads to development of roads and other infrastructures that make life better.

Zoellick was extremely interested in a discussion about the rich Newtonia soil and about Kip Cullers’ tremendous success with soybeans in the Newtonia/Stark City area.

He noted that many poor countries, especially those in Africa, could well use soil such as this.
But, he added, even with poor soil, there was progress.

As a guest of Congressman Blunt, Zoellick visited Wilson’s Creek on Sunday and then, on Monday, attended a breakfast in Carthage, came to Newtonia and then went on to Pea Ridge National Battlefield after leaving Newtonia.