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Diamond, Mo. —
People came together Saturday to celebrate a life and legacy at George Washington Carver National Monument. Whether for the historical significance, impact on conservation or pride in black achievement, everybody had their own favorite qualities that were endowed in Carver.
Carver Day is an annual celebration at the monument. Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., marked the 67th celebration since the national monument was established in 1943.
“It’s...to celebrate the establishment (of the park),” said Curtis Gregory, park ranger, “and again to honor the many accomplishments and things of George Washington Carver.”
In addition to music and guest speakers, there are several tables set up at the National Monument where local historians, conservation agencies and others could show and tell.
Jeff Cantrell, naturalist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, came to Carver Day and talked with people about conservation and Carver’s record in it.
“George Washington Carver was a naturalist,” said Cantrell, “and so that’s our job, being naturalists, interpreting the outdoors for people to enjoy.”
The national monument rangers brought in speaker Mark Hersey, assistant professor of history at Mississippi State University, to talk about Carver’s conservation legacy. Hersey has a Carver book coming out soon titled “My work is that of Conservation: An Environmental Biography.”
“I spoke on (Carver’s) agricultural conservation; I pointed out that he’s really one of the few genuine components of geological agriculture,” Hersey said.
Lyle Sparkman, with the Missouri Archeological Society, said there’s a lot of history in Missouri that people don’t know about, and he came to Carver Day because of Carver’s significance in local history.
“We’re basically showing that Missouri has a very deep past,” Sparkman said. “There is a lot of stories under our feet that people are unaware of.”
Melinda Brown, of Carthage, attended Carver Day and likes to come to the National Monument because of its history.
“It’s phenomenal,” she said. “I’m impressed with the history and to be in the presence of a national monument is a privilege.”
Brown was also one of the attendees who came to celebrate black history.
“The black heritage is excellent in this country,” she said.
In fact, George Washington Carver National Monument was the first national monument dedicated to a black person.
The day’s second speaker, Dr. Walter Hill, professor and dean at Tuskegee University, is interested in the past of the “black belt,” a region in the South that faces poverty.
People came together Saturday to celebrate a life and legacy at George Washington Carver National Monument. Whether for the historical significance, impact on conservation or pride in black achievement, everybody had their own favorite qualities that were endowed in Carver.
Carver Day is an annual celebration at the monument. Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., marked the 67th celebration since the national monument was established in 1943.
“It’s...to celebrate the establishment (of the park),” said Curtis Gregory, park ranger, “and again to honor the many accomplishments and things of George Washington Carver.”
In addition to music and guest speakers, there are several tables set up at the National Monument where local historians, conservation agencies and others could show and tell.
Jeff Cantrell, naturalist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, came to Carver Day and talked with people about conservation and Carver’s record in it.
“George Washington Carver was a naturalist,” said Cantrell, “and so that’s our job, being naturalists, interpreting the outdoors for people to enjoy.”
The national monument rangers brought in speaker Mark Hersey, assistant professor of history at Mississippi State University, to talk about Carver’s conservation legacy. Hersey has a Carver book coming out soon titled “My work is that of Conservation: An Environmental Biography.”
“I spoke on (Carver’s) agricultural conservation; I pointed out that he’s really one of the few genuine components of geological agriculture,” Hersey said.
Lyle Sparkman, with the Missouri Archeological Society, said there’s a lot of history in Missouri that people don’t know about, and he came to Carver Day because of Carver’s significance in local history.
“We’re basically showing that Missouri has a very deep past,” Sparkman said. “There is a lot of stories under our feet that people are unaware of.”
Melinda Brown, of Carthage, attended Carver Day and likes to come to the National Monument because of its history.
“It’s phenomenal,” she said. “I’m impressed with the history and to be in the presence of a national monument is a privilege.”
Brown was also one of the attendees who came to celebrate black history.
“The black heritage is excellent in this country,” she said.
In fact, George Washington Carver National Monument was the first national monument dedicated to a black person.
The day’s second speaker, Dr. Walter Hill, professor and dean at Tuskegee University, is interested in the past of the “black belt,” a region in the South that faces poverty.
He was one of the editors of a book titled, Land and Power: Sustainable Agriculture and African Americans.
“I spoke on Carver’s unfinished business in the black belt,” he said. “I focused in on...the black belt counties in Alabama, what Carver left undone.”
As two experts in Carver’s works, Hersey and Hill had thoughts on what Carver's reaction would be if he could see his impact today on agriculture and conservation.
“I think he would have been self-conscious about a day (in his honor) like this,” Hersey said. “He would have been quietly proud, though.”
Though that may be true, nobody else was quiet about their pride on Saturday.
“I don’t think other people around here realize — or appreciate it — as much as we should what we have here,” said Karen Castleberry, of Galena, Kan.
