Every cloud has a silver lining' The life of George Washington Carver is a reminder of that old sayi

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Every cloud has a silver lining. The life of
George Washington Carver is a reminder of that
old saying.

• By Debby Edmonds

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Instead of giving up when faced with problems as
many people do, George looked for opportunities
hidden in the problems.
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Though George was born into slavery, he became
Dr. George Washington Carver who was known all
over the world.
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• He lived through stormy events
• His father died in a logging accident.
• He and his mother were stolen by raiders, and he
  never saw her again.
• George was returned to the Carvers, his
• mothers kind owners, but he had whooping cough,
  and a doctor said he would not live past 21
  years. His voice was affected for the rest of his
  life.
• He had to search for ways to learn because he
  was poor and many schools did not allow black
  people to enter in those days.

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Because George was frail and sickly, he could not
do the heavy work of farming and had time to
observe and learn to love plants and nature, but
still he missed getting to know his mother very
much and said that there are many things an
orphan would rather forget.

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The little orphan grew into a scientist who
helped save the South. Cotton crops had used up
the nutrients in the soil. People could not grow
enough cotton to sell and buy food for their
children. Dr. Carver knew that plants like
peanuts were good for the soil because of
nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
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George knew that the South could grow more
peanuts than people could eat so he would have to
invent new uses for the peanut. This is what he
did in his own words. Picking Apart the
PeanutWhy, I just took a handful of peanuts and
looked at them. "Great Creator," I said, "why
did you make the peanut? Why? With such
knowledge as I had of chemistry and physics I
set to work to take the peanut apart. I
separated the water, the fats, the oils, the
gums, the resins, sugars, starches, pectoses,
pentoses, pentosans, legumen, lysin, the ameno
and amedo acids. There! I had the parts of the
peanut all spread out before me. Then I merely
went on to try different combinations of those
parts, under different conditions of
temperature, pressure, and so forth. The result
was what you see these 202 different products,
all made from peanuts! ( from http//www.nwf.org/
internationalwildlife/1998/esayso98.html)
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George went on to discover over three hundred
uses for the peanut as well as 100 uses for sweet
potatoes, 75 for pecans, and many more
for Georgia clay. At one time, Thomas Edison
offered to pay him 100, 000 a year to come and
work for him, but George turned Edison down
because he wanted to stay in the South and work
for his people.
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This was the advice given by George and
practiced by him in life It is not the style of
clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile
one drives, nor the amount of money one has in
the bank, that counts. These mean nothing. It is
simply service that measures success." George
Washington Carver ( from http//www.coax.net/peop
le/lwf/carver.htm)
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Instead of feeling sorry for himself over all
the things he did not have, George Washington
Carver found the silver lining! He was a success.
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EQUIPMENT" by Edgar A. Guest Poem recited by Dr.
George Washington Carver during his commencement
address at Selma University, Selma Alabama on May
27, 1942. EQUIPMENT Figure it out for
yourself, my lad, You've all that the greatest
of men have had, Two arms, two hands, two legs,
two eyes And a brain to use if you would be
wise. With this equipment they all began, So
start for the top and say, "I can." Look them
over, the wise and great They take their food
from a common plate, And similar knives and
forks they use, With similar laces they tie
their shoes. The world considers them brave and
smart, But you've all they had when they made
their start.
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You can triumph and come to skill,You can be
great if you only will.You're well equipped for
what fight you choose,You have legs and arms and
a brain to use,And the man who has risen great
deeds to doBegan his life with no more than
you. You are the handicap you must face,You are
the one who must choose your place,You must say
where you want to go,How much you will study the
truth to know.God has equipped you for life, but
HeLets you decide what you want to be. Courage
must come from the soul within,The man must
furnish the will to win.So figure it out for
yourself, my lad.You were born with all that the
great have had,With your equipment they all
began,Get hold of yourself and say "I
can." --Edgar A. Guest
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Look at the following site to read Dr. Carvers
story in his own words and to see photos of
him. http//www.nps.gov/gwca/expanded/gwc.htm
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• Three books about Dr. Carver
• A Picture Book of George Washington
• Carver by David A. Adler
• amazon. com
• George Washington Carver by James
• Marion Gray (On p. 45 there is a photo
• of a painting Carver did. He had two
• Paintings displayed at the Chicago Worlds
• Fair.) This book is out of print, but may be
• obtainable at your library.
• George Washington Carver, The
• Peanut Scientist by Patricia and
• Fredrick McKissack
• amazon.com