Norman Borlaug arguably the greatest American of the 20th century died late Saturday after 95 richly accomplished years. The very personification of human goodness, Borlaug saved more lives than anyone who has ever lived. He was America’s Albert Schweitzer: a brilliant man who forsook privilege and riches in order to help the dispossessed of distant lands. That this great man and benefactor to humanity died little-known in his own country speaks volumes about the superficiality of modern American culture.
Born in 1914 in rural Cresco, Iowa, where he was educated in a one-room schoolhouse, Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work ending the India-Pakistan food shortage of the mid-1960s. He spent most of his life in impoverished nations, patiently teaching poor farmers in India, Mexico, South America, Africa and elsewhere the Green Revolution agricultural techniques that have prevented the global famines widely predicted when the world population began to skyrocket following World War II.
My middle son did a lengthy report on Norman Borlaug for a science class last year. He was a truly remarkable man, and it’s a shame more Americans were unaware of him.
Your son is very fortunate to be introduced to him so early.
I was thinking of an open thread entitled “remarkable americans most people have never heard of…”
Dr. Harmon, I have to note the poignant juxtaposition of this story with the one two down regarding today’s rash of self-promoting mediocrities. I had read about Dr. Borlaug in [i]Reason[/i] magazine maybe 10-15 years ago and was mightily impressed, not only at his tremendous accomplishments but at his humility and continued hard work in the field. When I suggested him as a subject of his paper, I made sure my son understood the latter virtues as well as the former accomplishments. I think it’s important to perform great deeds, but just as important to let others discover them instead of trumpeting one’s greatness.
A gentleman is a man who can play the bagpipes, but doesn’t. – Scottish proverb.
I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of him, which speaks volumes about his humility. I was a history major and history buff, and there are very few people in the 20th century that I run across who I have never heard of. I might not know much about the person, but I’ve at least usually heard the name and could tell your something about him.
If I’ve never heard of him, then I am not surprised most other people have not because American schools are notorious for being horrendous at teaching history. Its just not valued as a discipline in this country. Most high school history classes don’t even get to the 20th century after about WWII, and then only if they are lucky.
Yes, far more people know of Paul Ehrlich and his book “The Population Bomb” – he was a cause celeb with his apocalyptic predictions back in the 70s, sort of like Gore is now. But since Ehrlich was spectacularly wrong (in no small part due to the efforts of Borlaug), the liberals pretend to have forgotten all about Ehrlich. Let’s hope the same thing happens with Gore.
I looked into his work several years ago, after hearing a reference to him on [i]The West Wing[/i] (Martin Sheen’s President Bartlet was extolling Dr. Borlaug as a humble man whose work on dwarf wheat had saved millions of lives). I had been but dimly aware of him prior to that. That he never trumpeted his accomplishments only made me admire him more. A truly remarkable man. Requiesce in pace, Doctor.
This great man’s work has actually helped billions elude hunger. With all that done, I read in the last few days, that hunger is still growing and has passed the one billion mark for the first time.
One of the obsessions of the politically correct here in the UK is genetically modified crops, especially wheat. Yet it seems that this is the next step following on from Borlaug’s work, and has the similar capacity to feed the hungry. Note, also, in the article, how environmentalists had loftily criticized efforts like Borlaug’s before they shame-facedly fell quiet.
This [url=http://www.reason.com/news/show/27665.html]2000 interview[/url] might be of interest to you, Terry.
Jeffersonian, that was absolutely fascinating. Thank you. BTW I had thought of adding in my earlier post – then decided not to – that the lobby here against biotechnology often displayed naked anti-Americanism. You know the kind of stuff: ‘American companies own the genetic copyright and are conquering the world.’ The question never asked by these so-called activists: ‘Does this lead to better lives for some of the poorest people in the world?’ Borlaug clearly asks the question and answers it in the affirmative.
You know, Christians are so often derided for obscurantism, for believing in the weirdest things, etc. Yet as the retrospective about Third World food production shows, many of these environmentalists, who would pride themselves on their rationalism, have believed rubbish on no other grounds than it being fashionable. And, despite having been proved wrong, go on with the same stuff.