george washington carver—a great agriculturist's life-ing decision
喬治·華盛頓·卡弗——一位農業學家的重大決定
“ he could have added fortune to fame， but caring for neither， he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world.”
—epitaph1 on the grave of george washington carver
george washington carver was an extraordinary individual， dedicated to lifelong learning and the practical application of the sciences. through a blend of inspiration， artistic inclination and scientific talent， carver made many contributions to this world and the environment， such as creating more than 300 peanut-based products， numerous developments for the sweet potato， and developing revolutionary crop rotation theories. his passion and contribution have extended beyond the walls of a classroom， permeating the american south， by educating and empowering farmers in agricultural techniques. in addition to being a gifted teacher， researcher and innovator， carver was known as an artist and musician.
carver was the first black man to study at iowa state university， earning a bachelor of science in 1894. he received his master's degree in agriculture and bacterial botany in 1896. after that， carver made a life-ing decision when he consented to teach at tuskegee institute in alabama.
at that time， though the american civil war freed the slaves， it didn't teach them how to live as free people. after the war， schools were d to help train african americans. tuskegee institute in alabama opened in 1881， and it was one of most famous training schools. job skills such as carpentry， printing， and home economics， etc. was taught there. tuskegee also provided training for elementary school teachers. in 1897， booker t. washington， founder of the tuskegee institute， convinced carver to come south and serve as the school's director of agriculture department. carver remained on the faculty until his death in 1943.
it is rare to find a man of the caliber of george washington carver. a man who would decline an invitation to work for a salary of more than $100，000 a year (almost a million dollars today) to teach at the tuskegee institute and continue his research. it was a tough decision. carver had other good job possibilities. in the end， he accepted booker t.washington's offer. he decided that he could do the most good at tuskegee institute. carver said about tuskegee institute， “it has always been the one ideal of my life to be the greatest good to the greatest number of 'my people' ...this line of education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom to our people.”