Mr. Peanut: George Washington Carver Nat'l Monument 4/29/13

When I was growing up, what I knew about George Washington Carver began and ended with Saturday Night Live. The information, such as it was, came via Eddie Murphy and the "Black History Minute," which was hosted by his Shabazz K. Morton character, an exaggerated "angry black man" with sunglasses and faux African trappings to match. Beginning his mini-lecture with the aside that Mr. Carver, while conducting research at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, came up with "hundreds of industrial uses for the peanut," Morton soon turned sullen and angry, blasting the white man - a pair predictably named Edward "Skippy" Williamson and Frederick "Jif" Armstrong - for stealing Carver's peanut butter recipes. While whitey was making the expected millions from the theft, Shabazz notes, "Dr. Carver died penniless and insane, still trying to play a phonograph record with a peanut." And that was it. I never thought of Carver again, forever associating him with peanuts and little else. I knew he was a well-respected scientist at a time when segregation and discrimination were at their peak, but beyond the peanut image, little remained to define the man or the myth.

Swing forward thirty years and not only have I come to pay my respects at the George Washington Carver National Monument, I've driven a great distance to do so. Tucked away in the southwestern corner of Missouri near the tornado-ravaged town of Joplin, the Carver site is truly a relic from another time, greeting adults and school children alike with images and words that likely mean little at this late date. Carver, once revered and idolized as a man ahead of his time, is now largely forgotten, and few today could muster the energy to defend a National Monument in his honor. In July 1943, mere months after his death, Congress designated the spot including his Missouri birthplace, the first NPS unit to honor an African American scientist, educator, and humanitarian. No one could argue Carver's credentials as a thinker, but as the site tells us, it was also very desirable for the country to memorialize a man dedicated to peace and progress at a time of global war. Then and now, Carver was a blissful contrast to the hate and bloodshed dominating the globe. Humble and respectful, decent and true, Carver believed a day without learning was a day wasted, a much-needed lesson for today's largely bankrupt and illiterate youth.

That said, Carver was, at bottom, a religious man. No, seriously. A deeply religious man. Perhaps the most religious man we've ever encountered. I mean, this guy really, really, really loves God. And it's everywhere, from posted scripture to the site's film, which, while educational, is akin to eating your spinach from a church pew. Carver, according to the film, was a man of strong values, a deep commitment to hard work, and, lest we forget, the power of the Almighty. If he did it, it was to honor God. In fact, as the unigrid tells us, "Carver was motivated by his love for all creation...For him, every life was a window on God and a mouthpiece through which the Great Creator spoke." As such, a man is to help others, pray, help some more, and round things out with more prayer. As atheists, my wife and I were horrified at every turn, but we also understood that to fail to mention his devotion would have been false to the Carver legacy. It's like having an Eisenhower museum without mentioning World War II. And hey, we may find the idea of a creator speaking to some wee ex-slave from the Show Me State a bit creepy and presumptuous, but we're here to assess the presentation, not judge the man for failing to be an unfeeling heathen like ourselves. Perhaps we're just a little stunned that anyone made of flesh and blood could be so compassionate and ego-free. Still, I'll bet a quarter even sweet little GW railed from time to time, regretting every last minute that damned peanut first crossed his path.

The monument's visitor center is a triumph of education and fun, establishing context and a reasonable justification for the man's celebration. We learn of Carver's birth, troubled youth (his mother was kidnapped and never found), and frail health. We are also given an insight into his early inspirations in the surrounding woods, where George came to love flowers and assorted creatures. Quickly, Carver earned the nickname "The Plant Doctor," and eventually left the area for good in 1875. It seems odd, then, to have as the monument site a place where he spent, compartively speaking, very little time (and he's buried in Alabama, not here), but the man he became is based so much on these formative years, even if he spoke little of the pain and adversity he faced as a child of slavery. Carver's journey beyond Missouri included college life in Iowa, where he earned a Master's Degree in Agriculture in 1896. From there, after an invite from Booker T. Washington himself, he was off to Tuskegee, where he firmly established his legacy as an inventor and scientific pioneer. Among other things, he revolutionized farming methods, fashioned unique therapies, and created dyes that impacted numerous fields. He was a true man for all seasons at a time when few black men even dared apply for higher education.

After reading the VC's panels and interactive exhibits (and seeing George's violin and bed), it's important to check out the laboratory and classroom, both of which appeal directly to inquisitive young people - at least the few not lost to cell phones and mental inertia. For once, kids can touch, poke, and investigate, and no one cares that you make a mess. All told, Carver would be happy at the result. Most curious, though, is the exhibit featuring snippets from a Carver lecture given late in his life. Putting on the headphones, I was soon shocked to my core by the voice I heard. To say Carver sounded like a woman is to minimize things by a great degree, and I still can't believe someone wasn't putting me on. Sure, Carver was slight and grandfatherly, even as a middle-age man, but who knew he was grandmotherly as well? Peppered throughout the rooms are more quotes, great images, and even Carver's artwork. It's a thorough presentation, and given the subject, they should be applauded for getting it right.

From the VC, head to the Carver Trail, which is a well-paved, fairly easy mile-long stroll through some peaceful, genuinely beautiful woodlands. You encounter the birthplace site, a Boy Carver statue, the Williams Pond, and a reconstructed 1881 Moses Carver house. Fortunately for us, the weather was perfect, with a cool breeze to temper the heat. It was a perfect way to spend the afternoon, and it's easy to see why Carver was so at home here. Not that we'd live here among the bugs and snakes, mind you. After passing by the house, there's a final stretch towards the family cemetery, which features the graves of Moses and Susan Carver. It might strike you as odd that you are being asked to oberve silence at the feet of those who owned Carver's mother, but that's another debate altogether. Slavery's injustices and inhumanities are present at the monument - how could they not be, given the area is so near to Bleeding Kansas - but they are not the central tale, largely because of what George later achieved. He'd be the first to avoid any hint of victimhood, and in so many ways, the Carver NM should be a must-see destination for conservatives and right-wing Christians alike. Not surprisingly, the infamous Duggar brood - all 35 of them, or however many there are now - centered a recent show on a family visit. Jim Bob, dolt that he is, ignored all of the scientific endeavor of course, all but having an orgasm in the face of so much God talk.

So while we often felt like whores in church during our visit, and weren't immune from mocking the man's peanut oil massages as "cures" for polio, we both thoroughly enjoyed the Carver site from top to bottom. Sure, the film is badly in need of an update (it's at least 35-40 years old) and things err on the side of sainthood now and again, but one can't say we didn't learn something about this most unique American man. Even if he did sound like a eunuch.

FINAL RATING

7/10