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March 28, 2008
George Washington Carver’s role as a mentor to Henry A. Wallace, founder of Pioneer Hi-Bred, will be discussed by Thomas Phillips, a retired Pioneer executive, during a lecture at Morningside College at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 10, in the UPS Auditorium in Lincoln Center, 3627 Peters Ave.
The public is invited to this free event, part of the statewide George Washington Carver Lecture Series that is sponsored by the African American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa. It is also sponsored by the Academic and Cultural Arts Series (ACAS) at Morningside College.
As a young boy, Wallace spent hours examining plants with college student Carver as they roamed the countryside around Ames, Iowa. Carver continued to influence Wallace as he founded Pioneer Hi-Bred and became U.S. secretary of agriculture, vice president and U.S. secretary of commerce.
“People should come hear a side of Carver that is not often known,” said Sandi O’Brien, director of diversity affairs at Morningside. “Most think of him as ‘the peanut man,’ but he had a much more significant impact on history.”
Phillips was raised in Waterloo, Iowa. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a master’s degree from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. He also completed advanced management programs at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., and Harvard Graduate School of Management. During his 40-year career, he was an executive for some of the world’s largest food corporations – General Foods, Quaker Oats Co. and Pioneer Hi-Bred. He retired from his position as community investment director for Pioneer Hi-Bred in 2006, the same year he was inducted into the Iowa African American Hall of Fame. He was recognized, among other things, for his personal and professional philanthropic efforts.
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