On March 25, the U.S. Capitol will host an extraordinary event. A new statue will be added to the National Statuary Hall Collection. A statue of Iowa’s own Norman Borlaug will be unveiled in National Statuary Hall in the south wing of the U.S. Capitol.
Dr. Borlaug was raised on a farm near Cresco. A humanitarian and renowned agricultural scientist, Dr. Borlaug is often recognized for eradicating famine in Mexico, India and Pakistan during the mid-20th century with his development of a disease-resistant, high-yielding wheat. He is credited for saving one billion people from starvation in developing nations. Known as the father of the Green Revolution, he advanced biotechnology and agronomy to vastly improve the levels of food security in those nations.
His accomplishments did not go unrecognized. Dr. Borlaug is one of only five people to be awarded three different medals of honor: the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Medal of Honor.
While Dr. Borlaug’s accomplishments did not go unrecognized, he also understood the need to inspire others to join the fight to wipe out world hunger. In 1986, during the economic farm crisis blanketing Iowa, Dr. Borlaug established the World Food Prize to recognize those whose work and achievements help eradicate hunger and advance human development by improving the quality, quantity and availability of the food supply.
The statue dedication ceremony will be broadcast live on www.speaker.gov/live beginning at 10 a.m. (CT).
The statue of Dr. Borlaug will join others in the collection that honors men and women who are, according to the 1864 law creating the collection, “illustrious for their historic renown or for distinguished civic or military services such as each state may deem to be worthy.” Each state was invited to contribute two statues to be housed in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. The collection, now totaling 100 statues, is currently located throughout the U.S. Capitol and the Capitol Visitor Center.
The statue is being unveiled on an appropriate day. March 25 is the 100th anniversary of Dr. Borlaug’s birth and it’s National Ag Day. It’s a fitting day to pay tribute to one of Iowa’s most extraordinary citizens – a man who never forgot his roots in the cornfields of Iowa.