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Published: January 12, 2001 PHI BETA SIGMA FRATERNITY,
INC. ANNOUNCES NATIONWIDE GEORGE WASHINGTON
CARVER EDUCATIONAL COLORING BOOK INITIATIVE Phi Beta Sigma, an international organization with education
as a main program, today announced the start of a heritage celebration
initiative highlighting the life and contributions of one of America's
brightest scientists - the George Washington Carver Educational Coloring
Book Initiative. Thanks to the printing
and contribution of thousands of coloring books from the United States
Department of Agriculture, Phi Beta Sigma chapters will be going into
elementary and middle schools throughout America to share with school
children information on one of America's greatest.
This initiative began on January 5th and will run through February
2001 - Black History Month. The Fraternity's Director of Social Action, Marvin L. Cheatham,
Sr., introduced this initiative. For over 50 years Phi Beta Sigma
has celebrated the great work and contributions of Dr. George Washington
Carver, on January 5. Brother
Carver was a very active member of Phi Beta Sigma.
He was bestowed Sigma's highest award - The Distinguished Service
Chapter Key. Less than 150 of
Sigma's 125,000 members have earned this honor. Over the next two months, local Chapters
will work with the various schools in educating children about Carver.
Teachers can actually use the coloring books as a lesson plan.
Each chapter will share with the children information about Carver,
his work and his unselfishness. The
Brothers will share with the children one of George Washington Carver's
quotations: "How
far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate
with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak
and strong. Because someday in
life you will have been all of these." Dr. Carver was not only a scientist, but also an agriculturist
and plant doctor. He invented peanut butter and discovered hundreds of
other uses for the peanut, the sweet potato and the pecan. He developed
different ways of improving soil for crops to grow. His work in developing
industrial applications from agricultural products derived 118 products,
including a rubber substitute and over 500 dyes and pigments, from 28
different plants. He was responsible for the invention in 1927 of a process
for producing paints and stains from soybeans, for which three separate
patents were issued. Born around 1860, he earned his bachelor's
and master's degrees at Iowa Agricultural College (today Iowa state University).
In 1921, he appeared before the US Congress House and Ways Committee.
He was awarded the Spingarn Medal in 1923. The George Washington Carver
Museum and Foundation at Tuskegee Institute Alabama, where he chose to
conduct most of his work, opened to the public in 1939. He died in 1943. He could have died one of the richest men in the world at that time. He turned down very lucrative salaries from
both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. His
commitment to work for the improvement of the quality of life for others
overrode his desire for personal wealth. "If I took the money I might forget my
people." Dr. Carver said. The 30th International President of Phi Beta Sigma
Fraternity, Inc., Peter M. Adams, Esq. said today in Scarsdale, New York: "Dr. Carver is an American legend, born of
slave parents, who represents the most generous dedication of brilliant
scientific research in a life's work that benefited all mankind. He was
a perfect example of our organization's motto: "Culture for Service and
Service for Humanity". The officers and members of Phi Beta Sigma invite
everyone to join with us in educating America's youth, while celebrating
the great life and work of Dr. George Washington Carver." Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. is an international, community-service organization of over 125,000 college and professional men. It was founded in 1914, on the campus of Howard University, in Washington, DC. The Fraternity's national theme is "Sigmas Championing Male Responsibility, Achieving Excellence Through Brotherhood, Scholarship and Service". Through Programs such as SWWAC (Sigmas Waging War Against Cancer) in association with the American Cancer Society; SATAP (Sigmas Against Teenage Pregnancy); SADA (Sigmas Attack Domestic Abuse); our youth groups - the Sigma Beta Clubs; the Phi Beta Sigma Federal Credit Union and the Phi Beta Sigma Education Foundation, Phi Beta Sigma continues to be on the forefront of issues that affect and support the African-American community. Phi Beta Sigma truly believes that if you impact the life of one child, then you have touched the lives of many. |
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