George Washington Carver (ca. 1864-1943) was world renowned for his achievements in agricultural research. He taught southern sharecroppers and farmers how to grow and preserve nutritious foods and how to maximize their yields by rotating crops. In 1914 he used his influence to convince southern Congressmen to move to other crops besides cotton--a crop being threatened by the boll weevil--and revolutionized southern agriculture. Carver developed processes for manufacturing paper, ink, shaving cream, linoleum, synthetic rubber, plastics, bleach, metal polish and over 300 other consumer and industrial products from the peanut and the sweet potato while serving as Director of Agricultural Research at the Tuskegee Institute. Born a slave in Diamond Grove, Missouri, Carver earned a high school diploma after the Civil War while working as a farmhand. Carver never patented most of his discoveries while at Tuskegee: "God gave them to me; how can I sell them to someone else?" Though he was offered large salaries to work for Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, Carver chose instead to work for the improvement of the quality of life for the disenfranchised. "If I took that money," he said, "I might forget my people."
Carver
Originally called East End, the first Carver School was a four-room schoolhouse built in 1924 at 8th and Calhoun streets. (East End shows up in School Board minutes as early as 1912.)
A second structure was built at 800 Apperson Street in 1949; it housed the district's Alternative Learning Center until spring 2006 when both ALCs were consolidated into the Southwest Learning Academy. The present Carver Elementary building, at the present address, opened in 1988 and officially was dedicated in May 1989.
Some teachers at the old Carver school include Mrs. Hicks, Mrs. Collier, Mrs. Zenobia Minor, Mrs. Bernice Haymond, Mrs. Almeta White, Mrs. McCoy, Mrs. Alice Dancler, Mrs. Melvin Minor, Mrs. James Wise, Mrs. Sara Rice, Mrs. Sally White, Mrs. Eva Richmond, Mrs. Bernice Moore, Mrs. Capitola Nance and Mrs. Iphigenia Bush (music).
Some principals at the old Carver school include Mrs. Lydia Gillum, Mrs. Hamilton, Mr. Alton Arnold, Mr. Herbert Denton and Mr. Nathaniel Hill. Later principals include Mrs. Molly Vault, Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Fowler, Mrs. Viola Danley and Mrs. Erma Kelly.
Carver Elementary is named after George Washington Carver.
George Washington Carver
Sources:
LRSD archives.
Mrs. Mary Swift (names of teachers and principals).
About.com web site; biography of G.W. Carver:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology web site; biography of G.W. Carver:If you have information about a Little Rock school or photographs that you would like to contribute to this project (we will return photographs if requested), please contact us!
Updated April 2009