George Washington Carver (Robbie Readers) (What's So Great About...?)

George Washington Carver realized his love for plants and nature at a very young age. While still a child, he would spend hours in the woods and in his garden caring for his young plants. Soon he became known as the Plant Doctor, a distinction that stuck with him the rest of his life. Carver worked his way through primary school, high school, and college. At first he pursued a degree in art. He even won prizes for some of his floral paintings. But soon he realized that he could make a greater difference in the field of agriculture. Carver became a professor of agriculture at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and studied the varying uses of different plants. He became best known for promoting the peanut. He came up with over 300 practical applications of the plant and helped encourage farmers to grow a greater variety of crops on their land.