Memories of a Great Man. E. Simon Malo
I just realized that many recent graduates and students especially Zamorano not know the man perhaps most important in agriculture, Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, has died at age 95, after having the most useful and productive life in this field worldwide. To him we owe the phrase so often repeated in the newspapers: "Although we all eat three times daily priviledged countries still do not realize that in many places throughout the world, many children go to bed hungry "But the most important thing I want to tell you is that Dr. Borlaug was a member of the Board of the EAP by several years and helped us a lot in that time.
Thus began: It was during the presidency of Dr. Roberto Suazo Córdova (1982-86) who early one morning in May 1983 was in the field as usual solving 'little problems' sometimes insurmountable and no money. When I returned to my office at 9 am I got the news that Secretary of Natural Resources Minister, Miguel Angel Bonilla, had called me for something important. Then I called and told me that the minister wanted to come to an emergency conference was Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, the Hotel Maya. That the speaker had asked for me. At once I took my Jeep and went to Tegucigalpa with my boots still muddy. When Borlaug arrived and had already begun. Someone led me to take a seat in the front line in the twilight of the room.
The conference was typical of this great man. Food problems and global health. The impending crisis of lack of water. The urgency of producing more grain. Statistics of various types of the UN. Problems of transport and distribution. Difficulties governments 'weak' and their bureaucracies. Finally the major problems and those that come with the population explosion. "If this continues we will eliminate our species," he said. More mouths to tar with better food agriculture was their favorite subject. He knew the topic of memory for the times he had mentioned in his lectures throughout the world. This last issue was really his favorite and I wanted to emphasize that will soon double the number of people the world has to feed, before they have social unrest and tragedies of various sorts in greater amounts. Repeatedly complained about the lack of interest and dedication of bureaucracies. When he did I watched the Minister Bonilla, who quietly sat with his head in a gesture of agreement.
suddenly changed his attitude, I clearly saw in the audience, and as they say now is your thing, ha-Blar started on agricultural education. He began by saying that in the years 1944 and 45 he had the habit of stopping by El Zamorano, who was just beginning, every time he traveled through Central America. This was with Edwin Wellhausen, then Director of CIMMYT (Centro Inter. Maize and Wheat). Said they liked to talk to Wilson Popenoe and hear their plans and ideas and see the boys working and sweating in the field as part of their training. This really fascinates-ba. Described Quickly practical education that was in Iowa and Minnesota. And then he said: "I'm sure Dr.
Malo will show me his school, which is so well known worldwide." I said to myself: "Blessed words, now they can not escape" And then I said, "That's better than I could have expected."
When I just came straight to greet me and was a little bit embarrassing, because you did not pay much attention to the Minister. He told me he had heard of me and I said half confusing that it creates all of what you hear, I'm not as bad as I paint. I said immediately that we could hardly have time to go to lunch at school. He turned around and told the Minister that as I knew it was so busy with important affairs of government, was to come with me to see El Zamorano, after so long.
After lunch I had the pleasure of showing this man familiar with both in agriculture, much of the projects was then initiated on all sides in the school. I was pleased to make hundreds of questions and advice on gurarme we were on track in the selection of educational programs for students in the region. Frankly he was happy with everything he saw. That night after dinner, we organized a talk to students in third and teachers. Not all students came. I remember that Dr. Leonardo Corral said: "These idiots do not know what they're missing." Other teachers were upset the following day with me, saying I did not see-ned notice that they were not "timely." I replied that there was no time to go home and give them a personal invitation.
next day he returned early to the field to meet with more students. Fell in love with the new project coeducacio-nal. And of course every time we saw a girl working with a hoe, I wanted to see their hands. And I said: "Extra-ordinary, extraordinary, nodding with approval and enthusiasm. I said, you are far ahead of other schools in the tropics and American universities. I remember during the early breakfast and watched in amazement as the students left for their respective jobs pitados. I wondered "what's the trouble." Must arrive by 6:30 to go in the field list, I answered. Also commented, "You are further not only in academics but by the great discipline that is his character." I saw an intense satisfac-tion, "This is the only institution that works well. We have a dozen of these in all tropical areas of the world, "he repeated. "The institutions of the past practices in USA already gone. Never change because it is the last time we left. "
Fortunately after a call to his office in Mexico decided to take another day to make a full-tour of the facilities and talk to some teachers. The next day was wonderful clear, sunny and good weather. In the area we moved slowly because I wanted to see all modules and talk with students, especially in Agronomy. I remember he was very impressed with the enthusiasm of Dr. Pablo Paz. Both spoke the same lan-gauge of applied agronomy: quintals per hectare production, ways of planting, seed density, results with fertilizers, irrigation, entertainment and so forth. In the end, was another active day and much personal satisfaction for E. Normal Borlaug. He told me several stories about why they gave the Nobel Prize, 1970. He hated the nickname 'Father of Green Revolution Re-'. A "Nickname Miserable" said annoyed. His friends told me that when this happened, his wife Margaret received a call from Sweden. She drove down the long dirt roads to where her husband worked to give the good news. When you reach out with: "You're crazy. Someone is pulling your leg "and continued to work to finish something im-portant. Much admired and appreciated his counterpart in India, MS Swaminathan (winner Prize, World Food Price). He said it was India's key man for Mexican varieties are planted wheat that he had taken with its partners in Toluca and Sonora. Semi-dwarf varieties were high yielding and disease resistance.
He told me of the problems faced at the beginning in 1944 with their Mexican counterparts, who wanted to continue his apostolic traditions and culture of the country, technicians and scientists do not dirty their hands. One of his colleagues im-portant categorically told that the investigators do not muddy hands. "For that we have assistants and laborers," he said. "All you have to do is create and establish work plans, give the foreman and let them do it. " This infuriated Borlaug, who lost his temper quite easily. He replied angrily: "That's why farmers do not respect you. If you can not do personally with his hands what they recommend, how you going to believe. If your audience does give wrong information, how the hell can you tell. "No sir, this has to change-Biar. If you do not have control of all your own efforts in the field, this project will end badly. " To me it seemed that Wilson Popenoe heard the same song repeated frequently.
That night sitting outside the entrance of Casa Popenoe, bathed by the light of a full moon rising over the mountains of Montserrat in the eastern and watching several satellites in the sky wonderful, I made the crucial ques-tion: "It would help us further enhance our Board pertaining to ? "He told me frankly that all organizations to which he belonged ours would be one of their favorites.
The next day I took him to the airport and from there it went to the school office in Guatemala City to call the Chairman, John G. Smith. I told her about the visit and I remember exactly what I asked, "Who is Borlaug?." I explained that I was really the only person who had a Nobel Prize for his achievements in agriculture, etc. He replied in English, "Looks to me like a great coup." But I also noted some concerns, so to speak and now co-mo control of this famous man.
Dr. Borlaug served about 5 years on the Board. He was half impatient when reluctantly noticed a lack of information or learning something almost on purpose. I remember clearly disagreed several times with a exal-graph that were then in the group who liked to argue about matters that he did not have good knowledge but also was biased. In that the Board, in its wisdom, put a limit old members. As someone mentioned almost vided a rule label. Any person did see Borlaug that his advanced years his days were numbered on the board. Resigned and put his time and energy to be advising institutions recognizing their worth, as Texas A & M University, who despite his age he was appointed honorary professor. Phoned him to see what has happened-bia. I said, annoyed tone: "The less I talk about it the better". That was it. I was left with a strange feeling of frustration, of not having control over my own school, which had spent all my hard work and dedication.
His recent death has brought to mind the years I received the valuable help, support and friendship of the most im-portant man in our profession to feed the world. A call from Dr. Borlaug was sufficient to be many doors for me to get money and goodwill for the school.
