Another Reason to Visit Des Moines

If you need another reason to visit Des Moines, besides to see Alice and me, than the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park could be the reason.

Opening this week-end in Des Moines is a free, outdoor sculpture park that is named for the benefactors behind the project. John Pappajohn is not the pizza maker of Papa Johns, rather he is a successful, Iowa entrepreneur who continues to find ways to give back to Iowa. He and his wife chose and bought many of the pieces and donated them to the park.

The park is on the western edge of downtown and is free and open to the public all day and night until midnight. You can check out the DesMoines Register site: desmoinesregister.com/pappajohn-sculpture-park for pictures and more information about each work and take a virtual tour of the exhibits.

If you visit, be prepared to be amused, confused, and challenged by the pieces on display. And let us know, we only live a mile from the park, we'd love to join you.

Norman Borlaug

A great American passed away Saturday evening (9.12.09). Born in Iowa, he could easily be the most influential Iowan to have ever lived; and an argument could be made that he was one of the most influential Americans of the last century. Yet, his name is not widely known outside of his field of speciality (agriculture).

Borlaug was known as the "Father of the Green Revolution" and his tireless research developing high-yielding varieties of wheat and other grain resulted in significant increases in food production in third world countries that very likely would not have been able to feed its population without these advances. Some have claimed that Borlaug saved more lives than any other person in history.

Besides the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, Borlaug was also the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Only four other people have ever received all three of these awards (Rev. Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Elie Wiesel and Nelson Mandela).

In a world where the labels "hero" and "role model" and "great" are used too frequently; Norman Borlaug stands out as a person to be admired and emulated.