Waukon area native Dr. Michael Bechtel invited to attend dedication of Dr. Norman Borlaug statue in Washington, D.C.

A Waukon area native is among those specially invited to attend the dedication and installation of a statue commemorating the man credited with saving "an estimated billion people around the world from hunger and starvation," Dr. Norman Borlaug.
Dr. Michael D. Bechtel, a 1989 graduate of Waukon High School, was requested by the Congress of the United States to attend the commemorating ceremony for the dedication of the bronze statue of the late Dr. Norman E. Borlaug scheduled for March 25 at the Statutory Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Bechtel is currently the Assistant Professor of Science Education at Wartburg College in Waverly and was a long-time mentor, participant and coach for the World Food Prize Youth Institute, created by Dr. Borlaug, while teaching at secondary schools in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Bechtel is the son of Dean and Sherry Bechtel of Waukon. He is married to the former Melissa Sweeney, who is the daughter of Randy and Diane Sweeney, also of Waukon.
Although he admits, "I am not sure what exactly led to my invitation," Bechtel further relays, "I think the invite stemmed from my intimate knowledge of the World Food Prize, it's Youth Institute, and opportunities. This is an amazing opportunity; not just because he is a great man, from Iowa, and saved more lives than anyone who ever lived, but because I actually knew him."
Bechtel says he received an inquiry about a month ago from Dr. Kenneth Quinn, President of Borlaug’s World Food Prize Foundation and the Chairman of Iowa’s Borlaug Statue Committee, inquiring about his interest and availability to attend the event, and just recently found out that his name was submitted for invitation to the event by Lisa Fleming, Director of Global Education Programs for the World Food Prize. He says he knows both administrators through his involvement with the World Food Prize and his work involving his former high school students with the program.
"I brought the World Food Prize from Des Moines, where I taught at Saydel High School, to Minnesota, at Lewiston-Altura High School, and Wisconsin, at La Crosse Central High School," Bechtel said. "My students were the first to be involved from each of these respective states."
Three of his students, one from each state, were also the recipients of the coveted Borlaug-Ruan International Internship, which provides high school students an all-expenses-paid, eight-week, hands-on experience working with world-renowned scientists and policymakers at leading research centers around the world. Bechtel's involvement at the high school level also led to him helping the University of Minnesota begin its regional competition for the World Food Prize and preparing to do likewise with the University of Wisconsin before a change in faculty and interest caused "an indefinite delay" in accomplishing that task.
It was at the international meetings of the World Food Prize held in Des Moines where Bechtel met, visited with and shared a meal with Dr. Borlaug, introducing young budding scientists to the man known as "Father of the Green Revolution." Despite all of Dr. Borlaug's accomplishments and notoriety, however, Bechtel found him to be like most any other Iowan one might meet.
"He was true Iowan, through and through," Bechtel relayed. "He was not a politician, he had no ulterior motives, and did not let his fame go to his head. He used to leave the table with the dignitaries and come eat with the students and teachers. He wanted to know what students wanted to do with their lives, what they liked, and where they were planning on going on to after high school."
In fact, Bechtel gives Dr. Borlaug credit for urging him to further his own education. "Dr. Borlaug was amazingly focused on the importance of education, helping others, and doing the best that you can," he said. "After I talked to him a few years back, I realized that getting a doctorate was possible and plausible. He said something like, '... at age 40 (close to when I would finish my degree), you have a lot of life left in you and a lot you can offer'. He personally encouraged me to go on to school and follow my dreams with teaching in higher education."

ABOUT DR. BORLAUG
According to biographical information on the World Food Prize website, www.worldfoodprize.org, Dr. Borlaug, a native of the northeast Iowa town of Cresco, dedicated his life to breeding better varieties of wheat and working with farmers and politicians alike to improve methods and policies to battle hunger and malnutrition worldwide. His achievements earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2006, America’s highest civilian honor. In all history, only two other Americans have been awarded all three honors: Martin Luther King, Jr., and Elie Wiesel.
Dr. Borlaug founded The World Food Prize in 1986 to recognize and inspire breakthrough achievements in feeding the world. The unveiling of his statue takes place on the 100th anniversary of his birth and on National Agriculture Day.
The statue of Dr. Borlaug in the U.S. Capitol was made possible in 2011, when the Iowa Legislature approved a resolution and Governor Terry Branstad appointed the Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Statue Committee to raise funds and commission an artist to design, create and install a statue of Borlaug into the U.S. Capitol Building. After conducting a worldwide artist search, the committee chose Benjamin Victor of South Dakota to create the statue.
Each of the 50 United States is represented by two statues of notable citizens in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the U.S. Capitol Building. The statue of Borlaug will replace the statue of U.S. Senator James Harlan installed in 1910, which will be relocated to Mount Pleasant. The second statue representing Iowa is of Governor Samuel Kirkwood, which was installed in 1913.

THE HONORED FEW
Although Bechtel is not exactly sure what to expect with such an invitation, he does know that he feels honored to be among those selected to receive an invitation. He anticipates being surrounded by legislators, diplomats and other World Food Prize personnel while attending, and has been told that security will be high and to anticipate "detailed check-points."
"The World Food Prize is a big thing," he said. "I have had the chance to meet, literally, dozens of foreign presidents and diplomats, bioengineering CEOs and Nobel Peace Prize winners in person; seriously, shook hands, talked and ate with them. My most notable encounters were with Bill Gates and the President of Brazil. The one thing I can tell you is that I am absolutely a lowly teacher when compared to these individuals."
More information about the statue project is available at www.iowaborlaugstatue.org, including information about related events and activities. People are also encouraged to watch a webcast of the statue unveiling ceremony, which will take place Tuesday, March 25 at 10 a.m. local time, at www.speaker.gov/live.