IOWA — For the first time in Iowa’s history the state is celebrating George Washington Carver Day.
Governor Kim Reynolds signed the legislation that would make February 1st a celebration of the trailblazing Black scientist last June.
Carver is the third person to be recognized with a holiday bearing his name in Iowa, the other two are former president Herbert Hoover and agronomist Norman Borlaug.
Carver attended Simpson College in Indianola and studied botany at Iowa State Agricultural College, now known as Iowa State University. His research on alternative crops to cotton resulted in the development of hundreds of products using peanuts and sweet potatoes, as well as the creation of new products from waste materials.
President Roosevelt and George Washington Carver 
George Washington Carver with a rose in jacket lapel. 
George Washington Carver (1864-1943), American botanist. Undated photograph. (Photo by Bettmann/Getty Images) 
University president Frederick D. Patterson and botanist George Washington Carver discuss the upcoming celebration honoring Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Institute and the first African American to be honored on a US postage stamp. 
(Original Caption) George Washington Carver (1864-1943) experimenting in the lab. Undated photograph. 
(Original Caption) 3/1942-Tuskeegee, AL: Dr. George Washington Carver (1864-1943). American negro botanist, taught at Tuskeegee Institute, Alabama. Head and shoulders photo, March 1942. ORIGINAL CAPTION 
(Original Caption) George Washington Carver (1864-1943), American botanist at work. Undated photograph. 
Dr. George Washington Carver with Henry Ford after being presented with a modern, fully equiped laboratory for food research, a gift from Mr. Ford. 
Portrait of American Botanist George Washington Carver. 
(Original Caption) Ford Opens Food Laboratory. Dearborn, Michigan: Henry Ford (left) and son, Edsel, greet Dr. George Washington Carver, noted Negro scientist from Tuskegee Institute who came to Dearborn to receive from the motor magnate a gift of a modern fully equipped laboratory for food research and experiments in which Dr. Carver has been particularly interested for nearly half a century. Sandwiches and salads, made by the scientist from weeds and wild vegetables, were served to guests.
Simpson College is honoring him Wednesday with a day of recognition event with festivities happening at various places around Indianola through 6:00 p.m.
Iowa State is hosting a similar event starting at 5:00 p.m. in the Great Hall at the Memorial Union. It will feature many different speakers including the president of the university, the president of Simpson College, and world-renowned opera singer Simon Estes.
