The week of March 16 wasn’t a normal week for Ruan driver Mark Howard, who operates out of the Cedar Falls, IA, terminal and serves on the Iowa Road Team.
Howard set out on a special mission in a Ruan straight truck to South Dakota to pick up a statue of World Food Prize founder Dr. Norman Borlaug. After loading the statue, he headed to the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C., the statue’s delivery location.
The U.S. Capitol houses statues of prominent individuals from each state. The statue of Norman Borlaug replaced the previous statue of former Iowa senator James Harlan, which had been in place for over 100 years.
“I really appreciated being a part of the movement,” said Howard, who was joined by his wife on the trip. “To hear everything that Dr. Borlaug worked so hard to accomplish throughout his life was amazing. It was great to see the reactions of everyone that took part in the statue creation and move.”
The statue was unveiled in a special celebration at the Capitol on March 25—what would have been Dr. Borlaug’s 100 year birthday.
“The load we hauled is going to be shared with the whole world. If you get an opportunity to walk into Statuary Hall in the Capitol, your eyes will be drawn to that statue,” Howard said.
The Ruan family endows the World Food Prize, which honors the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.
For more information about the statue, the artist, the cross country trip and the statue’s new home, watch this Iowa Public Television video.