Last week the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in Research Triangle Park held a ribbon cutting for the James B. Hunt Leadership building. Jim Hunt was the Governor of North Carolina for a total of 16 years. Dad likes to tell the story of being at an event one March several years ago when everyone wanted to talk about the NCAA Basketball Brackets - the Sweet Sixteen. Betty McCain, who can always be counted on for a fun speech, rose to say that when she thought of the Sweet Sixteen it was the 16 Years that Jim Hunt served as Governor. For many years before and after Jim Hunt was Governor, he has been a moving force in North Carolina - especially in visionary ideas for job growth and for education. Books have been and will continue to be written about his legacy and his leadership in North Carolina.
But Jim Hunt is also a cattle farmer. He and Dad have politics and cows in common. Jim's wife, Carolyn, and Mama also have alot in common because both are down to earth people who would just as soon be on the farm as in the middle of state politics. So while they all have the last name Hunt, they are not related by blood but by a very real and strong friendship.
In the early 1980s, Dad served in the NC legislature when Jim Hunt wanted to begin discussion of biotechnology as a new industry for North Carolina. Agriculture, Textiles and Furniture were the main industries in the state at the time and the idea was to create an incubator for future economic growth with a future industry. Some thought that biotechnology would most impact agriculture in terms of better crop production, better technology for animal feeds, fertilizers, etc. Most people really had never heard of biotech at the time and it was fairly difficult to explain. Dad, who has always enjoyed science, was asked along with others to study the idea of biotechnology as an industry in North Carolina. Many hours of meetings, discussions and preparations went into the study before the legislature approved the establishment of the NC Biotechnology Center.
Fast forward 30 years later and the impact on North Carolina is really beginning to show. And it really is just the beginning. Textiles and Furniture have taken a pretty hard hit and Biotechnology is a strong area of growth. Turns out agriculture is just a part of the Biotechnology scene. Big areas of growth also include production of new drugs, better ways to deliver drugs, new medical devices, and biofuels.
So through private public partnership, North Carolina is behind only California and Massachusetts in the United States and is known throughout the world as a place where the Biotechnology Industry is encouraged and supported. Over 225,000 jobs have been created in the biotech industry in NC and the growth in the last few years has been especially strong. Jobs are now growing all over the state in biotech fields and are expected to grow exponentially as the research and product development continues to turn into manufacturing jobs.
Dad still serves on the NC Biotechnology Board so he, Mama and I headed down to Raleigh last week for the ribbon cutting of the James B. Hunt Leadership Annex. While we were in Raleigh they decided to have a Ruby's Cooking at the Raleigh condo so we had several folks over for dinner and served the typical menu of homegrown corn, green beans and crowder peas, cornbread, ham biscuits, slaw and Roast Beef with carrots, potatoes and onions. I made an apple pie and decided very last minute to make a fruit salad.
Tuesday morning we headed off to the Biotech Board Meeting and Ribbon Cutting and it was such a celebration of visionary thinking that is working years later. US Senator Kay Hagan, Governor Bev Perdue, Lt. Governor Walter Dalton and others were there to thank those who had the vision and political will to make the Biotech Industry a reality in North Carolina. It took a lot of political courage to work for something that everyone knew would not produce instant gratification, but would take time to be successful in terms of jobs and economic growth.
I thought it was especially sweet when Jim Hunt recognized and thanked his former college professor from NC State for sharing the vision and for encouraging him to keep working toward it.
At the ribbon cutting someone mentioned that the essence of discovery is what you find when you are looking for something else. The important thing is that you have to be looking. In the 1980s leaders in North Carolina were looking for a new industry and new jobs and ways to improve lives with applied science.
So, Tuesday was a day to be proud of and it will be interesting to watch how biotechnology will continue to impact the lives of people in North Carolina and everywhere.
Really Quick and Colorful Fruit Salad
I made this fruit salad for Ruby's Cooking last Monday night because it fits Mama's requirements of colorful, pretty and healthy. And it fit my requirement that day for fast and easy.
1 can pineapple chunks
1 can mandarin orange segments
fresh blackberries
fresh blueberries
fresh strawberries
I use about a cup or so of the fresh fruit and just judge it by the size of the bowl and balance of colors.
Drain pineapple and mandarin oranges in a colander and then put in a pretty glass bowl. Wash and add blueberries and blackberries. Wash and cut strawberries in half lengthwise so you can still tell they are strawberry shaped. If they are huge cut them into fourths.
You can add sliced bananas or kiwi or other things if you want to but I didn't that day. It is a really fast and pretty salad and is good without added sugar or lemon juice or anything else. If you don't eat it all for dinner, it is great with vanilla yogurt or over toasted biscuits for breakfast.
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