Spreading Awareness
"I myself am convinced that there has never been a greater need than there is today for the reporter and interpreter of the natural world"
- Rachel Carson, April 1952, Acceptance Speech for the John Burroughs Medal
- Rachel Carson, April 1952, Acceptance Speech for the John Burroughs Medal
The success of Carson's first three books catapulted her into a position of leadership in the environmental movement. She strove to interpret science for the common man and instill in a sense of wonder for the environment. The elegance of her prose caught her readers' attention like no conservationist had before.
Carson's Rise to Fame
Timeline of Awards - automatic scrolling
National Book Award (1952)
"...But this notion that "science" is something...apart from everyday life, is one that I...challenge...If there is poetry in my book about the sea, it is...because no one could write truthfully about the sea and leave out the poetry."
Source: The Associated Press, 1952
AAUW Award (1956)
"'Biology['s]...leaders are courageous enough to abandon preconceived ideas and to seek...truth...[Carson] considers it 'my special privilege...to interpret some of these discoveries for those who are not scientists. They have a meaning...for us all.'"
Source: AAUW Journal, 1956
John Burroughs Medal (1952)
"...I am convinced that we have been far too ready to assume that... [the public] are indifferent to the world... If they are indifferent it is only because they have not been properly introduced to it- and perhaps that is...our fault."
Source: John Burroughs Memorial Association
Addressing a Broader Audience
Source: Washington Post, July 4th 1951, "Her Object of Affection is the Ocean",
Dorothea Cruger
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Source: Washington Post, July 4th 1951
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Source: Woman's Home Companion, July 1956, "Help your child to wonder"
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"If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder...I sincerely believe that for the child, and for the parent seeking to guide him, it is not half so important to know as to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow." - Woman's Home Companion, July 1956, "Help your child to wonder" , Rachel Carson |
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"Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life...Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."
-Woman's Home Companion, July 1956, "Help your child to wonder" , Rachel Carson |