Carver 'returns' for show

~ Performer scheduled for appearance as Black History Month begins.

Before Paxton Williams entered Iowa State University as a freshman in fall 1996, about the only thing he knew about George Washington Carver was his famous work with peanuts.

More than 10 years later, Williams now becomes Carter for audiences in several states and even overseas on a regular basis. On Thursday, Williams will appear at Academic Hall Auditorium on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University, where he'll again take on the role of Carter for a free public performance of his one-man play "Listening to the Still Small Voice: The Story of George Washington Carver."

Locals will remember Williams as one of the performers at last summer's Chautauqua, when he closed out the last night of the festival.

Southeast English professor Dr. Susan Swartwout was one of them. She was so impressed by Williams' portrayal of Carver that she invited the historian to speak at Southeast as part of the university's Multicultural Speakers Series.

"I kept thinking I wish the students could see this," Swartwout said of the Chautauqua performance. "He told me things about Carver that I had never known before."

Swartwout said Williams' Thursday appearance is an added bonus for the speakers series, since his performance tells the story of a key figure in black history on the first day of Black History Month. Local schools have been contacted, and Swartwout said she hopes the public will turn out for the free educational event.

Williams' fascination with Carver began at Iowa State, Carver's alma mater. After his graduation, Williams began impersonating Carver for audiences in 2000. Today, he works as a consultant at the Carver National Monument in Carver's hometown, Diamond, Mo.

Williams said Carver's story has important lessons for people today. Carver rose to prominence after the end of slavery in the United States, but still faced challenges in a country where segregation was still an accepted practice and racism was still real, Williams said.

"Listening to the Still Small Voice" takes its name from a Bible verse and illustrates Carver's commitment to listening to nature and the world around him, Williams said. He portrays Carver as an old man recounting the highlights of his life, from his birth into slavery to his accomplishments as a scientific researcher, teacher, painter and his relationship with great historical figures like Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Mahatma Ghandi. Williams said he's performed the play more than 60 times in 13 states and once in the United Kingdom since its beginning as an undergraduate research project.

For more information on the performance, call Swartwout at 651-2641.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182