February 8, 2011
Speaker: Patricia DeMarco, PhD Executive Director, Rachel Carson Homestead Association
From website: Rachel Carson Homestead
“It is here in southwestern Pennsylvania that this little girl, who grew up to become “one of the most influential people of the 20th century,” according to TIME magazine, developed her love or nature. The youngest and only child of three to attend college, Rachel Carson was a published writer by age 10. In addition she began a life-long love of the ocean – perhaps inspired by her daily view of the great Allegheny River. As a young adult, Rachel went on to finish degrees in biology and marine biology.
Her gift for writing and love for nature developed eventually into a literary outlet. She authored three books about the ocean and became a successful writer. Her fourth and perhaps most famous work was Silent Spring – a warning about the dangers associated with the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides and their potentially adverse effect on the environment and human health. Carson promoted the need for more extensive research before releasing chemicals into our environment.”
Squirrel Hill Historical Society 