WASHINGTON, July 17 (UPI) -- Norman Borlaug, the Iowa farm boy who started the "green revolution" in agriculture, received the Congressional Gold Medal Tuesday.
President George Bush, who attended the ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, praised the 93-year-old Nobel laureate's long career.
"To this day, Norman leads an active life," Bush said. "I listened to a friend. He said Norman spends half his year in Texas, half his year in Mexico and the other half wherever he's needed."
Borlaug grew up on his grandparents' farm. He graduated from the University of Minnesota, where he studied forestry, and also received master's and doctorate degrees there.
During his long career, Borlaug has worked all over the world, starting in Mexico. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.
Borlaug thanked Congress for the support it has given his work over the years, especially in the 1960s and 1970s.
