Upcoming Events

Open Modal

Replica Of Famous U.N. Statue Dedicated During 60th Anniversary Celebration Of Khrushchev’s 1959 Visit To Garst Farmstead

Pictured (L-R): Roswell Garst’s granddaughters, Sarah and Liz Garst, pose with Ivan Ponomarev following Saturday’s dedication ceremony.

 

Sixty years have passed since one of the most powerful men on the planet visited a rural farmstead just outside of Coon Rapids. On Sept. 23, 1959, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, spent the day learning about American innovation in agriculture at Roswell Garst’s farmstead. The property is now part of the sprawling, 5,500-acre Whiterock Conservancy, and an event to mark that historic visit was held Saturday. Liz Garst, Roswell’s granddaughter, was eight years old when Khrushchev came to America’s heartland during the height of the Cold War. Garst said she was too young at the time to understand the significance of what was happening but now understands the important role it played in U.S./Soviet relations.

In honor of Khruschev’s 1959 visit and Garst’s role in the exchange, a replica of Yevgeny Vuchetich’s statue at the United Nations, Let Us Beat Swords into Ploughshares, was dedicated during the event. Ivan Ponomarev, an agricultural counselor at the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. spoke to the crowd of around 80 people. Garst understood peace would be almost impossible while hunger existed in the Soviet Union, and according to Ponomarev, Garst’s influence can still be felt today.

Ponomarev added the sculpture, donated to Whiterock Conservancy by Valentina Fominykh and her son, Vladimir, is an excellent tribute to Garst and his enduring legacy.

Guests were also treated to an address from Timothy Naftali, a New York University (NYU) associate professor of history and public service and CNN presidential historian, and an agricultural tour of Whiterock Conservancy.

Recommended Posts

Loading...