Hugh Hammond Bennett enjoyed playing in the dirt when growing up near Wadesboro in the 1880s, and that soil connection may have saved the nation.
After attending UNC-CH, Hugh became an expert in soil erosion. He proposed that poor soil management, and the lack of moisture control, caused the dust storms of the 1930s.
He was testifying before a 1934 Congressional committee for better soil management when a dust storm from the Midwest hit Washington. He said if congressmen wanted to see the need firsthand, look out the window.
Hugh got his bill and may have stabilized the country.