In Pursuit of Prosperity : North Carolina State University Libraries : 9781469661322 : 1469661322 : 30 Oct 2020 : "Monteith begins his study with our roots in the traditions of England and Europe, tracing developments through the World Wars. Much of the foundation for North Carolina's progress was built during these years, but the major transformation took place in the post-World War II era when the investment in higher education paid off. It is easy to lose sight of how radical the concept of something like Research Triangle Park was during its inception. North Carolina may have seemed like an unlikely place to invest, but its universities and the research happening there attracted companies like IBM, Bayer, and Eli Lilly that would become critical economic anchors. It was during this time that innovations and discoveries in the burgeoning fields of medicine, science, and engineering led to valuable patents, copyrights, and companies that would become the backbone of the state's econo