To help secure needed volunteers and to draw attention to the accomplishments of former 4-H members, the National 4-H Service Committee created the National 4-H Alumni Recognition Program in 1953 with Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation as donor of awards. While the program recognized outstanding 4-H alumni, it also triggered an active search for all former 4-H members and encouraged their participation as leaders and resource persons for the 4-H program at all levels.

When the National 4-H Alumni Recognition program was first started in the early 1950s, it was explained that the program really had three major focus areas. While perhaps the most visible area was to provide recognition to 4-H alumni at the county, state and national levels, a program to assist county Extension staff in locating the 4-H alumni in their county, and advise on how to best utilize alumni in strengthening their 4-H programs, were equally important.

National 4-H Alumni Recognition Program

To help secure needed volunteers and to draw attention to the accomplishments of former 4-H members, the National 4-H Service Committee created the National 4-H Alumni Recognition Program in 1953 with Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation as donor of awards. While the program recognized outstanding 4-H alumni, it also triggered an active search for all former 4-H members and encouraged their participation as leaders and resource persons for the 4-H program at all levels.

When the National 4-H Alumni Recognition program was first started in the early 1950s, it was explained that the program really had three major focus areas. While perhaps the most visible area was to provide recognition to 4-H alumni at the county, state and national levels, a program to assist county Extension staff in locating the 4-H alumni in their county, and advise on how to best utilize alumni in strengthening their 4-H programs, were equally important.

Locate the 4-H Alumni in Your County

Why Locate

• Adds prestige to the 4-H program by associating the names of successful local people with 4-H Club work.
• Provides another good opportunity for 4-H publicity when alumni are recognized.
• Furnishes examples of 4-H training values for present and potential 4-H members.

How to Locate

• Conduct an alumni sign-up booth at your county fair with banners and posters. Give badges and small souvenirs to 4-H alumni who register.
• Establish a permanent card case file of 4-H alumni in the county extension office.
• Sponsor alumni registration in local business places during 4-H Club Week.
• Ask junior leaders and adult leaders, or all 4-H'ers, to conduct a community survey to locate alumni.
• Work through local organizations, clubs and churches in locating alumni.
• Plan, publicize and hold a county-wide 4-H alumni picnic, dinner or other suitable event to attract former 4-H members.
• Advertise in your local extension newspaper column or radio program for all former 4-H'ers in assisting the 4-H program to contact the countyextension office.

The National 4-H Supply Service offered a variety of 4-H alumni items to assist counties in locating alumni. Many of these suggestions remain valid in identifying 4-H alumni at the local level today, nearly 60 years later.

4-H Alumni Can Strengthen Your 4-H Program

From the beginning of the National 4-H Alumni Recognition Program, this basically was the message for identifying or locating alumni:

• There are 10's of millions of 4-H alumni. All of these men and women know the motto to "make the best better" and continue to apply the values and ideals of 4-H to their daily living. The leadership qualities learned in 4-H becomes evident as many of these former members assume responsibilities in public affairs at local, state and national levels.
• Because 4-H has a great effect on their lives, many of these adults find some way to continue supporting the program in their area... as a leader, donor, or resource person. Regardless of position, former 4-H'ers can always play a role in fulfilling the purposes of the 4-H program.
• The 4-H Alumni Recognition Program seeks to honor former 4-H'ers both locally and nationally. Businessmen, homemakers, farmers, teachers, public officials and others receive alumni awards through the National 4-H Alumni Recognition Program each year. This program is an opportunity for the extension service to show its appreciation to 4-H alumni and to strengthen the bond of interest between present and past 4-H'ers. Let the alumni know that 4-H is still interested in them and you will find that in return, the majority of them will still be interested in assisting the 4-H program.
• An active 4-H alumni can inspire current members to continue 4-H until the maximum age - and continue in 4-H ideals throughout their lives.

Alumni Recognition Awards

"Behind the success of most 4-H Club members, there is the quiet dependable help, inspiration, and influence of 4-H alumni." This statement by a state staff member in the 1950's aptly sums up the importance of former 4-H members in the continuity of 4-H Club work.

As a means of recognizing these outstanding men and women, the 4-H Alumni Recognition program came into being in 1952, under the sponsorship of Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation. The first national winners were honored in 1953.

As sponsor of the program, Olin Corporation annually provided up to four gold-filled recognition medals of honor in each county. Each state was offered four burnished copper recognition plaques mounted on walnut to award to four state alumni honorees. Eight national awards were offered each year. National winners received a 10-K gold key and an all-expense trip to the National 4-H Congress in Chicago where they were honored at a special alumni recognition banquet sponsored by Olin Corporation.

In 1973, marking the 20th anniversary of the alumni recognition program, the National 4-H Service Committee announced a renewed emphasis in the National 4-H Alumni Recognition Program. Special attention was directed toward club and county activities. A completely revised program leaflet, "Involve 4-H Alumni in Your Program Today," provided many ideas and suggestions to increase alumni participation. Also, a new set of guidelines were established for nominating former 4-H'ers and selecting those to receive county, state and national recognition.

In response to the new emphasis, many friends aided in the search for alumni. They nominated former 4-H'ers who were doing a great job of helping 4-H and other community groups... alumni who add experience and enthusiasm to 4-H programs by serving as volunteer leaders, resource persons, seminar and project leaders, judges and organization boosters. Respondents expressed keen interest in providing recognition to outstanding citizens who have graduated from 4-H member ranks. These friends throughout the nation filled in 4-H alumni recognition nomination forms appearing in newspapers and other publications. Hundreds were arriving at the National Service Committee offices in Chicago, where they were sorted and passed on to the appropriate state 4-H leaders. Many other forms were delivered directly to county and state 4-H offices throughout the country.

Olin Corporation gave up their sponsorship of the program after 1977. The program was sponsored by Production Credit Assns in 1978 and by the National 4-H Council and Friends of Kenneth H. Anderson from 1979 through 1985. Starting in 1986, the alumni recognition program and annual alumni recognition luncheon at National 4-H Congress were hosted by Beatrice/Hunt Wesson Grocery Group/Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn. Orville Redenbacher, himself, had been honored as a national 4-H alumni winner a couple of years earlier.

National 4-H Alumni Winners

1953

• Anthony Judge, Jr., Retired, Department of Natural Resources, State of Rhode Island
• John Walter Robinson, president of Robinson Furniture Company, Cleveland, Tennessee
• Herman E. Talmadge, governor and United States Senator, Georgia
• Myron W. Clark, director of Marketing, Servicemaster, Inc. Chicago
• Clarence Roy Ropp, farmer, Normal, Illinois
• Mrs. Lloyd Williams, manager of Altus Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma
• Gov. Dan Thornton, Colorado
• Pauline Johnson Hanst, retired teacher in Oakland, Maryland, from West Virginia

1954

• Oscar R. Mennenga, banker; leader in the Bankers' Association Farm Youth Program, manager of California Bankers Association
• Mouzon B. Peters, Tri-State News Editor, Chattanooga Times
• Val Kuska, Agricultural Agent, Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad
• Mrs. C. L. Kirkpatrick, homemaker and 4-H alumni leader, secretary of public school systlem, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
• Dr. Clifford M. Hardin, Chancellor of the University of Nebraska
• Mrs. Joe A. Winkler, Jr., retired teacher, manager of the Medical Arts Plaza in Hammond, Louisiana, author and 4-H leader of Amite, Louisiana
• Dr. Gordon M. Cairns, Dean of the College of Agriculture, University of Maryland
• Hon. Raymond Gary, Governor of the State of Oklahoma

1955

• William D. Knox, Editor, Hoard's Dairyman, Ft. Atkinston, Wisconsin
• Dr. Paul Sanders, Editor, Southern Planter, Richmond, Virginia
• Dr. Russell B. Dickerson, Associate Dean, College of Agriculture, Pennsylvania State University
• Clyde H. Duncan, Assistant Agricultural Editor, University of Missouri
• Mrs. Carl Deitemeyer, homemaker; "Mrs. America of 1955" and 4-H leader, Lincoln, Nebraska
• Mrs. Richard Darden, homemaker, grocery store manager and 4-H alumni leader, LaGrange, Georgia
• Dr. Ben F. Hilbun, President, Mississippi State College
• R. B. Tootell, Governor of the Farm Credit Administration, Washington, D.C.

1956

• Mrs. Luella Henry, County Auditor for Skagit County, Washington, postmistress and 4-H alumni leader, Bow, Washington
• Mrs. W. P. Hendren, homemaker and 4-H alumni leader, Carthage, Illinois
• George C. Dudley, dairy farmer, farm leader, member of Board of Trustees of Litchfield County 4-H Foundation, Litchfield, Connecticut
• J. H. Marshall, Jr., dairy and beef farmer, poultryman and 4-H alumni leader from Evans, Georgia
• W. Kerr Scott, United States Senator, and former Governor, from Haw River, North Carolina
• Donald McDowell, Farmer and Director of Wisconsin State Department of Agriculture, Madison, Wisconsin
• Herbert H. Plambeck, World War II correspondent, radio farm director and 4-H leader, Des Moines, Iowa
• Dr. Dana L. Farnsworth, Professor Emeritus of Hygiene and consultant on Psychiatry, Department of Behavioral Sciences, Harvard University, 4-H alumni leader, Belmont, Massachusetts

1957

• Dr. Ben F. Lehmberg, pastor, The First Methodist Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
• William J. Kessler, retired farmer, auburn, Illinois
• Glenn W. Sample, president, Indiana Vocational Technology College, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Mrs. Fred L. Bull, Baltimore, Maryland
• Mrs. S. C. Meisburg, Jackson, Mississippi
• Dr. Anna L. Philbrook, Director Emeritus, New Hampshire Mental Hygiene and Child Guidance Clinics, Concord, New Hampshire
• Joe Robers, Jr., operates Rogers Farms, Inc., Independence, Oregon
• Hon. Watkins M. Abbitt, attorney, Appomattox, Virginia style='

1958

• Alexander Nunn, Vice President and executive editor, Progressive Farmer, Alabama
• Mrs. Alfred Kinney, volunteer 4-H leader and mother of eight 4-H'ers, Baldwin, Michigan
• John W. Tindall, dairy farmer, volunteer 4-H leader, Princeton Junction, New Jersey
• Margaret A. Bigelow, volunteer 4-H leader, Washington, West Virginia
• Dr. George Duke Humphrey, President of University of Wyoming; former President, Mississippi State College
• Roy Rogers, radio, television and motion picture star; former Ohio 4-H'er in Scioto County
• Mrs. Mays Venable, homemaker, manager of family farm, Jefferson, Georgia
• J. Earl Coke, former State Extension Director, now Vice President of the Bank of America, and a director of the National Committee on Boys and Girls Club Work, Chicago and San Francisco

1959

• David A. Hamil, REA Administrator; former Colorado representative.
• C. L. "Cap" Mast, secretary-treasurer, Miller's National Federation, Chicago; former editor and publisher of "Agricultural Leaders Digest"
• Mrs. Harold Bean, homemaker, teacher and 4-H Club leader from New Hampshire.
• Alvin S. Davis, director of industrial relations, Calloway Mills, Georgia.
• Mrs. Samuel Pfefferkorn, dairy farmer and public health director, Maryland.
• Dr. Hilton M. Briggs, president, South Dakota State College.
• Earl J. Shiflet, executive secretary, Virginia Association of Electric Cooperatives; editor of "Rural Virginia".
• Grace Trathen (Methven). teacher and 4-H Club leaderm 4-H liaison with fairs in foods and clothing for Napa County, Napa, California.

1960

• Harold Joiner, farm editor, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta; executive director, Georgia Forestry Association.
• Mrs. Fred Francis, housewife and former home economist, National Livestock & Meat Board, Wilmington, Illinois.
• Abram Z. Gottwals, agricultural and public relations representative, First National Bank of Southern Maryland, Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
• Dr. Keith Nielson McFarland, professor and assistant director of Resident Instruction, Institute of Agriculture, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minniesota.
• Clark Lynn Frederickson, part-owner and operator of local hardware store, Davenport, North Dakota.
• Mrs. R. E. Townsend, housewife, Gresham, Oregon.
• B. Robert McDermott, Ninth grade science teacher; West Virginia Education Association, Ona, West Virginia.
• Mrs. Frank F. Carr, homemaker, Appomattox, Virginia.

1961

• Sallie Hill, vice president and editor of Home Department, The Progressive Farmer.
• Minnie F. Witham, director of occupational therapy, State Sanatorium, Glencliff, New Hampshire.
• Hughena Miller, homemaker, Fallon, Nevada.
• John Volk, farmer, Battle Creek, Nebraska.
• Julia Faltinson, assistant dean, College of Home Economics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
• Jesse W. Tapp, chairman of the board, Bank of America, Los Angeles, California.
• Sen. John Jackson Sparkman, United States Senator representing Alabama.
• Rev. Carl W. Staser, Methodist minister, East Lansing, Michigan.

1962

• Navy Cmdr. Alan B. Shepard, Jr., astronaut, America's first spaceman in his historic flight over the Atlantic on May 6, 1961; 4-H club member in New Hampshire where his main projects were gardening and poultry.
• Dr. Roland R. Renne, president, Montana State College, Bozeman, Montana.
• Hon. Buford E. Ellington, governor of Tennessee.
• Mrs. Eugene L. Survant, homemaker, Trinchera, Colorado.
• Mrs. J. S. Darnell, Jr., homemaker, Jasper, Georgia.
• William Hitz, dairy farmer, Polk City, Iowa.
• Charles S. Force, partner in Little Brothers Elevators, Richland, Michigan..
• Donald E. Hardman, project leader as Research Chemist and farmer, Winfield, West Virginia..

1963

• Richard D. Chumney, Commissioner of Agriculture, Virginia Department of Agriculture, Richmond.
• Dr. Paul A. Miller, president of West Virginia University, Morgantown.
• Rep. Elmer F. Cravalho, Speaker of Hawaii's House of Representatives, Waiakoa, Maui, Hawaii.
• Allan Grant, prominent Visalia, California farmer and vice president, California Farm Bureau Federation.
• Eunice Boardman, assistant professor of music education, University of Wichita.
• Sue Gerard, physical education instructor at Christian College, Columbia, Missouri; nationally known water safety expert.
• O. C. Swackhamer, farm manager of 3,360 acre livestock enterprise in Tarkio, Missouri; former president of National Livestock Feeders Association.
• Mrs. Dorothy H. MacKenzie, manager of MacKenzie Dairy Bar, Keene, New Hampshire; president of the National Association of Retail Ice Cream Manufacturers.

1964

• Frances J. Gillotti, naturalist and authority on birds, Connecticut
• Hon. William L. Guy, Governor of North Dakota; former 4-H Club member in Cass County, North Dakota
• Willa Schmidt, home economist, consultant and teacher at the University of California
• Scott Wallace, Commissioner of King County and leader in the dairy industry; from Carnation, Washington
• Lucille Wilderman Davis, commercial designer; active in scouting and education as well as 4-H, from Belleville, Illinois
• Luster Leon Price, acting dean of Division of Pure and Applied Sciences at Northeast Louisiana State College, from Monroe, Louisiana
• Jean Shippey Taylor, national authority on home economics; from Arlington, Virginia
• Robert N. Simpkins, dairy farmer and civic leader from Mercer County, New Jersey style='

1965

• Erna Riedel Chapman, head of the home economics department, District of Columbia public schools, residing in Gambrills, Maryland.
• Dr. James H. Hilton, president, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
• Gertrude Drinker, chief of the Educational Programs branch, Foreign Training Division, International Agricultural Development Service, USDA, from Arlington, Virginia.
• Rep. John F. Baldwin, member of U.S. House of Representatives; Martinez, California.
• Dr. Emil M. Mrak, chancellor, University of California at Davis.
• Marry Merryfield, author, radio-TV personality and newspaper columnist, Chicago, Illinois.
• Paul W. Rose, U.S. development officer serving in Iran and Nepal, Bethesda, Maryland.
• Grafton Timberlake, chief of the engineering department, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Laboratory, Alexandria, Virginia.

1966

• Dr. George Beadle, Nobel Prize winner in Genetics; President, University of Chicago.
• Mrs. Margaret Long Arnold, Chairman, Problems of the Aging, Petee Medal, University of New Hampshire; former President, General Federation of Women's Clubs.
• Mrs. Alice Van Wert, Chairman, Iowa Farm Bureau Women; Iowa Mother of the Year 1965.
• Dr. Leland H. Bull, Head of State Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania; Cooperative Extension Service, Pennsylvania State University.
• Mrs. Shirlee Stade Blackner, Western Director, Homemakers Council; former President, Wyoming Extension Homemakers Council.
• Celma B. Gilliland, Deputy Director, Rural CommunityDevelopment Service, USDA, from Arlington, Virginia.
• Mrs. Joe R. Johnson, President and Safety Chairman, Aiken County Home Domonstration, from North Augusta, South Carolina.
• Rev. Gayle Strickler, Pastor, 1st Congregation, United Church of Christ, from Longmont, Colorado.

1967

• Jane Marsh, Mill Valley, CA, winner of the 1966 Tchaikovosky International Competition in Moscow, she sang at the White House last September and with the National Symphony in Washington, DC; the internationally recognized soprano was a 4-H member in Marin County and became expert in riding horses; Miss Marsh never took a voice lesson or sang in public until she was 16 and the sale of her 4-H horse project helped pay for her music education; she debuted professionally with the Boston Symphony in 1965.
• Edd H. Bailey, president, Union Pacific Railroad, Omaha, NE; joining the railroad at the age of 17, his hard work and determination have guided him to his present high position; currently a director of the Association of American Railroads, a governor and secretary of Ak-Sar-Ben, and on the board of governors of the Boys' clubs of Omaha; was a 4-Her in Weld County, Colorado.
• Margaret Lowery, Krypton, KY, a 4-Her in Washington County, MD, Miss Lowery was named most outstanding 4-H leader in Kentucky in 1964; she has been head of the Krypton Bible Center and a mission worker for the Missionary Board of the Brethren Church for 13 years, also an instructor of nurses at Samaritan Hospital in Ashland for 10 years.
• Dr. O. Burr Ross, Vice President for Research and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater; has completed numerous professional assignments with the National Academy of Sciences; was a delegate to National 4-H Congress from Nebraska.
• Dr. E. T. York, Jr., Provost of the University of Florida, Gainesville; serves on the executive committee of the Board of Directors of the National 4-H Service Committee; former Administrator of the Federal Extension Service and also served as Director of Extension in Alabama; currently on a committee of the National Academy of Sciences and chairman of the Council on Graduate Education in agricultural Sciences of the Southern Regional Education Board.
• William H. Avery, former Kansas governor, Avery was a 4-H beef club member and during his term as governor supported numerous 4-H events and served as honorary chairman of the Kansas 4-H Club Foundation; represented northeast Kansas in the U.S. Congress for 10 years.
• Jean Ritchie Pickow, an internationally known folk singer, composer and author, residing in Port Washington, NY; formerly a teacher and elementary school supervisor in Kentucky, after moving to New York she worked with poor children on the lower East side; as a professional singer of folk tunes, Mrs. Pickow has played a prominent role in the Newport Folk Festival.
• Dr. Sidney Sandridge, Academic Dean and Executive Vice President of Southern Seminary Junior College, Buena Vista, VA; an ordained Methodist Minister, he previously was Vice President for academic affairs at Ferrum Junior College, a research assistant in the Department of Sociology at Northwestern University and a pastor in Virginia.

1968

• Rep. Graham Purcell, U.S. Congressman from Texas; previously practiced law and served as District Judge; was a 4-Her in Wichita County, Texas.
• Janet Cowger, former missionary nurse in Haiti and the Congo; currently works as a nurse in a physician's office in Fort Seybert, West Virginia.
• Dr. William Avery Benfield, Jr., senior minister at First Presbyterian Church, Charleston, WV; earlier served churches in Shreveport, LA and Louisville, KY.; was professor of Hebrew and the Old Testament, professor of Practical Theology and Vice President of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
• Irene Whitten Wright, of Brimfield, MA, has been a volunteer 4-H leader for 30 years; spearheaded the fund drive for the National 4-H Center and helped launch the first 4-H leader training session there; also credited with securing a 38-acre site in the Boston area for the new Massachusetts 4-H Center.
• Rep. Donald Holst Clausen, U.S. Congressman from California, ranking member of the House Committee on Public Works; known as "champion of general aviation" in northern California, he helped organize an aviation program at Del Norte County high school, used his plane to teach youngsters to fly and instituted an annual award for the program.
• Judge Juanita Kidd Stout, Philadelphia County court judge, first Negro woman appointed to the bench; in 1965 she was named "outstanding woman lawyer of the year" by the National Association of Women Lawyers; in 1966 received the Jane Addams medal for her work with delinquents; served as a State Department representative to several African nations and was named to President Johnson's Committee on Consumer Interest.
• Dr. Ronald W. Roskens, vice president for University Relations and Development at Kent State University, Kent, OH; at 36 he is one of the youngest educators to hold such a responsible position; recently appointed to the National Executive Corps for the Federal Office of Emergency Planning.
• Mrs. Emily Smith Reed, Associate Dean of Students, University of California, Berkeley; last year she was appointed executive director of the Regents' Funds for Student Community Service Projects at the Berkeley campus.

1969

• Doyle E. Conner, Florida State Commissioner of Agriculture since 1960; served 5 terms in the Florida House of Representatives; at age 20, while still a sophomore at the University of Florida, Conner was elected to the Florida legislature; in 1961 the U.S. Chamber of Commerce named Conner one of the nation's 10 outstanding young men.
• Emil Dietz, marketing specialist for the California Farm Bureau and manager of California Marketing Service; attended National 4-H Congress as a delegate from Le Sueur County, Minnesota.
• George A. Grier, planning director and executive assistant to the Carroll County (MD) Commissioners; Grier's 4-H beef project helped finance his college studies .
• Dr. Laura Jane Harper, professor and dean, College of Home Economics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, her interest in home economics beginning with her 4-H activities in Rankin County, Mississippi.
• Robert S. Harper, president of Wright Packing Company, Chandler, IN; on his 800-acre farm north of Chandler he has sponsored swine and beef workshops for 4-H members and held district livestock judging contests; he donated a $2,000 national award he received for efficiency in beef production toward construction of a livestock building at the Warrick County 4-H Center.
• Mrs. Lorraine McCullough, home economist and social worker for Friendly Inn Settlement in Cleveland, OH since 1942, influencing the living standards of underprivileged persons of all ages; she has taught sewing to the blind, to 4-Hers and to young mothers.
• Roberto Ramos-Barreto, special assist to The Secretary of Agriculture of Puerto Rico and president of the Department of Agriculture Credit Union; a 10-year 4-Her, he organized a Rural Youth Congress; earlier as Extension Service District Supervisor he initiated a system which later developed into creation of "Special Agents in 4-H Work."
• Rep. Jamie L. Whitten, U.S. Congressman from Mississippi, has spent his entire adult life in public service; at age 21 was elected to the State Legislature where he served until elected District Attorney for the 17th District of Mississippi at age 23; at age 31 was elected to Congress where he is now third ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee and chairman of the Agriculture appropriations subcommittee.

1970

• Mrs. Dan Whit Jr. (Mary George Jordan), president of Farmers & Merchants Bank, Centre, AL; past president of the National Association of Bank Women; director of Alabama 4-H Foundation.
• Dr. James W. Oxley, professor and head of the department of Animal Science, Colorado State University, was assistant dean and director of the College of Agriculture and Experiment Station, University of Wyoming; assisted in establishing the Collegiate 4-H Club at Colorado A&M College.
• W. A. (Bill) Sutton, retired, vice president of Citizens & Southern National Bank in Atlanta, GA; served as director of Georgia's Cooperative Extension Service 1953-1963; and Georgia State 4-H Leader 1942-1953.
• Rachel Goold, manager of the home economics department, Rath Packing Company, Waterloo, IA; served as chairman of the Home Economics Consumer Services Committee of the American Meat Institute; while living in Massachusetts she organized a 4-H club and served as its leader.
• Dr. Gordon G. Stocking, product manager, Agricultural Division, The Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo, MI; served as president of the Michigan 4-H Foundation; was instrumental at gaining his company's support of the national 4-H veterinary science program.
• Hon. Robert W. Scott, governor of North Carolina; first president of the U.S. Poultry and Egg Producers Association; past president of North Carolina Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers; master of North Carolina State Grange.
• Charles C. Thompson, president of The City National Bank of Colorado City, Texas, an attorney, rancher-farmer and banker; chairman of the Farm Credit Board of Houston; has helped many 4-H and FFA members by financing projects and giving them animals to feed.
• William Martin Smith, manager, health services, National Steel Corporation, Pittsburgh; active in Air Pollution Control Association and the American Iron and Steel Institute; started a new 4-H club in 1960 and three of his children are members.

1971

• Kirby E. Brumfield, farm director and special events host, KSTU-TV, Fisher Blend Broadcasting Stations, Portland/Seattle; visual aids specialist, both at Extension Service, Washington State University and agricultural journalism department, University of Wisconsin; producer of a weekly television series, "Youth in Agriculture."
• Louise M. Davis, supervisory teacher, home economics, Stewart Indian School, Stewart, NV; previously was department head, home economics, Mt. Edgecumbe High School, Mt.Edgecumbe, Alaska and nutrition specialist, Alaska Native Service at Juneau; food specialist, University of Alaska Extension Service, working with Yukon Indian groups; a strong supporter of 4-H.
• Mrs. Betty Lou Denton (Mrs. Leland G.), home editor of Kansas Farmer Magazine, Topeka and superintendent of foods, Mid-America Fair, Topeka; former foods editor of The Topeka-Capital Journal and food service director of Kansas Power & Light Company.
• Louis Gilbreath, vice president and agricultural representative of the Exchange Bank of St. Augustine, FL and the Hastings Exchange Bank; past president of the Florida Cattlemen's Association, the Florida Agricultural Council, the Florida Braham Association, the Rotary Club of St. Augustine and Junior Chamber of Commerce; chairman of the 1970 Florida State 4-H Bank Committee.
• Luther S. "Pete" Hartley, manager, agribusiness development, West Virginia Department of Commerce, Morgantown, WV; prior to that he spent 41 years with the B&O Railroad, being manager of agricultural, livestock and perishable sales at the time of his retirement; served as president of the Monongalia County 4-H Foundation, directory of West Virginia 4-H Club Foundation.
• Miguel A. Deynes Soto, director of the Puerto Rico Technical Information Center, University of Puerto Rico; previously sub-director of the state commerce program, Department of Commerce; district president of Lion's Club youth committee; president of youth committee, Junior Chamber of Commerce in San Sebastian.
• J. D. Sykes, retired vice president of Ralston Purina Company, St. Louis, in charge of public relations; chairman of the board of directors, American Feed Manufacturers' Association. As a Ralston Purina executive he conducted an annual campaign in the feed industry to build financial support for the National 4-H Foundation, and was one of the innovators of the 4-H Dog Care & Training Program which Ralston Purina sponsors nationwide; served as president of the North Carolina 4-H Development Fund.
• J. Arthur Tufts, general manager of the Granite State Nursery, Exeter, NH; has served as president of the New Hampshire State Senate, functioning also as lieutenant-governor of the state; executive director of the two New England Folk Festivals held in Exeter and is active in the Boston Arts Festival.

1972

• Phillip Alampi, New Jersey State secretary of agriculture; prior to his appointment he was a radio and television broadcaster in New York City with his farm and garden programs being favorites among WABC and WNBC station listeners; past president of 32 organizations, has received some 44 awards and citations and currently serves as officer, director of member of 83 organizations.
• Larry Derryberry, at 32 is currently the youngest Attorney General of the State of Oklahoma, elected a state representative in 1962, the youngest member of the Oklahoma legislature, names speaker pro tempore of the house in 1967; as a legislator he sponsored the annual declaration declaring 4-H Week in Oklahoma and met with the North Central Accrediting Agency to establish guidelines permitting 4-H members to be excused from school while attending 4-H activities.
• Stanley Dreyer, president of the Cooperative League of the USA, the youngest person every to serve as president of a national cooperative organization; one of 16 members of the executive body of the International Co-operative Alliance, a world confederation of cooperatives in 61 nations and the largest nongovernment body with representative status at the United Nations; was an IFYE delegate to Ecuador in 1953.
• Henry Gruber, head livestock procurement officer of Arbogast & Bastian, Inc., Allentown, PA; involved in the sales of 4-H animals at the International Live Stock Exposition in Chicago and was a prime mover in organizing the Eastern Pork Producers Association; has been active as a 4-H beef club leader and serves as livestock judge at various 4-H fairs.
• Mrs. Burdette Jones, Ames, IA, a part-time interviewer for the Black Hawk Research Bureau at Waterloo and for Iowa State University Statistical Laboratory at Ames; she has been Black Hawk County Extension home economist, instructs crafts workshops for youth leaders; past president of the American Association of University Women.
• Dr. Russell G. Mawby, president of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation; prior to his employment with the Kellogg Foundation he was Extension Service program director - 4-H at Michigan State University; served as chairman of the first national State 4-H Leaders' Conference; during 1971 the W. K. Kellogg Foundation made two grants totaling nearly $1,282,000 in support of 4-H youth development programs in the Americas.
• Murray T. Miles, Jr., director of information for the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation; served as state chairman of the Tennessee Dairy Foods Promotion Committee and vice president of the Tennessee Council for Farm and Home Safety; currently serves as chairman of the Tennessee 4-H Club Foundation.
• Mrs. Carmen Maria Pimentel de Salgado, a social worker from Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, with a special interest in working with the mentally handicapped; presently a consultant in social work for the Division of Mental Retardation; has been an elementary and secondary school teacher and serves on the board of Head Start in the Interamerican University; has started a 4-H club and works with 4-H leaders in training courses.

1973

• Rep. Carl B. Albert, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Oklahoma's 3rd district since 1946; also has served as Whip and Majority Leader of the House; talks with many 4-H groups that visit the nation's capitol; was a leader and team captain of his 4-H club.
• Gerald M. Bolick, associate dean, College of Education, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC; previously dean of occupational programs at Wilkes Community College, Wilkesboro, NC; agricultural division chairman, Catawba Valley Technical Institute and district manager for Wirthmore Mills, both in Hickory, NC; and has served as vice president of the Green Valley Farms Supply Company in Lenoir and as president of Alpine Industries; serves as director of the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation.
• Mrs. Mason Houghton (nee Georgia Boatright), of Tarkio, MO, is a homemaker; during World War II was employed at the Rock Island Arsenal and by the army Signal Corps in Newark, NJ; has served as chairman of various county drives, including Easter Seals; has been a 4-H leader for 20 years with five of her club members attending National 4-H Congress.
• Dr. Florence Johnson Knighshead, of Silver Spring, MD, associate professor, School of Communication, Department of Speech and Haring, Howard University, Washington, DC; is also an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina, a lecturer of Catholic University and a corporate partner in Model Cities Day Care Centers, Inc.; previously served as director of Women's Action Program, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and special assistant to the director of public health, Research Association Division, U.S. Public Health Service.
• Durward Lyon, senior vice president, Livestock & Fresh Meat Operation, Wilson & Co, Inc., Oklahoma City; he was president and chief executive officer of Wilson Certified Foods, Inc. and from 1965-70 was vice president of operations for Wilson; currently he is a director of United Appeal, Junior Achievement and Salvation Army boards in Kansas City; chairman of the Meat Industry Committee for the National Occupational Safety Act and a director of the American Meat Institute; chairman of the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce's Agri-Business Committee and has served as a trustee of the Iowa 4-H Foundation and chairman of the Iowa 4-H Alumni Central Committee; traveled to Finland as an IFYE.
• W. F. (Red) Moss, assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture for International Governmental Affairs, Washington, DC; previously directory of special programs, Extension Service, University of Tennessee and from 1958-1971 was commissioner of agriculture for the state of Tennessee; and earlier was district Extension dairy specialist and a county agricultural agent; member of University of Tennessee board of trustees, member of the Tennessee 4-H Foundation and has served as president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and on the National Food Advisory Committee; while commissioner of agriculture, he doubled the state's contribution to 4-H and other youth activities.
• Dr. John W. Thimmig, a practicing veterinarian for 35 years in Brighton, CO, he is president of the State Board of Agriculture and the Board of Trustees, Colorado State University; president of the Brighton Federal Savings & Loan Association and for 13 years president of the school board; officer of the Adams County 4-H Foundation.
• Mrs. Elmer George Worthley (nee Jean Reese), of Owings Mills, MD, executive producer for children's programming, Maryland Center for Public Broadcasting and hostess for the PBS program "Hodgepodge Lodge"; previously director of St. Thomas Parish day school and communications officer in the WAVES.

1974

• Mrs. Haven N. Smith, U.S. Representative from Nebraska.
• Mrs. Ruth Carson Proctor, Montgomery County Extension agent, Maryland.
• James A. Graham, Commissioner of Agriculture, North Carolina.
• Roy V. Edwards, Chairman and CEO, Wilson & Company, Inc.
• Jerry S. Walls, executive director of Lycoming County Planning Commission, Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
• Robeert Neil Duxbury, South Dakota farmer-rancher, Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Wessington, South Dakota.
• Sen. Howard H. Baker, Jr., U.S. Senator, Tennessee.
• Ed Jones, U.S. Representative, Tennessee 7th Congressional District.

1975

• Sen. Dale Bumpers, U.S. Senator from Arkansas; formerly governor of Arkansas, a farmer-rancher, and owner-operator of a hardware, furniture and agricultural store.
• E. Howard Hill, semi-retired, a farmer and president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation for a record 16 years; former president of the I.D. Packing Company; served as a member of the Agricultural Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; 12 years member of the board of directors of the National Live Stock and Meat Board; first president of the Iowa Flying Farmers; attended both the 1924 and 1925 National 4-H Congresses as a delegate.
• Beth Wilson Klosterman, is a homemaker, wife, mother & substitute teacher in David City, NE; president of the University of Nebraska Alumni Association; 4-H club leader, served as 4-H general superintendent at the county fair.
• Navy Captain Charles A. L. Swanson, director of Air Warfare Div, Navy Operational Test and Evaluation Force, Navy Air Station, Norfolk, VA; former commander of the U.S. Naval Air Station, Norfolk; flew 200 missions over North Vietnam flying F-8 Crusader jets; enlisted in the Navy on his 18th birthday in 1945; was first president of the Weld County 4-H Executive Council.
• Dr. Brice C. Ratchford, Extension economist, marketing and agricultural policy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.
• Dr. Glenn A. Olds, president, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.
• Mrs. Jeanetta F. Probasco, counselor, Kilgore Junior High School, Longview, Texas.
• Mrs. Barbara N. Armstrong, associate professor, Home Economics, College of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Akron, Akton, Ohio.

1976

• Robert W. McBride, Vice President and Chairman of the Board, First National Bank of Buffalo.
• Miss Lynn Campbell, quadraplegic artist, author, teacher and poet, Boswell, Oklahoma.
• Dr. Lewis C. Dowdy, Chancellor, North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, North Carolina.
• Louis Lazarus Goldstein, Comptroller of the Treasury, State of Maryland and an attorney, Prince Frederick, Maryland.
• Dr. Rachel Davis, North Carolina physician, Kingston, North Carolina.
• Howard G. "Jerry" Clower, professional entertainer, Yazoo City, Mississippi.
• Mrs. Lawrence Everett, Iowa State President of American Association of University Women, homemaker, teacher, writer, New Sharon, Iowa.
• Oscar T. Blank. Indiana farm owner/operator, community and state leader, Logansport, Indiana.

1977

• Dr. Claude L. Fly, President, Claude L. Fly & Associates, agricultural consultants in soil and water resource development, management and conservation, Fort Collins, Colorado; voted UPI's "Man of the Year" in Colorado in 1971 after enduring seven months of imprisonment inan underground cage by Uruguayan Tupamaro terrorists.
• Dr. Evelyn J. Senecal, Associate Dean, College of Home Economics, Kansas State University; director of law admissions, School of Law, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
• Dr. Walter Washington, President, Alcorn State University, Lorman, Mississippi.
• William A. Nowlin, Director, Security & Merchandise Handling, McCurdy & Company, Rochester, New York.
• Jimmie Luster McDonnal, General Manager, Sally Mac Farms, Monroe, North Carolina; presidential advisor to American Cattlemen's Associaiton.
• Dr. William E. Lavery, President, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, Virginia.
• Martha Meaux Simmons, teacher, Louisiana State School for the Blind, Zachary, Louisiana; learning Braille, she started a 4-H club for children at the school and served as club leader.
• Barbara Storck Thompson, Wisconsin State Constitutional Officer, State Superintendent of Public Information, Madison, Wisconsin; named "Woman of the Year" by the National Council of Administrative Women in Education in 1974..

1978

• B. DeWayne Holmdahl, rancher and community leader, Lompac, California.
• Mrs. Pearlie Geist, homemaker and community leader, Yoder, Colorado.
• Dr. Duane Acker, President, Kansas State University (nominated by IA).
• Mrs. Charlotte S. Tharp, Community Relations Director, WHAS, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky.
• Dr. Davis Morris Denton, Superintendent of the Maryland Schools for the Deaf, Frederick, Maryland.
• Johnny Bench, catcher, Cincinnati Reds Professional Baseball Team, Ohio (nominated by OK).
• Derl H. McCloud, newspaper publisher, "The Tomahawk", Mountain City, Tennessee.
• Christine Vaughan, retired university teacher and education leader, Manchester, Tennessee.

1979

• Roberta Jackson, beautician and city councilwoman, West Memphis, Arkansas.
• Paul Hoshiko, Jr., farmer and general manager of North Weld Produce Co,, Kersey, Colorado. style='
• Jimmie Lee Barroquillo, administrator, Kennedy-King College, Chicago, Illinois.
• Roy Bert Keppy, farmer and farm organization leader and one of the nation's top hog producers, Davenport, Iowa.
• Geraldine G. Fenn, Extension 40H Youth Specialist, Montana and South Dakota/Montana Human Resources Council, Bozeman, Montana.
• Palma Hanson Goodwin, civic leader and teacher, Norwich, New York.
• Norma Mae Netherland, civic leader and teacher, Surgoinsville, Tennessee.
• Arthur W. Nesbitt, president and chief executive officer, Nasco International, Inc., Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin (nominated by PA).

1980

• John L. Huston, president, National Livestock and Meat Board, Chicago, Illinois.
• Earl Butz, Dean Emeritus, Purdue University School of Agriculture; U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, West Lafayette, Indiana.
• Jo Ann Elston, Fourth Grade Teacher, Echo Loder School, Reno, Nevada.
• Henry Schriver, Ohio livestock and grain farmer; agricultural speaker, Grafton, Ohio.
• Koln Gunn McKay, U.S. Congressman, First District, Utah.
• Mary C. Jarratt, Staff Assistant, House Agricultural Committee of U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia.
• Irvin J. Elkin, Wisconsin dairy farmer; President, Associated Milk Producers (AMPI), Amery, Wisconsin.
• John A. Wilson, District of Columbia Legislator, city councilman.

1981

• W. E. (Bill) Beaumont, Pulaski County, Arkansas judge, Little Rock, Arkansas.
• Virgil Groves, California farmer and cattle breeder, Farmington, California.
• Ray Dankenbring, Advertising and public relations, Ralston Purina Company, Kirkwood, Missouri (nominated by IA).
• Verona Weighman Schlueter, Nebraska homemaker and adult 4-H leader for more than 35 years, Pender, Nebraska.
• Ralph Henderson Scott, North Carolina state senator, Haw River, North Carolina.
• Dr. Melvin D. Jones, President and Chairman of the Board, Mark Twain Life Insurance Corporation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
• Darvin E. Boyd, Vice Presicent and Director, Agricultural Finance Department, Hamilton Bank, Pennsylvania.
• Robert E. Delano, President, American Farm Bureau, Warsaw, Virginia.

1982

• Margie Brookshire, Kentucky homemaker/farm partner, Hardinsburgh, Kentucky.
• John W. Carlin, Governor of Kansas, Topeka, Kansas.
• Donald W. Jones, Assistant to the President, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.
• Madelene L. Lyons, California homemaker, Kelsyville, California.
• Robert L. Nash, owner-operator, Nash Cattle Co., The Rock, Georgia.
• Alice J. Penuel, home economist (retired), Lascasas, Tennessee.
• Stanley D. Sahlstrom, Provost, University of Minnesota Technical College, Crookston, Minnesota.
• Robert M. Snyder, farmer, Noah Snyder Farm, Lahmansville, West Virginia.

1983

• John R. Block, Secretary of Agriculture; 9-year 4-H member in Knox County, IL; previously Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture and operating the family-owned Block Farms near Galesburg, Illinois; a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
• Sen. Thad Cochran, U.S. Senator from Mississippi; was a 4-H member in Hinds County, MS where he had a rabbit project; prior to becoming a Senator, he was a U.S. Representative for six years.
• Martha Layne Collins, First woman Governor of Kentucky, elected governor on Nov 9, 1983; previously, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, and clerk of the supreme court of Kentucky; in 1982 elected chairman of the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors; 5-year 4-H member and has been a volunteer lead and 4-H parent.
• Ann Scott Porter, a 12-year 4-H member and National 4-H Congress delegate; Porter has continued her interest in 4-H by serving as a volunteer 4-H leader and leader of a high school 4-H club; helped organize an American Free Enterprise program in the county and assisted in the formation of 4-H meat and land judging teams in Kentucky.
• Orville Redenbacher, best known for the popcorn that bears his name, he has had a long association with 4-H; as a boy in Clay County, Indiana, Redenbacher belonged to 4-H for 7 years and was a member of the Indiana state 4-H championship judging teams in poultry and eggs, corn and dairy; in 1929 he organized the first Vigo County, Indiana 4-H fair; he served as a 4-H volunteer leader and was chairman of the Gibson County Extension Committee.
• Orion Samuelson, vice president and director of agriculture services, WGN Continental Broadcasting Company, Chicago. Samuelson feels his experiences in 4-H in Vernon County, Wisconsin influenced his career direction; began broadcasting in Minneapolis and then in Chicago and since 1975 his weekly syndicated television show, "U.S. Farm Report," has been aired on 100 stations nationwide; first broadcaster to receive the Oscar in Agriculture for his work in radio and again for his work in television; for 25 years has covered National 4-H Congress, as well as the National 4-H Dairy conference and 4-H Commodity Marketing Symposium.
• Edna Wilke Thayer, hospital administrator in Faribault, MN; spent 11 years in 4-H, state winner in the clothing program; served as a volunteer leader for 10 years.
• Charles C. Smith, commissioner in Frederick County, MD and a farmer for 47 years; credits his 4-H dairy projects with having taught him the valuable lessons of management and record keeping; has three sons who were in 4-H and all were national winners; served on the Frederick county 4-H camp development committee and is a member of the Maryland 4-H International Advisory Committee, frequently hosting youth from other countries participating in the IFYE program.
(photo - p.3 Winter '84 Quarterly) National Alumni winners in 1983 were (back row, l. to r.): Orion Samuelson, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture John Block; U.S. Senator Thad Cochran; Orville Redenbacher; Charles Smith; (front row) Ann Scott Porter and Edna Wilke Thayer

1984

• Sen. Albert Gore, Jr., U.S. Senator from Tennessee; previously was U.S. Representative; was a 4-H member in Smith County, TN for four years exhibiting purebred Angus cattle and attended Crossville 4-H Camp for three years; attributes 4-H with giving him citizenship, leadership and public speaking skills that helped pave his way toward a successful career as a politician.
• W. D. "Berry" Gray, member of the Richmond County, VA Board of Supervisors for 33 years and served as its chairman for 13 years; key figure in the construction of a new church for which he donated land; director on the 4-H Education Center Board; was in 4-H six years where he excelled in swine and beef projects.
• James Baxter Hunt, Jr., 4-H member in Wilson County, NC; president of the Rock Ridge 4-H Club; spent 2 years in Nepal where he worked in the development of agricultural practices, helped organize a service similar to the Cooperative Extension Service , and a youth program modeled on 4-H.
• Dr. John K. Matsushima, professor, Animal Science Department, Colorado State University; 4-H member in Weld County, CO where he concentrated on beef fattening activities; says 4-H participation influenced his career choice in the field of beef nutrition.
• Jean Carmack Smith, spent 8 years as an organizational leader for a girls 4-H club in Frederick, MD; she and her husband were instrumental in establishing a 4-H camp and activity center; has hosted IFYE students from India, Brazil, Philippines and Ecuador.
• Jess Stairs, Pennsylvania State House of Representatives delegates since 1976; operates the family dairy livestock farm where he still lives; a 10 year 4-H member in Westmoreland County, PA and served as president of the county 4-H council; was IFYE delegate to India in 1964; says 4-H not only influenced his choice of a college major - dairy science - but also his career..
• Willard Carl Tripp, serves as an alternate director for the Minnesota Dairy Association Board; president of the Rice County (TN) Dairy Association; actively involved in working with visually handicapped children and the Minnesota Braille School for the Blind; has been a 4-H volunteer leader for more than 20 years.
• Arlene Conzelman Viersen, together with her husband, Martin, owns a 10,000-acre cattle ranch in the Sandhills area of Nebraska; has received many honors for her outstanding work in range management and soil conservation; 4-H volunteer for 26 years; attended National 4-H Volunteer Leader Forum in Washington, DC; has organized 7 4-H clubs in the past 25 years.
(photo - p. 2 Winter 85 Quarterly) National 4-H alumni winners in 1984 (back row l. to r.): Governor James Baxter Hunt, Jr; Senator Albert Gore Jr.; W. D. "Berry" Gray; Willard Carl Tripp; (front row l. to r.): Jane Carmack Smith; Dr. John K. Matsushima; Arlene Conzelman Viersen; and Jess Stairs

1985

• Ray Mackey, owner of a 2,000-acre farm in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
• Kristin Granville-Beard, an architect with the Tennessee Valley Authority, Friendsville, Tennessee.
• Dr. Richard E. Grubb, senior vice president, administration. The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania..
• T. E. (Excell) Hankins, executive vice president, Agricredit, Inc., Lake Providence, Louisiana.
• Ralph E. Hayes, prosecuting attorney for Greenbriar County, West Virginia.
• Cordell W. Tindall, retired farm editor and former vice president and director of public affairs for the Harvest Publishing Company, Fayette, Missouri.
• Edward L. Veenhuizen, research scientist in the Animal Science Research Division of Eli Lilly and Company, Greenfield, Indiana.
• Jane M. Yamashiro, coordinator at the Center for Continuing Education and Community Service, University of Hawaii, Kona.

1986

• Reba McEntire, country music entertainer of the year, 1986; six year 4-H from Oklahoma participating in several agricultural projects; says "I always enjoyed the Share-the-Fun Festivals in 4-H becauuse I was able to sing before groups of people and gain self-confidence."
• Judith K. Hofer, president, Famous Barr Company, St. Louis, MO; previously president and CeO of May Company of California; has been the highest ranking woman in retailing since 1971 when she served as president and CEO of Meir & Frank Company; Oregon 4-H'er for 7 years and attended National 4-H Congress; she credits her success to her association with 4-H.
• L. H. "Cotton" Ivy, Tennessee State legislator, widely sought after banquet speaker; a4-H volunteer leader; "4-H was the first organization I ever joined, my involvement gave me confidence that I desperately needed."
• Maurice L. Denton, executive director, Kentucky Association of Homes for Children; has had a life-long commitment to 4-H starting as an 11-year 4-H member in Woodford County, KY; instrumental in gaining corporate sponsorship and recognition for 80 Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee state winners in the agricultural economics projects.
• Dr. Stanley O. Ikenberry, president, University of Illinois at Urbana; previously on the faculty of Pennsylvania State University and West Virginia University where he was dean of the College of Human Resources and Education; 4-Her inJefferson County, WV.
• Dr. James E. Martin, president, Auburn University; previously began his teaching career at the University of Maryland, later moving to Oklahoma State University and to Virginia where he served as dean of agriculture at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; became vice president of the School of Agriculture at the University of Arkansas, later becoming president of that university; 4-H member in Alabama; says "4-H is one of the greatest organizations tht we have toay that deals with young people... with all the problems that our young people face."
• Joseph "Joe" Robbie, general manager and owner of the Miami Dolphins National Football League; 4-H'er in Roberts County, SD; says "I'm not aware of any youth program anywhere that contributes more to the training for future leadership and to give constructive activity to young people than 4-H."
• Dr. William E. Skelton, Dean Emeritus, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; recently completed a term as president of Rotary International; previously served as an Extension county agent, state 4-H staff member, directory of Virginia's 4-H programs, director of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service and dean of the Extension division; 4-H member foor 12 years in Dinwiddle County, VA; currently contributes 8-10 days a month to the 4-H program, raising funds, making speeches about 4-H and serving as a resource person.

1987

• Rep. H. Martin Lancaster, U.S. Congressman from North Carolina; 8-year 4-H member participating in a wide variety of projects including beef, corn, health, public speaking, safety and entomology.
• Rep. Tony Coelho, U.S. Congressman from California; elected House Majority Whip in 1986; a 10-year 4-H member from Merced County.
• Alice Kundert, Secretary of State, South Dakota; member of the South Dakota 4-H Foundation Board; 10 year 4-H'er in Campbell County.
• Rhoda Maddox, a partner in a fashion apparel business in Virginia, she continues to maintain an active interest in 4-H serving as Virginia 4-H Foundation's corporate giving committee and assisting the Frederick County 4-H Leaders Association.
• Don M. Rezac, Kansas State representative, the first Democrat elected from his district in 125 years; successful farmer and rancher; continues direct involvement with the 4-H program by contributing to the Kansas 4-H Foundation, serving as Triple V livestock and crops leaders and assisting Pottawatomie 4-H Council in fund raising.
• Luis Alfredo Santiago Ruiz, draftsman and public relations officer; a 15-year 4-Her participating in food-nutrition, soils, bicycle, citizenship and leadership projects; coordinator for Puerto Rico's observance of National 4-H Week.
• Joe Sullivan, founder and president of Sound Seventy Corp., a conglomerate which serves the music industry and Nashville; featured in July 1985 issue of "Nashville" as one of some 30 people who have shaped Nashville over the last 20 years.; Coffee County 4-Hers particpating in Share-The-Fun, gardening and public speaking.
• Dr. John S. Toll, president of the University of Maryland; played a major role in gaining state approval and appropriations for the construction of a new 4-H center on the College Park campus; 9 year 4-Her in Windham County, Vermont.

1988

• Rep. Jim Kolbe, U.S. Congressman from Arizona; served in Arizona state senate from 1976-1982; Pima County, AZ 4-Her for six years, member of state champion 4-H beef judging team and three times showed the grand champion fat lamb at the Santa Cruz County Fair.
• John R. Vogel, editor of Pennsylvania Farmer magazine; director of Pennsylvania Friends of 4-H and chairman of its long-range planning committee; 9-year 4-H member in Humboldt County, Iowa.
• Ken Montfort, president and chief operating officer of ConAgra Red Meat Companies and former president and chief executive officer of Montfort of Colorado, a family business producing 5.5 million pounds of beef and lamb products every day; served in Colorado House of Representatives; currently president of the American Meat Institute; 7-year 4-H'er in Weld County, Colorado.
• George K. Austin, Jr, president and chief executive officer of A-dec, a Newberg, Oregon firm which manufacturs a complete line of dental operatory equipment; has served as director and president of the Oregon 4-H Foundation; says his early experiences in his 4-H gardening project, when his parents helped him learn how to install an irrigation system, sparked his interest in engineering, eventually his chosen field.
• Perry L. Adkisson, chancellor and distinguished professor of entomology, The Texas A&M Universiy System; 9-year 4-H member in Arkansas where he won top state honors in tractor maintenance; is the author or co-author of 186 scientific publications and has received numerous national and international awards for his research and service contributions and is a member of the National Adademy of Sciences.
• Diana Phillips Langshaw, an animal scientist and expert on rabbits, operating one of the largest individually-run rabbitries in the United States, the operation involving 11 rabbit barns with a capacity of 20,000; her interest in rabbits began during her 11-year 4-H career in Barry County, MI; works with a state 4-H intergenerational program, an effort to involve senior citizens and 4-H youth in working together.
• Harriet Babin Miller, manager of the division of marketing and consumer information for Gulf States Utility Company; a gifted speaker she also lectures high school and university audiences on careers in home economics; a charter member and current chairman of the Louisiana 4-H Foundation; an 8-year 4-H'er in Ascension Parish, Louisiana.
• David W. Simpson, pastor of Mt. Carmel and Mt. Tabor United Methodist Churches in Mongtomery County, MD; formerly vice president of education administration for the American Institute of Cooperation in Washington, DC; 4-H member in Washington County, Maryland with projects in dairy, swine, citizenship, public speaking and dairy judging.

1989

• Colby H. Chandler, chairman and chief executive officer, Eastman Kodak Company; 4-H was an introduction to the study of engineering upon which Chandler built his career; serves on board of trustees, National 4-H Council.
• Bette J. Packer, environmental health specialist with Minneapolis Health Department; says her 10-year involvement in 4-H food and nutrition projects led directly to her college studies and eventual career choice.
• Max Lennon, president, Clemson University; a 9-yar 4-H'er in North Carolina, cites 4-H involvement through which he "developed self-confidence and leadership skills."
• Beverly Evans, Utah state legislator; an active 4-H'er in Idaho and has a 12-year record of volunteer leadership in Utah; credits her participation in Salute to Excellence, a national 4-H volunteer recognition and training program, with giving her the confidence and motivation to make her bid for a seat in the state legislature.
• Gene L. Swackhamer, president and chief executive officer of the Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore; active in state 4-H programs and activities and a 10-year 4-H member, assumed his present position after long experience in agribusiness.
• Martha Wreath Streeter, co-founder of a successful restaurant chain; a long-time home economics teacher, the influence of 4-H was a tremendous influence on her career choice.
• Virgie B. Foreman, Louisiana 4-H volnuteer leader; served as chairman of her county 4-H foundation and homemakers council and conducts a variety of county-level programs and activities.
• Margie T. Johnson, Mississippi 4-H volunteer leader; has been heavily involved in organizing and conducting county-level programs and in raising funds for 4-H.

1990

• Harold A. "Red" Poling, chairman and chief executive officer, Ford Motor Company; chairman of National 4-H Council board of trustees from 1984-1988; joined Ford Motor Company in 1950, beginning as a college trainee in the Steel Division and held a variety of positions before being named chairman of Ford of Europe; an active 4-H member in Virginia, his favorite project was dairy, he and a teammate gave the first-place demonstration at the National 4-H Dairy Show one year, winning with their presentation on making American cheese on the farm.
• Dr. Charlotte F. Beason, director, Associated Health Professions Education Programs, Office of Academic Affairs, Veterans Health Service & Research Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs; a graduate of Berea College, Beason earned her master's degree in psychiatric nursing from Boston University and her doctorate in clinical psychology and public practice from Harvard University; 4-H in Hardin County, Kentucky and later serviced as a volunteer leader.
• Clayton Yeutter, Secretary of Agriculture; appointed to his present position by President George H. W. Bush, previously he had been U.S. Trade Representative in the Reagan administration; earlier from 1978-1985 was president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange; active 8-year 4-H member in Dawson County, Nebraska, grand champion beef showman at state fair adn the AkSarBen stock show in 1948.
• Charles A. Hayes, chairman of the board and chief executive officer, Guilford Mills, Inc.; served as vice president of the North Carolina Textile Manufacturers Association, director of the Knitted Textile Association, Director of Piedmont Associated Industries, and director of the North Carolina Textile Foundation.
• Larry A. Craig, U.S. Senator from Idaho; an 8-year 4-H member in Washington County, Idaho participating in beef, sheep, swine, electric energy and junior leadership projects, showing the grand champion and reserve champion steer.
• Paul Simon, U.S. Senator from Illinois; began his career in journalism where at the age of 19 he left Dana College in Nebraska to purchase a small weekly newspaper in Illinois, becoming the youngest editor-publisher in the nation; 4-H member in Oregon and says, "I think I held my very first office in 4-H."
• Pat Head Summitt, head coach of the women's basketball program, University of Tennessee; one of the most successful coaches in the country, she coached the U.S. women's Olympic basketball team to a gold medal in 1984; in her nine years of 4-H involvement in Montgomery and Cheatham counties, Tennessee, her top honors included showing beef cattle and competing in bread baking contests.
• Dale Wolf, lieutenant governor of Delaware; a five year 4-H'er in Nebraska, Wolf participated in the sheep project and won a 4-H essay contest.

1991

• Roger Beach, a director of UNOCAL.
• Marvin J. Walter, President, Carriage House Meat and Provision Company, Iowa.
• John L. Martin, Speaker of House, 115th Maine Legislature.
• James R. Moxley, Jr., Maryland real estate developer.
• Susan Popper, Accounts Supervisor International, J. Walter Thompson Advertising Company, New York.
• Manly S. Wilder, Assistant to Chief for Strategic Planning and Budget Analysis, Soil Conservation Service.
• Jim Cooper, U.S. Congressman, 4th District, Tennessee.
• Nancy L. Zieman, President, Nancy's Notions, mail order business for home sewers, Wisconsin.

1992

• Daniel T. Blue, Jr., State Speaker of the House for North Carolina.
• Mary Sue Terry, Attorney General, Commonwealth of Virginia.
• Sen. Edmund S. Muskie, former Governor, State of Maine, U.S. Senator.
• Henry Holloway, Director, National Cooperative Business Association; member, Investment, Sponsor and Audit Committees for all Nationwide Companies; 4-H leader.
• Harry Carrico, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Virginia.
• Edgar Rhoades, former county Extension agent.
• Roy Acuff, country singing legend.
• Robert L. Thompson, Chair, board of directors, Farm Foundation and Advisory Council, National Center for Food & Agricultural Policy.

Note: Information on recipients of the National 4-H Awards Recognition Program is incomplete; additions will be added as information becomes available.

Alumni Grateful for 4-H

The sustaining value of the 4-H program surfaced once again in a survey of state and national winners in nine 4-H awards program areas done in 1985 by National 4-H Council.

The survey was designed to obtain career information for the preparation of an upcoming food and nutrition advanced manual sponsored by The General Foods Fund, Inc. More than 4,300 winners between the years of 1965 and 1975 in the areas of achievement, agriculture, bread, dairy foods, food-nutrition, food preservation, gardening/horticulture, health and leadership were surveyed to find out how the 4-H program contributed to their family lives, to their careers, and to the degree of commitment they have towards 4-H today.

While most of the addresses for these alumni were 10 to 20 years old, there was a 50% return of the long narrative survey. Most of the 2,000 respondents stressed the educational value of 4-H and many paid tribute to the donors of their state/national trip awards and scholarships. Nearly 84% of the respondents have at least a four-year college degree and 37% received advanced degrees. This compares to a national average of 24.3% for the same age group having four years of college or more. Survey results also show that nearly half of the respondents are currently 4-H volunteer leaders; 76% are married and rate family values as a strong part of the personal development acquired in 4-H; and most reflect a high correlation between programs in which they won their awards and their present careers.

A two-time winner - veterinary science in 1968 and leadership in 1971 - now a senior research associate from the University of Texas Medical School in Houston, writes, "On the most basic level, 4-H made it financially possible for me to attend college through money made in 4-H beef and dog projects and scholarships. But beyond that, it allowed opportunities not usually permitted to a child of lower middle class families. Public speaking, leadership training, record keeping - all have been invaluable in my development." The doctor is a member of the "test tube baby" team and researching the cellular and biochemical aspects of fertilization.

"4-H has been the biggest asset to my development outside of my educational training in college. Your investment in my childhood is still paying dividends," says a 1966 winner.

Community involvement among the respondents is also high. A 1967 leadership winner, now vice president for public relations for Ruston Coca-Cola Bottling Company, says "The organizational leadership skills in 4-H enable me to be active in community affairs, church activities and enjoy school involvement."

Significantly, the respondents showed a low divorce rate as a group, about five percent lower than the national average for this age group. A 1975 achievement winner, now a division engineer with Du Pont in Wilmington, Delaware, says "4-H was a useful tool in growing up to become a warmer more caring person. It was always a family affair with us."

There is also a direct link between 4-H projects and career choices. "While in 4-H, I developed a project on the use of soybeans as a food product. I am now working with one of these products, isolated soy protein... and 4-H provided the launching pad," states a former food preservation winner, now a food chemist with the Ralston Purina Company.

A Louisiana winner states, "It was through petroleum power, Amoco, that I realized how important the petroleum industry has been (and still is) in keeping our country as a world power. This is why I decided to make the petroleum industry my career. I would like to thank Amoco for sharing with me what they have to offer, because my life would not have been as good without them."

Data collected from these surveys is being used for a variety of purposes to increase 4-H visibility, program support, fund raising efforts, leadership recruitment and enhancing the 4-H program.