Monthly Archives: September 2014

Using 4-H History to Strengthen the Future of the Program

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Round_History_LogoWhen the National 4-H History Preservation leadership team explains why we are researching and documenting 4-H history to a current state or county Extension staff member, often we use the phrase: “the more you know about the history of 4-H, the better you can understand your current position and do a better job in the future.” Most of our 80+ volunteers in the national history preservation program are retired from a career in 4-H and all sincerely believe this to be true.Throughout the 100+ years of 4-H, professionals have always been out there on the cutting edge with experiential learning. The programs may be new. The audiences may be more diverse. The needs may be different. But the underlying principles of 4-H in many ways have remained the same and will continue because they have been time-tested and they work!

The history preservation team has a goal of making accessible as much of the national 4-H history as possible to everyone through the 4-H history preservation website and 4-H history outreach programs. Coupled with this is our hope that an understanding of the importance of 4-H history – and of history itself – will become an integral part of every state and county orientation program for new Extension 4-H staff, 4-H Foundation staff and other program supporters. Hopefully, the information provided through the National 4-H History Preservation program will help you to accomplish that goal.

Please let us know what information on the history website you have used and whether there is information you are seeking that does not yet appear on the site. Share your stories of how you’ve used the website to conduct new staff training in your state or county at info@4-HistoryPreservation.com .

Taken from the “Preserving 4-H History” section of the 4-H history website:

http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/History/Preserving.asp

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4-H History Website Visitors

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4-HHistoryPreservation.com Visitor TallyThree years ago on September 10, 2011, the National 4-H History Preservation website started using a visitor counter. This counter does not tally up “hits” on the site, but displays the actual number of visitors to the site. Your History website has had over 78,000 visitors from the United States with California residents visiting 5,373 times, followed by Ohio with 4,174 and Texas with 3,900. International visitors came from 147 countries! We’re proud of this outreach as it indicates that people are interested in 4-H History, and we look forward to increasing those numbers in the next few months.

We encourage states which have 4-H websites to help promote 4-H history to visitors to your local site by adding a link to the national history site. Graphic link banners are available at

http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/Connect/

Contemporary 4-H History:
History Website Supports 4-H National Youth Science Day

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National Youth Science Day celebrates 4-H’ers across the nation taking part in a single-themed series of scientific experiments and tasks; this year it focuses on aerospace engineering. Taking place on October 8, the 4-H NYSD 2014 National Science Experiment will be “Rockets to the Rescue!” developed by the University of Arizona. In support of the 2014 theme, the National 4-H History Preservation Program has researched and written a new segment on “Astronauts, Space and 4-H” for National 4-H History Preservation website at http://4-HistoryPreservation.com/History/Space/.

The famous aviatrix Amelia Earhart (center left) was one of the major guests and handed out awards to delegates attending the 1932 National 4-H Club Congress.

The famous aviatrix Amelia Earhart (center left) was one of the major guests and handed out awards to delegates attending the 1932 National 4-H Club Congress.

The 4-H program’s involvement with space can be traced from Amelia Earhart and Admiral Richard Byrd through astronauts Neil Armstrong, James Lovell, Ellison Onizuka, Jerry Ross and Peggy Whitson (a few of the NASA astronauts who were 4-H members) ; from a 4-H space television series with NASA – “Blue Sky Below My Feet” – to National Space Camp, National Youth Engineering Challenge events and now, 4-H National Youth Science Day. Space, indeed, is an important part of both 4-H history and 4-H today.

We would love to hear if and how you used 4-H History in space in your science day program this year at: Info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com.

With the 2015 theme, thousands of youth will focus on one scientific mission: feed a community plagued by natural disaster. Youth will be responsible for building an aerodynamic food transportation device that can develop large amounts of food to disaster victims. While participants will learn STEM concepts like previous NYSD experiments in past years, they will also learn a powerful and valuable lesson in nutrition and how to help solve current, global issues such as providing relief services in the wake of natural disaster.

National 4-H Week, October 5-11, 2014

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From 1946 through 1980 a new theme and new poster were introduced every year during National 4-H Week.

From 1946 through 1980 a new theme and new poster were introduced every year during National 4-H Week.

Why was it started?      When and why did it change from spring to fall?

The Federal Extension Service at USDA developed a “4-H Mobilization Week” which was held annually in the spring from 1942 through 1945 as a means of recruiting 4-H members and focusing their activities to support the war with Victory Gardens, canning, increased crop production, scrap drives and sales of war bonds. This was a very successful campaign which significantly increased membership and helped tremendously with the war effort. In 1945 they looked back in their membership records and saw a similar member increase during World War I and a great drop in participation the following year. Not wanting to repeat that historical episode, they decided to turn their mobilization experience into a National 4-H Week in order to continue recruiting new members every year.

The answer to the second question is 1964.

According to a feature in the March 1964 National
4-H News by Fern Kelley, Assistant Director, 4-H, FES/USDA, considerable study and analyses were done before the change was made. That year, instead of being in March, National 4-H Week was held September 26 to October 3; in the future it was to be held the week in which October 1 occurred. In 1968 it was finally decided that it should be held in the first full week of October each year.

There seemed to be a number of good reasons for the change. In most states, the local recruitment and club reorganization period was in the fall. An increasing number of states were moving to fall enrollment and a fall date for National 4-H Club Week made sense. Local 4-H Club leaders were also calling attention to other problems they were having because so many different youth programs observed a promotion week during the spring. This was causing problems for clubs competing with other groups for window display areas or newspaper space in their re-enrollment drives. The fall dates also allowed for nationally prepared reports and statistics to be more timely or up-to-date than the spring date. It must have been a good move as the fall date has held since 1964. This October we celebrate the <B><I>50th</I></B> autumn National 4-H Week October 5-11.

History Preservation Newsletter
September 2014

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Fall is Always Busy in 4-H

National 4-H Week, once held in the spring, is now held in the fall. Read the history of this commemorative event.

First_Poster

This National 4-H Poster was premiered during the first 4-H week held in the fall. What year do you think it was? The older girl’s 4-H uniform might give you a slight hint.

4-H has long featured aeronautics and space exploration; there was even a 4-H flag taken into space on a NASA mission. This year’s theme of National 4-H Youth Science Day is “Aerospace Engineering” and will include rocket projects designed by University of Arizona.

The final installment of our series on the two 4-H musicians at 4-H Congress in the 1950s features Maryland 4-H’er Helen Bovbjerg (now Niedung), a lyric soprano whose career, she says, was significantly boosted by her 4-H experience.

“Hands-On” 4-H highlights career preparation in 4-H; get your club to discuss the impact of 4-H on peoples’ lives.

Read what participants at the 2014 FilmFest 4-H said about their experience in St. Louis and making films, and see the winning films from “Voices of 4-H History” category.

Next month, we’ll feature the 2014 National 4-H Hall of Fame Laureates. This coveted honor goes to people who have made (and many continue to make) significant contributions to the success of 4-H. Many of the honorees are 4-H Pioneers, whose historical work helped shape today’s 4-H program.

Yes, fall is a busy time for 4-H, but take a few minutes to relax and read this month’s History Newsletter; enjoy!

National Collegiate 4-H History

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700_000036_001We need your help! Collegiate 4-H groups are active on a number of university campuses. Many of these chapters launch their “new” program year in September with the incoming group of freshmen.

While the National 4-H History Preservation Program website carries a section on Collegiate 4-H… one of the first sections added to the website:

http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/History/Collegiate/

the Collegiate 4-H site no longer exists.We welcome any 4-H Collegiate group to help us keep 4-H Collegiate history represented on the national 4-H history website, particularly the history of this important segment of 4-H. Contact us at: info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com if you have ideas or wish to volunteer for this project.

Early 4-H History with the Schools

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September is here… kids are back in school. And, in many areas 4-H is a big part of this. There are school projects supported by 4-H, some areas where 4-H is held in the schools, and thousands of youth served by 4-H in After-School programs.

The relationship of 4-H and schools goes back to the very beginnings of 4-H well over a century ago. County school superintendents in a number of states started boys and girls club work directly in the schools before it was even called 4-H.

The National 4-H History Preservation website added a new history section on 4-H and 1-Room Country Schools earlier this year.

To learn more about the schools and 4-H connection go to:

http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/History/1-Room_Schools/

1-Room School circa 1905

To contact the National 4-H History team – info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com

4-H and PBS in Montana Cooperate on History Project

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In 2011, Montana 4-H began the process of celebrating its 2012 Centennial. The Montana team developed a Centennial Guide for the counties, including a 4-H Heritage Family program. Each county prepared a Centennial Display documenting their county’s 4-H History, and the displays traveled to several statewide events during the yearlong celebration.

Montana 4-H worked with Montana PBS to produce a television documentary: “4-H — Six Montana Stories.” Youth completed applications to be considered to take part in the project; six youth and their families were selected, who were followed through a 4-H year and also captured footage themselves. View the documentary online at: http://watch.montanapbs.org/video/2260061763/

The premier took place at Montana 4-H Congress. In addition, “Heritage Project,” an excellent heritage project book, was developed providing dozens of great suggestions for successful youth 4-H history projects.

4-H History Project Comes to Life for Missouri Youth

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Story and Photo: Linda Geist, University of Missouri Extension;
Story Source: Velynda Cameron

Fourteen-year-old Michaela Higginbotham of Bolivar expected to learn about the history of Polk County 4-H when she began working on a national 4-H history project. But she was happy to uncover her own family’s rich 4-H tradition as well. She is one of Polk County 4-H members who helped gather and display 4-H memorabilia in the county’s museum as part of the National 4-H History Preservation Program. Cards stored in the county courthouse chronicle the projects her grandfather, uncles and cousins enjoyed while they were members.

As a six year member of Woodlawn 4-H club, Higginbotham is following in her ancestor’s footsteps. She discovered a picture of her great-grandmother (who died before she was born) who was a Volunteer Leader, as is Michaela’s mother, a 10-year Polk County 4-H alumna currently leading her club’s bread project. She also unearthed a picture of her mother on the front page of a special 4-H section of the local newspaper.

Polk County 4-H’ers Michaela Higginbotham and Jacob Toombs look over some of the 4-H memorabilia they helped collect for a display in the Polk County Museum in Bolivar, MO.
Courthouse records also showed that the ancestors of 12-year-old Jacob Toombs of Bolivar participated in beef projects; one of the most dedicated volunteers on the history project, Jacob now shows Hereford cattle in 4-H.

University of Missouri Extension 4-H youth development specialist Velynda Cameron learned about the national “Voices of 4-H History” project at a previous 4-H FilmFest in Branson. Members were asked to make audio and video recordings of former members as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act, which created the national cooperative extension system.

The Polk County Commission offered 4-H memorabilia found in courthouse storage, and a small, enthusiastic group of 4-H members expressed interest in having Polk County represented in the national project. They painstakingly pored through newspapers, microfilm and 4-H annual reports to gather information. Their research shows that Polk County 4-H club work began in 1926 with two garment-making clubs and 15 members. By 1928 there were 54 clubs in the county and 422 active members. Today there are 10 clubs and 186 members, Cameron said.

The Bolivar Herald-Free Press published articles seeking memorabilia from former 4-H’ers, and current members began interviewing alumni from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Items began pouring in, including an extensive collection from 84-year-old Betty Ammerman, who had kept a diary of her 4-H days.

Museum curator Margaret Vest suggested the group put a display in the “school room” section of the Polk County Museum, since 4-H groups met at rural schools and teachers often led projects. Ammerman’s diary gives glimpses of the past such as “How to Cover and Make a Stool for a Dressing Table from a Nail Keg” in 1942.

Higginbotham volunteers at the Polk County Museum and encourages older family members to go through the museum with her because the displays often inspire them to tell her stories about their past. “This project is really special to me because I can see what other people have done,” she says. She’s hopeful that future generations will be inspired by her love of 4-H. “I like visiting other places, going to contests and going to Achievement Day. I just love 4-H. It’s really, really fun.”

Polk County 4-H'ers Michaela Higginbotham and Jacob Toombs look over some of the 4-H memorabilia they helped collect for a display in the Polk County Museum in Bolivar, MO.

Polk County 4-H’ers Michaela Higginbotham and Jacob Toombs look over some of the 4-H memorabilia they helped collect for a display in the Polk County Museum in Bolivar, MO.

A video of the club’s history is on the Polk County Extension Center website at http://Extension.Missouri.edu/Polk/4H.aspx

Polk County’s 4-H club is the first club in Missouri to participate in the “Voices of 4-H History” program, which aims to increase public awareness of 4-H by collecting and preserving audio, video and print information. Cameron encourages others with 4-H memorabilia to contact her at Cameronv@Missouri.edu.