4-H History Preservation Newsletter
January 2016

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Happy New Year!

January is traditionally the time to make New Year’s resolutions. If you don’t want to commit to a year-long struggle to lose weight, or the life-style change required to adopt a pet, or have time to volunteer in a 2016 political campaign, here’s a resolution you can easily make: “To read the 4-H History Newsletter diligently each month and share it with at least one other person.”

Feeding the Hungry: 4-H’ers started this tradition to support American soldiers in WWI. The need still exists in this country for households that are “food-insecure,” and 4-H continues to contribute time, vegetables, energy and fruit. Here’s this month’s
“Hands-on History” project.

TV Star: What well-known blonde starred in a 1969 episode of a beloved TV show which featured the 4-H dog care program?

George W. Bush: The President received the “Partner in 4-H Award” in 2002 when he recognized 4-H on a milestone event; do you know what that event was?

Chevy Chase Junior College made news as one of two big properties sold in the Washington D.C. area 65 years ago this week! It was purchased by the National 4-H Foundation (predecessor of National 4-H Council) to become the National Home of 4-H. How much do you think it cost?

Chevy Chase Junior College made news as one of two big properties sold in the Washington D.C. area 65 years ago this week! It was purchased by the National 4-H Foundation (predecessor of National 4-H Council) to become the National Home of 4-H. How much do you think it cost?

4-H Posters: The National 4-H Poster program ran from 1924 through the early 1980s, with a slight interruption. If you’re a fan of estate sales, eBay, or second-hand stores, here’s your chance to help complete the collection of 4-H posters: help us find the copy that is missing.

Guy Noble: He’s featured in this month’s chapter of “Folks who Helped Make 4-H Great.” Can you identify his most significant contribution to the history and development of 4-H?

Is Your State on the 4-H Map: If your county or state is not already listed on the National 4-H History Map, you need to make sure it happens soon! This web-based 4-H atlas will document your local sites of historical importance only if you lead the way!

February is traditionally the time when New Year’s resolutions are tossed in the recycle bin! Next month, we’ll check back with you to make sure you’re still committed to your resolution to read this year’s History Newsletter every month.

In the meantime, enjoy this issue.

 

Please help us preserve 4-H History . . .


RCA National 4-H Program on Social Progress

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The following story is from the National Compendium of 4-H Promotion and Visibility on the National 4-H History website at

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



In July, 1936, while most of the country was still wrestling with the Great Depression, the National Committee on Boys and Girls Club Work, in partnership with the Extension System, announced a new awards program quite different from any that had preceded it. Called the National Program on Social Progress, the new program was sponsored by the Radio Corporation of America, through its services, RCA Victor and the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).

Inspired by 4-H, the President of RCA, Mr. David Sarnoff, worked personally with 4-H to create the program to energize rural communities and simply help young boys and girls feel better about themselves and their future. It was a broad program encouraging community parties and cultural events where youth could expand their horizons, conservation activities, discussions and debates, volunteer programs and personal growth opportunities.


RCA_Social_Progess_Poster


The awards structure for the program was generous, including both individual and club awards along with county, state, sectional and national recognition. The top 4-H boy and girl in the United States were awarded $500 scholarships at National 4-H Congress, plus a trip to New York City (each with chaperon) to personally meet with Mr. Sarnoff and tour RCA and NBC facilities. Both an appreciation for music and the hands-on use of radio broadcasting were integral parts of the program.

The National 4-H Program on Social Progress was of great assistance in many rural communities which were experiencing low morale due to the Great Depression, and also was a highly visible program for 4-H. David Sarnoff served as a member of the board for the National Committee on Boys and Girls Club Work for a number of years

 

Please help us preserve 4-H History . . .



 

Folks Who helped Make 4-H Great
A. G. Kettunen

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This is the fifth in the 1962 series published in the National 4-H News highlighting the work of 4-H professionals who, in the judgement of surveyed Extension workers, contributed significantly to the growth and development of the 4-H program nationwide. We reprint each article as it was written in 1962.

The following story is from the December 2015 issue of the 4-H History Preservation Newsletter

A. G. Kettunen

A_G_KettunenHumble beginning marked the life of many a 4-H pioneer, and Arne Gerald Kettunen was no exception. The son of an immigrant Finnish tailor, he learned early in life the value of hard work. Especially he came to realize the value of a helping hand, and so set ambitious goal himself in the service of youth.

Nearly 1½ million 4-H Club boys and girls reaped the benefits of club work in Michigan during the 31 years “Kett” spent as state 4-H Club leader there, from 1925 to 1956. In those years, not only they but 4-H’ers across the nation received a helping hand through Kettunen’s diligent work.

As was the case with so many workers in the early days of 4-H, when a lack of today’s clearly established patterns required a broad scope of operation, Kettunen’ achievements threaded through so many phases of 4-H that it is hard to pick out one or two that stand above the rest.

One great contribution this native of Michigan made to 4-H was in obtaining financial support, both public and private.

For instance, he helped obtain a yearly state 4-H Club allocation from the Michigan legislature for counties to use in providing “suitable awards for

members and leaders.” He raised $28,000 of state money, in 1942, to finance the State 4-H Show, claimed to be the largest annual 4-H event in the nation not connected with a state fair. In helping establish the Michigan 4-H Foundation in 1952, he opened a way to put private funds to work for the youth of his state. (He also established many county 4-H foundations to aid agents in administering an effective 4-H program.)

Kettunen was a strong, capable executive, his former co-workers explain. He established a district 4-H supervisor’s plan and a strong county 4-H Club agent system in Michigan. He led the way in Michigan’s 4-H camping program first with a camp at Chatham for the Upper Peninsula, then with many others. Most Michigan counties now have a camp of their own or own one jointly with other counties.

In national 4-H affairs, Kettunen was a promoter of many events. He served as chairman of 4-H’s top policy group, the 4-H Subcommittee of the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP). He was the first chairman of the National 4-H Club Foundation and a chairman of the National 4-H Congress committee.

Born at Ishpeming, Michigan, October 28, 1894, “Kett” spent his whole professional life in the service of youth. Immediately after his graduation from Michigan State University in 1917, he went to work with the Extension Service of that state, becoming state 4-H Club leader 8 years later.

In 1923, he married Ruth Cresswell, who later became a staff member at Michigan State University also. He was survived by a son, daughter and five grandchildren at the time of his death at age 64.

Always a backer of the International Farm Youth Exchange program, Kettunen journeyed to Finland and other European and North African countries in 1952 to study its activities. He was honored by the Finnish government for his contribution to the organization of their 4-H work.

In the words of another 4-H pioneer, “Kett” was not so much a speaker or writer as a “do-er.” He never spared himself, which may have contributed to a heart attack at about the time of his retirement from Extension work in 1956.

Himself a man of great integrity and high standards, Kettunen helped transmit those qualities to 4-H Club work.

 

Please help us preserve 4-H History . . .


4-H History at 2015 NAE4-HA Conference

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The following story is from the November 2015 issue of the 4-H History Preservation Newsletter

4-H History was a prominent part of the exhibit area during the National 4-H Agents’ Association meeting last month in Portland, Oregon. Not only were we busy talking with people in our booth but throughout the exhibit hall with invitations and buttons being handed out as well as several cooperative efforts.

NAE4-HA_Sue_Tom_Dave

A team of volunteers helped staff both the 4-H History Preservation Program booth and the Esri booth to recruit nominators for the National 4-H History Interactive Map. Nearly a hundred new sites were nominated at the conference by filling out forms and adding green pins for the new Points of Interest on the map in the history booth.

Calendar_PostcardsMany lined up to give donations to receive a set of the six newly-printed historical 4-H calendar art post cards which will soon be available for sale on the 4-H Mall. Others signed up to receive the newsletter and the online News Service, more information about the mapping and oral history projects and to offer historic publications and audio-visual materials for digitizing.

So many amazing stories were being told that we couldn’t keep track of them all. How could we make sure we didn’t lose these stories next year? Esther Worker of Esri suggested that we talk to next year’s conference planners. They are now exploring a sound booth for taping oral histories at next year’s NAE4-HA conference in New Orleans.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this year’s conference were the many people who came by just to say hello, and to tell us that they enjoy using the website and newsletter in their programs. In fact, one of our readers (and newsletter contributor, Jenny Morlock, Ohio) invited us to see her entry in the poster sessions which was inspired by our asking her to share her story about their local 4-H history room in an article we carried in the April 2015 issue of this Newsletter. She used the newsletter as one of her handouts in the display.

4-H_Map_Pointing

We were also pleased to be a part of the newly organized 4-H History Committee discussion on how we can work together with NAE4-HA to better use and share all 4-H History resources for the common good. Kudos to Betty Gottler, NAE4-HA Historian for organizing and leading that effort! Last but not least, during one of the busy times at our exhibit a green character came dancing up the aisle. Sue Benedetti went out to meet her/him but in all the hubbub didn’t manage to get the name. Was it Chris Clover? Where is he/she from? Anyone who knows about this character, please contact us at Info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com

 

Please help us preserve 4-H History . . .


Folks Who Helped Make 4-H Great
A. B. Graham

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The following story is from the November 2015 issue of the 4-H History Preservation Newsletter


Drawing from the May, 1962, National 4-H Club News.

Drawing from the May, 1962, National 4-H Club News.

Rural one-room schools in this country were, at the birth of the 20th century, the gathering place of youth without a great deal of hope. Or so many educators such as A. B. Graham thought as they observed the attitude of farmers and farm youth toward their own lot in life.

The farmer was then a “hick” in the eyes of city folks. Farming was a plodding existence, calling for not much ingenuity or thoughtfulness, many farmers felt.

To lift the vision of farmers was the goal of many early pioneers in boys’ and girls’ club work – O. H. Benson, T. A. Erickson and others. In Springfield township, Clark county, Ohio, school superintendent Graham decided to kindle new enthusiasm for rural life in the hearts of his students.

His technique for doing this was the formation, in January, 1902, of an agricultural “experiment club.” He showed members some litmus paper and suggested that they test the soil on their fathers’ farms. Later he introduced more science into club work with a microscopic examination of frogs’ blood circulation and other eye-openers for the farm youth. Perhaps the greatest contribution this pioneer made, however, was in building the prestige of 4-H Club work in the minds of Extension workers and the public alike. He left school work in 1915 to go to Washington, D.C., as head of agricultural specialists in the federal Extension Service.

Seeing the growing impact of 4-H on agriculture, Graham influenced federal Extension specialists to write 4-H bulletins and make suggestions for club work in the states.

W. H. “Billy” Palmer, who became the first state 4-H Club leader in Ohio in 1916 – shortly after Graham left the Buckeye state – and who built 4-H into a great program there, recalls that “about the only 4-H literature we had in Ohio in the early days was from Washington D.C. It was written by specialists there.” Graham encouraged that help, he adds.

Graham was a prolific writer himself, and a practical philosopher who is still quoted widely. He did little writing about 4-H until his latest years of life, however, since agriculture was his primary interest. He had promotional abilities with which he served 4-H along with his ability as a practical educator.

Evidence of his practical nature is the fact that Graham started local projects in the early years in Ohio. He helped cast the mold for present-day 4-H Clubs by forming actual clubs (much of the early youth work in other places was in the form of contests), electing officers, promoting exhibits, drawing up report forms, and encouraging projects at home.

The 4-H pioneer started life on a Champaign County, Ohio, farm on March 13, 1868. He had several years’ experience before taking the Clark county job. In 1914 he took charge of Extension work at the New York School of Agriculture after serving as superintendent of Extension at Ohio State University for 9 years. His years of work at the Federal Extension Service began in 1915, and he retired in 1938.

Almost to the time of his death in early 1961, Graham was a tireless worker for 4-H in his native state of Ohio. He attended meeting after meeting to build youth work, a fitting climax to a life of service.

 

Please help us preserve 4-H History . . .


4-H Alumni Distinguished Themselves in World War II and Beyond

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The following story is from the November 2015 issue of the 4-H History Preservation Newsletter

As we celebrate Veterans’ Day this month we would like to remember and share short stories about some of the many 4-H alumni that served their country proudly in the Armed Services. The following excerpt comes from “Wartime 4-H Support – World War II” which is currently being researched and written by the National 4-H History Preservation Leadership Team for inclusion of the website.

When the United States entered World War II in December, 1941, many older 4-H members and 4-H alumni enlisted in our country’s military services, soon to be actively serving on the battlefields and seas of the war. There were an estimated 800,000 4-H alumni in total enlisted in the war effort.

Not surprising, many of these young men and women who had grown up on farms and experienced the “can do” attitude of successful 4-H projects and activities also became some of the heroes of the war.

Knocking out Japanese at Saipan and Tinian won a promotion for Marine gunnery sergeant Marion J. Franklin, former 4-H Club president at Mount Vernon, Illinois. As a scout with the fourth Marine Division artillery, he served with forward observer parties throughout the Marines’ campaign, and was a crack shot, specializing in hunting enemy snipers. Fighting throughout the war, Marion became old enough to vote on November 11, 1944, near the end of the war.

100_Hawaii_Co-C

American boys of Japanese ancestry born in Hawaii made up the celebrated 100th Hawaii Infantry Division of the United States Army and one among them was Kenneth Otagaki, former 4-H Club member with a seven-year record of poultry project experience on the Island of Molokai. A graduate of the University of Hawaii, he was an assistant in the University’s dairy department, before enlisting. He closed out the war at the Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. because of combat wounds received at Cassina, where he lost a leg, an eye and several fingers.

Winner of the 100th Congressional Medal of Honor, Sgt. Oscar Godfrey Johnson, from Foster City, Michigan, was a member of the Sturgeon River Dairy Club five years and the Felch Forestry and Handicraft Clubs for each of several years. Sgt. Johnson’s citation tells a story of supreme courage. Detailed to a forward scouting battalion, his party was ambushed by Germans. All others were killed or wounded. He himself was responsible for killing 40 Germans, silencing six machine gun nests, and caring for the wounded. Later he was wounded and received the Purple Heart. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor from General Mark Clark.

The October 1945 issue of National 4-H Club News announced that Col. Creighton W. Abrams is now home in triumph in Agawam, Massachusetts. Abrams was a 4-H’er for several years, raising baby beef. During the war he served as tank battalion commander with Gen. Patton’s army. [Later, as a U. S. Army General, Abrams commanded the military

 

Please help us preserve 4-H History . . .


Folks Who Helped Make 4-H Great
Dr. E. W. Aiton

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In coming months we will feature short bios of ten people who were selected by professional Extension workers in 1962 as having made significant contributions to the 4-H program: people who “helped make 4-H great.” The original series was first published in 1962 in National 4-H News and is reprinted here. To select the individuals to be featured, National 4-H News “…asked more than 30 veteran 4-H workers to send us their list of the ‘top ten’ contributors. We tallied the results and chose the ten people mentioned most often …” From a historical perspective, these individuals are the ones to whom 4-H owes its creativity and dynamism, its solid and experiential education principles, its enduring strength. These are the ones on whose shoulders this remarkable youth development proudly stands today.

This series stands as a tribute to those visionary leaders to whom we are greatly indebted.

The following story is from the August 2015 issue of the 4-H History Preservation Newsletter

E_W_Aiton

Drawing from February, 1962 National 4-H News.

There is no doubt in observers’ minds as to the contributions which Dr. E. W. Aiton has made to the youth movement which has been so much a part of his life. Testaments to his vision and determination are plentiful in today’s 4-H program.

What is the background that has led this man to his being named in a list of ten people who have contributed so much to 4-H? For one thing, a 4-H career that has included every level of 4-H work: member, junior leader, adult leader (even at this time), county Extension worker, state and federal 4-H staff member.

Starting as a farm boy in Minnesota, Aiton moved steadily up the professional ladder. In 1960, after serving eight years as the first director of 4-H Club and YMW (Young Men and Women’s) Programs in the Federal Extension Service, he was appointed assistant administrator of the FES (Federal Extension Service).

The marks of Dr. Aiton’s influence are present in many places in 4-H. One is in the International Farm Youth Exchange (IFYE) program, which he helped to found while he was Northeastern regional 4-H field agent in Washington, D. C., from 1944 to 1950. New York State 4-H Club Leader Al Hoefer and a group of 4-H’ers journeyed to Washington with an international program in mind, and Aiton was assigned to help them. The result: IFYE.

The National 4-H Club Center is another monument to Aiton’s ability to organize, then carry out a needed project. During a stint as executive director of the National 4-H Club Foundation (from 1950 to 1952), he initiated many services to 4-H as well as pushing the planning of the widely-used Center.

As the first director of the Division of 4-H and YMW Programs, Aiton wielded a great influence on club work nationally. His efforts helped increase public understanding of 4-H. (During his Extension career in Minnesota, he once served as state Extension editor.) He helped clarify the working relationship between the national policy-making group in 4-H and its parent Extension committee. He contributed to building the role of state 4-H Club leaders as professional educators. He developed the status of local 4-H leaders and blazed trails in their training and development. (He is co-author of the book “Leadership in Action in Rural Communities.) 1 Young Men and Women’s 2 Federal Extension Service

Other 4-H areas promoted by Aiton and felt directly by 4-H Club members include: · Citizenship as the main goal of 4-H Club work, rather than merely the learning of skills. · An adjustment to the changing membership of 4-H – that is, an expansion of the program to include more activities for urban and suburban members. · Emphasis on 4-H’ers understanding international affairs and relating them to club activities. · Development of literature, training meetings, etc., tailored to fit the development needs of members at different ages and with different problems. · Strengthening or working relations with many youth groups such as the Boy Scouts of America and others. ED NOTE: The auditorium of the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland, is named in memory of Dr. Aiton.

 

Please help us preserve 4-H History . . .


NAE4-HA Attendees Map Their 4-H History

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The following story is from the November 2015 issue of the 4-H History Preservation Newsletter

4-H educators nominated new locations for the National 4-H History Map at the recent National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA) meeting in Portland, Oregon. Visitors to the 4-H History Preservation Program Exhibit viewed the 119 locations currently posted to the Map , and those 4-H educators nominated new locations for the National 4-H History Map at the recent National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA) meeting in Portland, Oregon. Visitors to the 4-H History Preservation Program Exhibit viewed the 119 locations currently posted to the Map , and those who wanted to add a site filled out a form and put a green pin into that location on the paper map. On return home, 4-H educators will work with youth and adults to round up old photos, clippings, related web sites, that will make their historical 4-H location more interesting to the internet users of the 4-H History Map, as they travel across the United States.

4-H_Map_Pinning

These nominations are the first steps in the process of getting countless historically significant 4-H sites documented on the growing, internet-based atlas of 4-H history. Forty-four 4-H educators from 27 states (AZ, CO, FL, GA, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SD, TX, WV, and WY) committed to grow a history mapping effort in their state and will get youth  and adults involved in identifying historically significant 4-H locations in their communities.

These new state 4-H Map teams will identify locations to be nominated, reviewed, approved, and loaded into the interactive National 4-H History Map. Reviewers and approvers will follow up with the nominators to get more complete information, such as photo/video/text, on the points of interest (POI) before the sites will be posted to the 4-H History Map..

It’s easy to join in this effort. Putting up a US or state map at a 4-H event attended by 4-H teens, volunteers, staff, and alumni, who know 4-H sites that should be documented, is a very effective way of recruiting new suggestions for your area to take a rightful place on this 4-H History Map. In Portland, it was important to have attendants that were excited about the project so that they could build interest and collect contact information from those who express interest in getting involved.

Maryland and Texas have committed to events in November to increase the number of locations and points of interest documented on the Map.

  • Dwayne Murphey, Maryland State 4-H History Map leader, has an event planned for the Maryland Teen and Volunteer Forum in Ocean City. They’ll use the same props (foam poster board, US Map, with pins to indicate locations) which proved effective at NAE4-HA.
  • Dr. Tamra McGaughy, 4-H Educator in Dallas County, TX, will be working with the state 4-H office to further the project. She stated, “This will be an awesome opportunity for 4-H youth to learn.

Think about sites/locations/points of interest that could be nominated from your community, county or state. Also help in the search for old photos/video/texts that will enhance the value of the points of interest which you propose to be documented.

Every month, new sites/locations will be added to the “smart phone accessible version” of the map, for  use by 4-H families traveling across the U. S. So join the effort to get members, leaders and alumni to participate. It is your 4-H history!

4-H_Map_Project
Try out the online version of the 4-H History Map at http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/History_Map

For more information on the 4-H History Map project contact Tom Tate at tateace@aol.com or Jason Rine at Jason.Rine@mail.wvu.edu

 

Please help us preserve 4-H History . . .


Blue Sky Below My Feet

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The following story is from the National Compendium of 4-H Promotion and Visibility on the National 4-H History website at

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

Blue_Sky[1]“Blue Sky Below My Feet – Adventures in Space Technology” was the name of a popular 4-H television produced in 1986 by National 4-H Council, Extension 4-H USDA, National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) and Arthur Young and Company. It provided a strong, lasting relationship between 4-H and NASA that remains to this day. (See the section on the 4-H History website on Astronauts, Space and 4-H.)

Some of the segments in the series included four astronauts who were 4-H alumni – Don Williams, Mack Lee, Bob Crippin and Ellison Onizuka – filming in Houston at the Johnson Space Center. The three programs focused on gravity and forces, fiber and fabrics, and food and nutrition. Impulse, an animated satellite, was used throughout the series.

Dexter Dickinson, famed space artist, created a special set of six futuristic space art posters to accompany the Blue Sky series. Mr. Dickinson personally presented the original artwork for the posters to the National 4-H Center during the Blue Sky premiere on February 11, 1986 at the National 4-H Center.

One of the series of six posters created exclusively for the Blue Sky Below My Feet 4-H television series by famed space artist Dexter Dickinson

One of the series of six posters created exclusively for the Blue Sky Below My Feet 4-H television series by famed space artist Dexter Dickinson

 

Please help us preserve 4-H History . . .


Sir Thomas Lipton Honors Top 4-H Achievement Winners

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The following story is from the National Compendium of 4-H Promotion and Visibility on the National 4-H History website at

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

Sir Thomas Lipton, c. 1909

Sir Thomas Lipton, c. 1909

In parallel to the top National 4-H Leadership boy and girl awards, in 1928 a top 4-H boy and a top 4-H girl were selected at National 4-H Congress for overall high honors in 4-H Achievement.

The program was created by the National Committee on Boys and Girls Club Work in consort with the 4-H Office of USDA. It was sponsored by Sir Thomas Lipton, a Scotsman who was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1898, had become a multimillionaire tea merchant, emigrating to America and establishing his business in New Jersey. He died in 1931 at the age of 81, however Lipton Tea was to become the tea trade’s largest worldwide success throughout the course of the twentieth century. After the death of Sir Thomas Lipton the award for the top boy and girl in the National 4-H Achievement Awards Program became recipients of the President’s trophy, given annually in the name of the President of the United States with each winner also receiving a scholarship. In the beginning this trophy was referred to as the Roosevelt trophy, however during the 1940s it became known as the President’s trophy. Like the Leadership top honors, the two top annual 4-H achievement winners garnered much media coverage and publicity.

For more information on the National 4-H Achievement Awards and a listing of all winners, see the National 4-H Presidential Winners segment on the 4-H history website at
http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/History/National_Recognition/Presidential_Winners/#AD2

 

Please help us preserve 4-H History . . .