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Area 4-Hers Express
What 4-H Means To Me
UNIVERSITY PARK -
Four Adams County young
adults, who have compiled
outstanding records in 4-H
work, were recently named
state contest winners in the
1975 4-H National Awards
program.
They are Susan E. Benner,
18, of Gettysburg, Rl, dairy
foods winner; David J.
Renaut, 18, of South Queen
St., Abbottstown, winner in
citizenship; Mark H. Crouse,
17, of Littlestown R 2, winner
in bicycle; and Debbie
Reichart, 18, of Littlestown
R 2, state beef winner.
Susan Benner, Debbie
Reichart, and David Ransut
will receive expense-paid
trips to National 4-H
Congress in Chicago,
November 30-December 4.
Mark Crouse will receive a
$5O U.S. Savings Bond and
will be eligible to attend
Congress and all will com
pete for awards at the
national level.
Support of the dairy foods
program is provided by the
Carnation Company; bicycle
by the Goodyear Tire and
Rubber Company; and beef
by the Celanese Chemical
Company.
Mr. Carroll L. Howes,
associate 4-H youth division
leader at The Pennsylvania
State University, who an
nounced the award selec
tions, said the four were
judged on the basis of project
work, leadership ability, and
participation in county and
state events.
The winners were picked
from among the 145,000
youth who annually take part
in the Extension Service 4-H
education program.
Susan Benner
The daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. D. Ewdin Benner,
Susan is a freshman at
Messiah College. She has
been a 4-H member for eight
years.
A member of the Adams
County 4-H Dairy Club, Mt.
Joy Agricultural Club, and
Barlow 4-H Home
Economics Club, she served
as president, vice president,
York County Dairy Team Places High
York County Dairy Judging team represented
Pennsylvania recently at the Virginia State Fair and
the Pennsylvania All-American. At Richmond the
team placed 4th overall. Cindy Knight was the high
individual in the contest in giving reasons and
placed sth overall while Cindy Rutter placed sixth.
At the Pennsylvania All-American the team placed
4th out of 12 teams and was high team in judging
t*« • lt» < ,|ji
irday, Oct. 4. 1975
secretary, treasurer, news
reporter, game leader, and
song leader. She also assists
as a project leader.
The state dairy foods
winner completed projects in
dairy, foods, veterinary
science, health, bicycle, teen
leadership, nutrition,
recreation, gardening,
conservation, and clothing.
In Adams County, she took
part in the achievement
night, roundup, officers
training, alumni day,
demonstration day, and fun
night.
Susan Benner
Susan also participated in
the Regional 4-H Teen
Leaders Retreat, Central
District 4-H Leaders Forum,
Regional 4-H Demonstration
Day, District 4-H Dairy
Show, Pennsylvania 4-H
Leadership Congress, State
4-H Achievement Days,
Pennsylvania Farm Show,
Pennsylvania Association of
Farmer Cooperatives
Summer Youth Institute,
and Citizenship Short
Course.
She was recipient of the
Rose Murren Leadership
Award, Outstanding 4-H
Dairy Member Award,
Atlantic Breeders Award,
and God, Home and County
Award.
“4-H has given me
leadership responsibility and
has helped me to decide upon
a career,” she pointed out.
David J. Renaut
The son of Mr.'and Mrs.
Francis B. Renaut, David is
a senior at the New Oxford
High School. He hat been a 4-
H member (our years,
A member of the Ab
bottstown 4-H Community
Club and Adams County 4-H
Recreation Club, he served
as president, vice president,
treasurer, and secretary. He
also assists with club events
as a teen leader.
David Renaut
The state citizenship
winner completed projects in
conservation, gardening,
flowers, photography, teen
leadership, and wildlife
conservation.
He assisted with the
Adams County 4-H
achievement night, roundup,
day camp, officers training,
demonstration night, and
leaders banquet.
David also took part in the
Regional 4-H Demonstration
Day, District 4-H Camp,
Regional 4-H Teen Leaders
Retreat, Pennsylvania 4-H
Leadership Congress, State
4-H Achievement Days, and
State 4-H Capital Days.
“While dealing with
community projects through
4-H, I have gained a lot of
knowledge concerning
community and govern
mental affiars,” he said.
Mark Crouse
The son of Mr. and Mrs.
Fred Crouse, Mark is a
freshman at the Mont Alto
Campus of The Penn
sylvania State University.
He has been a 4-H member
for 10 years.
A member of the Mt.
Pleasant 4-H Club, he served
I Continued on Pago 63)
Brown Swiss; and third in Holsteins and Guern
seys. Cindy Knight was sth high individual overall
aswell as in reasons and Brown Swiss. Members of
the team are (from left): Ronald Horn, Dover;
Director of Pennsylvania All-American; Cindy
Rutter, York, Paul Knight, Airville; Cindy Knight,
Airviile; Leonard Greek, Delta; and Coaches -
David Norman, York, Ass’t. Co. Agri. Agent; and
Paul Knight, Delta.
Hislori'SfVH,
rich and varied
Early
Development
of 4-H
What is now known as 4-H
work had Its mots in
developments of the last
decade of the 19th century.
For the first time, educators
were beginning to stress the
needs of young people.
Progressive educators in
town and city schools were
introducing nature study into
the curriculum. Cornell
University was encouraging
nature study as the basis of a
better agricultural
education. School gardens
were attracting attention in
many places throughout the
country. Rural educators, in
response to a demand from
farm people, introduced
subjects which taught boys
and girls to appreciate rural
life and emphasized rural
opportunities, thus en
couraging an understanding
of life in the country. Also
during this period, boys’ and
girls’ dubs and leagues were
being organized in schools
and churches to meet
various other needs.
Exhibits and manuals
found in a library in Cat
taraugus County, N. Y.,
established 1856 as the date
of a corn-growing contest
conducted there for boys.
The record and story written
by young Franklin Spaulding
of East Otto, N. Y., and the
exhibit of Dutton yellow corn
he entered at the Watertown
Fair would be considered an
acceptable 4-H project
today. This contest was
sponsored by Horace
Greeley, famed newspaper
editor.
Professor Liberty Hyde
Bailey of Cornell University
in 1898 inaugurated a system
of junior naturalist leaflets
for use in rural schools and
helped organize nature study
clubs. Since many of the
rural teachers had had little
preparation for teaching
agricultural subjects, the
experiment stations of the
various State agricultural
colleges furnished in
formation.
In the late 19th and early
20th centuries, agricultural
college professors in nearly
all States were organizing
“Farmers’ Institutes”
meetings to bring the latest
scientific agricultural in
formation to fanners and
their wives. They soon
recognized the need to
provide also some in
struction in agriculture for
farm boys and girls as well
as interesting them in rural
life. Farmers’ institutes in
many States cooperated with
county school superin
tendents in promoting
various production contests,
soil tests, and plant iden
tification as a means of in
teresting the young people.
Results indicated there was
much to be learned about
nature study and agriculture
outside the schoolroom on
the farms and in the homes
of the boys and girls.
One farmers’ institute in
Macoupin County, HI., at
tracted a great deal of at
tention through the par
ticipation of farm boys in a
corn growing project. In
1900, W. B. Otwell furnished
each of 500 boys with a small
package of seed corn. They
were to grow the corn and
exhibit it for prizes at the
next fanners’ institute. No
organization or instruction
was provided.
In Several Places
About the Same Time
In January, 1902, A. B.
Graham, superintendent of
schools in Clark County,
Ohio, organized a boys’ and
girls’ agricultural club in
Springfield Township. The
program consisted of
growing corn, planting a
garden, testing soil, club
meetings, visits to club
members’ plots, and an
exhibit. In February, 1902,
Superintendent O. J. Kern,
who was promoting the
improvement of rural
schools in Winnebago
County, 111., organized a
fanners’ boys experiment
club in co-operation with the
agricultural college. About
1903, the Texas Fanners’
Congress sponsored the
Farmers’ Boys and Girls
League. In lowa, a boys’ and
girls’ agricultural club was
organized in March, 1904, by
County Superintendent of
Schools Cap E. Miller at
Sigourney, Keokuk County.
Work with farm boys in
Illinois reached a spec
tacular climax at the
Louisiana Purchase Ex
position, St. Louis, Mo., in
1904, when 8,000 Illinois farm
boys contributed to the com
exhibit at the Palace of
Agriculture. About this time
the Ohio State Federation of
Rural Schools’ Agricultural
Clubs was organized, and the
members received printed
directions and report sheets
issued by the Agricultural
Students’ Union of the State
college of agriculture.
In 1904, T. A. Erickson,
then superintendent of
schools in Douglas County,
Minn., spent $2O of his
meager salary to buy seed
for one of the first corn,
growing contests involving
youth of that county. He led
the development in Min
nesota and became its first
State 4-H Club Leader.
The work of 0. H. Benson,
county superintendent of
schools in Wright County,
lowa, led directly to the
development of the present
4-H Club emblem.
During the early
development of boll weevil
control In the South, Dr.
Seaman A. Knapp of the U.
S. Department of
Agriculture encouraged the
formation of boys’ corn
clubs. The first boys’ and
girls’ demonstration clubs
were organized in 1907 in
Holmes County, Miss., by W.
H. Smith, a school
superintendent who was
later employed by the U. S.
Department of Agriculture
to further boys’ and girls’
club work. In March, 1909,0.
B. Martin, former State
superintendent of schools in
South Carolina, was em
ployed by Dr. Knapp to help
develop home demonstration
and boys’ and girls’ clubs in
the Southern States.
Girls’ canning clubs
originated in Aiken County,
S. C., early in 1910. In
December, 1909, Marie
Cromer, teacher of a rural
school, represented Aiken
County, at die annual session
of the school improvement
association. At this meeting,
she contacted a represen
tative of the U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture to
discuss development of a
club program suited to girls.
From these illustrations,
you can see that 4-H began
not as the idea of any one
individual, but grew out of
situations existing
throughout the country.
The fundamental principle
behind this activity was to
extend agricultural
education to rural young
people by organizing boys
and girls into clubs and
through “learning by
doing.”
Ties to Land-Grant
Universities and USDA
The State land-grant
universities’ agricultural
colleges and the U. S.
Department of Agriculture
kept in close contact with the
development of this new type
of education. The land-grant
institutions recommended
organizing a distinct ad
ministrative division in each
land-grant institution to
direct the many agricultural
extension activities that
were developing. By 1912,
virtually all of the land-grant
institutions in the Southern
States had signed
cooperative agreements
with the U. S. Department of
Agriculture and had
organized Extension
departments.
Early Organization
The way of a new type of
education was not easy. One
major difficulty in the early
organization of boys’ and
girls’ club work was the lack
of trained leadership to
handle local club
organization and programs.
The idea that information
developed in a college or
experiment station was not
applicable to local situations
was prevalent. Then, too,
agricultural science had not
established itself in the
minds of a great many
people. Many thought that
agricultural skills and
techniques could only be
acquired by practical far
mers. Overcrowded school
curriculums made it difficult
to inject another program.
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