B2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 9,1983
Everything ? a challenge - even
BY SALLY BAIR
Staff Correspondent
“I’ve gained a lot above what
I've given. There is another
challenge every day.” This is the
way retiring Adams County Ex
tension Home Economist Helen
Tunison described her feelings as
she leaves the Extension service
this month after-26 years. “It’s
been a good place to learn and
develop,” she concludes.
While she was learning and
developing, she was providing
leadership and touching the lives
of hundreds of people as she
carried out the programs of the
Extension service. Her role
changed as the programs grew and
expanded and she had to take on
more administrative duties.
“When I first came here in 19571
worked with local 4-H chibs very
closely, and I knew every 4-H
member.” She expresses regret
about changes in that program,
stating, “The new goal seems to be
on numbers, and leaders now do
the work with the youngsters.
Extension workers serve in a
coordination capacity. The
problem is that in a youth
development program you have to
know the youth. Maybe there will
be a swing back.”
She also worked more directly
with the homemakers groups in the
county, in 1957 when there were
only eight or 10 groups. “I would
visit them each month, but that
gave way to leader training. I
couldn’t get to all their meetings
now: there’s not enough days in the
year,” she says.
This memory book was given to Helen tunison upon her
retirement, and is filled with letters of appreciation from co
workers, former 4-H'ers and others whose lives were touched
as she carried out her work in Adams County.
** *
These are a few of the quilt patches presented to Helen at her retirement by the 31
homemakers groups. Each one was handmade to reflect the activities of the local group.
with about 700 members, and there
continues to be interest in starting
new groups. Helen says the groups
offer a way to meet neighbors and
to assimilate into the neigh
borhood. “They are not only
educational, but also offer
fellowship.”
Homemakers themselves have
changed, and Helen remarks, “I
think there is a baby boomlet and
there are more people at home.
There is a lot of interest in
cooperative playgroups, and
homemakers are more
enlightened. They are not your
ordinary parent. They want to get
together.” „
There may be many mothers at
home, but Helen also says that in
Adams County, over 50 percent of
the homemakers are employed
outside the home. To ac
commodate them, programs are
offered m the morning and in the
evening. Helen states, “We have to
have evening programs. We find
that the people who come out in the
evening are very eager to leam.
After a full day at work, they value
their time and they want top
quality instruction. The only time
we teach tailoring is in the
evening. These women really
stretch themselves.”
To provide good instruction,
Helen relies on 14 teachers who
offer programs as varied as
canning, upholstery, crotcheting
and quilting. These are all topics,
for the most part, that Helen once
taught herself. With increased
demands, however, she now sticks
to the coordinating and getting
Helen Tunison, home economist in Adams County for 26
years, shows a few of the mementoes given to her upon her
retirement. Many of the gifts were handcrafted, and many
were skills which she taught in the County.
“One thing that has not changed
is that there are still a lot of
evening meetings,” Helen says
with a laugh.
Helen finds there is a greater
degree of cooperation with other
agencies than when she first ap
peared on the scene. “So many
others have interests in family
living and home economics.
Rather than overlap, we have
chosen to cooperate.’’ This
cooperation has benefited the
community with programs
designed to help families cope with
problems and stresses. Helen
remarks, "This is a new trend, and
I think it is better than everybody
building their own empires.”
As an example, Helen says she
has provided audiences for an
educator hired by the Adams-
Hanover Counseling Services. She
is also helping provide programs to
audiences on aging as well as to
young mothers.
There is a greater interest in
family programs, according to
Helen, because “there is a national
initiative for strengthening
families and family stability. I
think knowing about these services
can help a family. There is a
tremendous need for good in
formation.”
Her mailing list has now grown
to 1128 and includes both men and
women. Helen is justifiably proud
that she has had men serving on
advisory committees.
She has been a leader in offering
programs in solar energy and
says, “Solar took time to un
derstand, but it is something that
needs to have more done. In
novators need help so they don’t
waste their money. The need
unbiased help.” Through tours and
speakers, she tried to offer some of
that help.
Helen approached the subject of
solar energy as she did any other
new topic. “1 have tried to make
use of the training offered and
books. If 1 didn't know about a new
subject, I soon learned through
research. I tried to find the experts
and keep up on the interest.”
She adds, "Home furnishings
were by big thing. 1 have had
some very good, strong programs.
We also have had a quality craft
program of which we are quite
proud.” Helen says she has found
that people are interested in what
she calls “carry crafts” or things
that can be taken with them. She
feels the Bicentennial sparked an
interest in crafts. “There was a big
revival of interest and it has just
continued.”
At a recent retirement
recognition, the homemakers
groups in the county presented
Helen with 31 quilt patches. The
patches represent an assortment
of skills and sewing techniques
about which Helen says, “Most of
these techniques we taught.”
There is crosstitch, embroidery,
applique, machine applique and
many others.
Foods have always been a
subject of interest, but Helen says
the emphasis is changing, with
people cutting “calories, salt and
sugar.” There is also a renewed
interest in ethnic cooking, but
something that hasn't changed is
the interest in bread baking.
“People love it. They get a lot of
satisfaction from it.”
She says home canning is
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gaining in interest as an alter
native to freezing.
The Extension service is suf
fering from budget problems like
many other agencies, and because
of a hiring freeze, Helen’s position
will not be filled immediately.
Helen says, “The personnel
situation is very drastic. Because
of the shortage of personnel there
has been a lot of personnel bur
nout. If people think Extension is
an important service then more
money needs to go into it.”
She sees television as a possibly
alternative in distributing
formation. "A lot of things could be
done. North Carolina has used
television and it has terrific ser
vices. Colleges could make money
by video-taping the programs,”
she suggests.
Another potential way of
meeting future needs, as Helen
sees it, is through “satellite of
fices.” She explains, “I can see
expansion. You could have a store
front with instruction. Someone
could be on hand a few days a
week.” This would take care of a
problem which troubles Helen: the
fact that their office is not cen
trally located to the people they
serve.
When asked why she studied
home economics, she recalled her
Connecticut childhood where her
father was a general farmer. She
carried 4-H projects on her own
because there was no club. She
pointed out, “There were no
counselors then. Anything yoj t
dreamed to do you could do.” 9
What will she do in retirement J
“1 have a lot of unfinished projects
lying around.” Helen says. “I’m
ready to get off a heavy schedule
and the tension and the pressure.”
With her husband Jack, she will
continue to live on their 119-acre
Watercress Farm near Fairfield in
the home which was built in 1830.
Their only daughter Luan lives in
(Turn to Page B 4)