812-Unc«st*r Farming, Saturday, March 14, 1998
The Boyd family are strong supporters of the 4-H program. When Gerald received
the Superior Achievement Award, these family members congratulated him. Kneeling
are a sister Sarah and cousin Brian Boyd. Parents Deb and Kerry Boyd are beside Ger
ald. At left are a cousin Jody with parents Bruce and Linda Boyd. At right are his Uncle
Darvin and Aunt Linda Boyd. The fund for the Superior Achievement Award was first
established In honor of Gerald’s grandparents, Elmer and Pauline Boyd, 14 years ago.
His grandfather had been a 4-H leader for 29 years.
Siblings Turn
‘Making The
(Continued from Pag* B 3)
“My father believes that doing a
project book is just as important as
showing an animal and that every
thing should be done as well as
possible.” Gerald said.
The siblings must have followed
well their father’s instructions.
The scrapbooks compiling the
story of their 4-H involvement are
outstanding. Creativity in arrang
ing pictures, news clippings, and
information tell an intriquing
story.
Both show journalistic flair in
stories expressing their emotions
that fluctuate while they work on
various projects.
The friendly sibling rivalry paid
off this year when their blue books
were named the best in the county.
In a surprise farewell to Gerald
at the 4-H Livestock banquet
recently, Sarah gave a heartwarm
ing speech about her brother.
“It’s going to be a sad time next
year when no big brother Gerald
will be idling me what to do or not
to do—when he isn’t there to sit
with at the shows, share jokes, and
listen to me complain,” she said.
“He’s a wonderful kind of per
son who makes a great impact on
people’s lives. He directed my
steps instead of telling me what a
complete jerk I was acting like at
times. It’s hard to believe that it
took eight years to realize how
much my brother means to me.”
*T was totally shocked. It was
really special of her to do that for
me. I didn’t realize how much I
meant to her.” Gerald said.
“We bonded together to make
the motto ‘Make the best Better,’”
Sarah said. “We stuck together.”
When it comes to livestock, the
whole family gets involved. His
mom has a nanny goat and his
dad’s favorite is pigs.
“We always say Dad spends
more time with the pigs than he
does with us,” Gerald said a smile.
Sarah shares her dad’s obses
sion with pigs, but Gerald prefers
dairy animals and is intrigued with
goats, after showing them for the
first time last year. “Goats,” he
said, “are humorous with a nice
Rivalry Into
Best Better’
disposition.”
Gerald attends Millersville Uni
versity where he pursues elemen
tary school teaching and special
education degrees.
It was actually through showing
cows that Gerald’s interest in spe
cial education was piqued through
learning to know someone with
Down’s Syndrome who shows
dairy animals.
“I really like working with
kids,” Gerald said.
Gerald has also had experience
in teaching kids by serving as a
4-H teen leader. During die 4-H
Fair Tent Out, Gerald was in
charge of all the games with the
kids.
Sarah, 11, attends Ephrata High
School. She wants to be either a
high school gym teacher or an
extension agent
Gerald said that his father, who
is a 4-H leader, pointed him in the
right direction, but never pushed
him.
“It was my idea to get involved
with livestock judging. I did it one
year for experience and then
wanted to quit But my dad encour
aged me to do it one more year,”
Gerald said.
Lucky he did. That was the year
the team took first place in the state
and at national competition Gerald
placed 15th out of 140 in individu
al competition.
But it was a trip that a group of
4-H’ers made to Poland that made
the biggest impact on Gerald’s life.
“It was the greatest experience
of my life,.” Gerald said. He was
especially impressed with the self
sacrificing acts of his host family.
Oxen Teams Needed
WALLKILL. N.Y. Oxen
teams are needed to participate in
the fourth annual Shawangunk
Day being planned for Oct. 3.
Prizes will be given for the oxen
pulling event, but those interested
in participating should register
now. Craft and food vendors are
also needed.
who treated him like a king.
'The trip gave me a whole new
perspective on life,” he said.
“Americans take things for
granted. I try not to do so any
more,” he said. “We have so much
compared to what they have.”
Gerald was also impressed with
the value the Polish people put on
families. “My host family came
home in the middle of the day just
so they could be together,” he said.
Especially heart-rending was
touring the Holocaust camps near
Poland.
“Life doesn’t last forever. We
can’t take each other for granted,’’
Gerald said.
“I’d like to tell other kids,” he
said, “that 4-H affords many
opportunities that allow us to reach
for the stan. But you can only
achieve your dream if you put time
and effort into it As fhture educa
tor, I believe 4-H is an organiza
tion that will allow troubled youth
to reach for the stan, thus keeping
them off the streets.”
As a means to enable non
farming youth to have the oppor
tunity to work with livestock, the
Boyds allowed a boy from a non
farm family to keep an animal on
their farm and show it in 4-H
competition.
While many 4-H’ers idolize
Gerald, he said, “I have disap
pointments, animals die, I don’t
get what I expected from breeding,
the animals may act stubborn, but I
learned that when you get in a
negative slump, hang on light to
faith because you have to believe
that your luck is going to change.”
Shawangunk Day features trac
tor and garden tractor pulls, free
apple pie making, music, demon
strations, food, handmade crafts,
pony rides, and other activities for
young and old.
For mote information, call (914)
895-2900.
SEE YOUR NEAREST
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DEALER FOR DEPENDABLE
EQUIPMENT & SERVICE
PENNSYLVANIA
Abbottstown. P,
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Equipment
RD 1, Box 255 A
717-259-6617
Annville. P,
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Inc.
RD 1, Rte. 934
717-867-2211
Carlisle. P,
R&W
Equipment Co.
35 East Willow Street
717-243-2686
Elizabethtown. PA Schreffler
Messick Farm
Equipment, Inc
Rt. 283 - Rheem's
Exit
717-367-1319
Halifax. P,
Sweigard Bros
R.D. 3, Box 13
717-896-3414
West Grove. P,
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352 N. Jennersville Rd.
610-869-2214 1-800-869-9029
Frederick. MD
Ceresville Ford New Holland, Inc,
Rt. 26 East 301-662-4197
Outside MD, 800-331-9122
Hagerstown. MD
Antietam Ford Tractor, Inc.
2027 Leitersburg Pike
800-553-6731
301-791-1200
Rising Sun. MD
Ag Industrial Equipment
Route 1,50 N. Greenmont Rd.
401-658-5568
NEW JERSEY
Bridgeton. NJ Washington. NJ
Leslie G. Fogg, Smith Tractor &
Inc. Equip., Inc.
Canton & Stow Creek 15 Hillcrest Ave.
Landing Rd. 908-689-7900
609-451-2727
609-935-5145
3*
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Company
Honev Grove. PA
Norman D. Clark
& Son, Inc.
Honey drove, PA
717-734-3682
Loysville, PA
717-789-3117
PA
lollam
A.B.C. Groff, Inc.
110 South Railroad
717-354-4191
Olev. PA
C.J. Wonsidler
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R.D. 2
610-987-6257
Pitman. PA
Equipment
Pitman, PA
717-648-1120
Tamaqua. PA
Charles S.
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R.D. 3
717-386-5945
Woodstown. NJ
Owen Supply Co
Broad Street &
East Avenue
609-769-0308