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Camp Shaw Gift Honors Golden Anniversary of 4-H Couple
Bob and Alyce Konen, of Kane County, helped celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary by paying tribute to the role that 4-H has played in their family. 4-H, in fact, first brought Bob and Alyce together when they were each 13-year-old members of the Batavia Boys 4-H Club in Kane County. Bob grew up on a farm in Aurora and Alyce was from Batavia where she also belonged to the Batavia Button and Bows 4-H Club.
Although the Konen’s attended the same 4-H club for several years, Bob credits sitting around a campfire with Alyce in the summer of 1952 at Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see as the first moment when some 4-H “magic” sparked and their courtship first began. The Konen’s were married in 1955 and raised four sons who were each 4-H club members. Bob was a leader of the Valley Hustlers 4-H Club for about 5 years and is the long time treasurer of the Kane County 4-H Foundation. When Bob and Alyce held their golden anniversary party in 2005, they invited their guests to bring only donations to the Kane County 4-H Foundation.
Because their romance was first kindled while attending Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see, Bob and Alyce made a gift in 2006 to sponsor one-half of a new cabin at the camp. Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see is undertaking a Campaign Camp Shaw to re-build their 4-H cabins. One cabin duplex has already been dedicated and another one will be constructed in the coming year.
Bob and Alyce Konen are retired farmers in Sugar Grove and they have 10 grandchildren. The Illinois 4-H Foundation salutes the Konen’s for their generous support of 4-H and for giving back in recognition of the impact 4-H has provided their family over the years.
