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4-H Hall of Fame Honors 44 New Inductees

The third class of Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized on Saturday, August 11, 2007, during the 4-H Family Picnic at the Illinois State Fair. The Illinois 4-H Foundation established the statewide Hall of Fame in 2005 to honor and celebrate extraordinary 4-H alumni, volunteers, and former 4-H staff. Nominations for the Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame are made by University of Illinois Extension staff.

Collectively, the 44 members of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2007 have been involved with 4-H as members and 4-H club leaders for 1,150 years. Inductees range in age from 38 to 96 years old. Each honoree hails from a different Illinois county. Two individuals are being inducted posthumously.

Following is the Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame Class of 2007 and their affiliation with 4-H:

  • Francis Boyle of McNabb (Marshall-Putnam Unit), 10 year member, 5 year club leader, 20 year president of county Extension & 4-H foundation
  • Ruby Christy, deceased in 2006 (Moultrie County), 15 year club leader, 54 year staff at state fair’s Junior Home Economics Building
  • Mable Kinser Cole of Palmyra (Macoupin County), 14 year club leader, 96-year-old long time volunteer and former county 4-H chai
  • Helen Dahmer of Marion (Williamson County), 6 year member, 42 year club leader
  • Nancy Drake of Beason (Logan County), 10 year member, 36 year club leader
  • Nancy Dynes of Atkinson (Henry County), 10 year member, 28 year club leader
  • Daniel Enos of Clinton (DeWitt County), 8 year member, 25 year club leader
  • Glenn Fanter of Kilbourne (Mason County), 5 year member, 2 year Junior Master Gardener leader
  • George Fewkes of Albion (Edwards County), 8 year member, 5 year club leader, longtime project leader
  • Frances Fisher of Ellisville (Fulton County), 37 year club leader
  • Carolyn Funk of Homewood (Cook County), 5 year member, 19 year club leader
  • Evelyn Furlow of Mulkeytown (Franklin County), 10 year member, 30 year club leader
  • Delbert Gabel of Newark (Kendall County), 9 year member, 35 year club leader
  • Virginia Hall of Carrollton (Greene County ), 26 year club leader
  • Lavanda Joergens of Dieterich (Effingham County), 50 year club leader
  • David Klussendorf of Batavia (Kane County), 10 year member, 20 year club leader
  • Charles Koenig of Mount Carmel (Wabash County), 6 year club leader, longtime county agriculture advisor
  • Andrew Krull of Mazon (Grundy County), 11 year member, 6 year club leader
  • Violet Lane of Bethalto (Madison County), 1 year member, 36 year club leader
  • Margaret Lewis, deceased in 2007 (McDonough County), 10 year member, 15 year club leader, 8 year county youth advisor
  • James McCurdy of Monmouth (Warren County), 11 year member, longtime county agriculture advisor and county director
  • Karen McKinney of Enfield (White County), 10 year member, 12 year club leader
  • Betty Messmer of Elizabeth (Jo Daviess County), 8 year member, 30 year club leader
  • Ruth Mueller of Jacob (Jackson County), 23 year club leader
  • George W. Obernagel, III of Waterloo (Monroe County), 10 year member, longtime supporter of county Extension & 4-H foundation
  • Robert Palmer of Galva (Knox County), 10 year member, 43 year club leader
  • Don Peasley of Woodstock (McHenry County), 8 year member, 60 year 4-H and Extension advocate through journalism and photography
  • Marvin Perzee of Ashkum (Iroquois County), 10 year member, 43 year club leader, 36 year president of county 4-H fair association
  • Keith Reid of Albion (Wayne County), 25 year auctioneer and volunteer of county 4-H livestock auction
  • Wallace Reynolds of Belvidere (Boone County), 10 year member, 37 year county youth advisor
  • Kevin Runyon of Piper City (Ford County), 14 year club leader
  • Sheryl Ruter of Shannon (Carroll County), 32 year club leader
  • Jane Schupbach of Sparta (Randolph County), 8 year member, 35 year club leader
  • Maxine Shelts of Huntsville (Schuyler County), 39 year club leader
  • Steve Simpson of Hillsdale (Rock Island County), 8 year member, 35 year club leader
  • Joyce Smith of Viola (Mercer County), 34 year club leader
  • Carol Storoe of Warrenville (DuPage County), 33 year club leader
  • Brent Ufkes of Carthage (Hancock County), 10 year member, longtime livestock superintendent, past county Extension council and youth committee chair
  • Jean Wager of Towanda (McLean County), 10 year member, 32 year club leader
  • Alice Webster of Toulon (Stark County), 6 year member, 4 year club leader, longtime Extension council member and county fair superintendent
  • Dale Wheeler of Kansas (Edgar County), 10 year member, longtime county fair superintendent and original project leader for llamas
  • Vicky Wimmersberg of Jerseyville (Jersey County), 13 year club leader
  • Harry Wright of Pittsfield (Pike County), 10 year member, 4 year club leader, 34 year Extension advisor
  • Donna Young of Sterling (Whiteside County), 9 year member, 15 year club leader

Each inductee receives a commemorative Hall of Fame medallion and will be added to the virtual 4-H Hall of Fame listing at www.4-HFoundation.uiuc.edu.

“We are proud to honor the contributions of these 44 extraordinary 4-H advocates through their induction into the Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame. They are already role models in their communities and counties because of their commitment to serving others,” said Rod Stoll, Director of the Illinois 4-H Foundation. “We look forward to preserving their names and records of 4-H service for the ages. Future generations will also look to them as 4-H role models.”

The Illinois 4-H Foundation raises private funds that are invested in Illinois 4-H programs, which provide meaningful positive development experiences for Illinois youth to develop leadership, citizenship, and life skills.

4-H is the largest out-of-school educational program for youth in the United States. 4-H assists youth in acquiring knowledge, forming attitudes, and developing life skills that will enable them to become caring, competent, and contributing members of society. In Illinois, 292,302 youth participate in 4-H and the other youth programs of University of Illinois Extension. More than 25,500 youth and adult volunteers assist in the programming. For more information about 4-H in Illinois, visit: www.4-H.uiuc.edu.

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