It's Not About Me

The 4-H Club was by far my most enjoyable activity of my childhood. In fact, I was involved in 4-H activities from the 4 th grade all the way through college where I was a member of the Collegiate 4-H Club. Among the projects, I participated in were Citizenship, Farm Home Electric, Junior Leadership, Safety, Handicraft, Public Speaking, Personality Improvement, Health, Entomology, Home Improvement, Career Exploration, Recreation, Automotive and Gardening. I worked very closely with Mr. Knepp, our Hardeman County Assistant County Agent, who oversaw 4-H activities for boys; I spent over 500 hours per year making project visits, giving demonstrations and talks to fellow 4-H club members.

Mr. Knepp – 4-H Club Agent – Bolivar, TN

Award

My greatest honor was winning both the West Tennessee District and the State of Tennessee 4-H Citizenship contest in 1962. At the state level, I received a scholarship to the National 4-H Citizenship Short Course in Washington, D.C. Sherry Moncier and I were the only two delegates from Tennessee. Our field trips included visits to the Capitol, White House, Senate Office Building, House of Representatives Office Building, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers, Iwo Jima Statue, National Archives, Supreme Court Building, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institute, Pan American Union and a boat trip to Mount Vernon. While at the Capitol, Sherry Moncier and I met Senator Estes Kefauver and Congressman Tom Murray.

Left Photo: Sherry and I pictured with Lonnie Safley, assistant to the president of the Tennessee Farm Bureau. Picture taken in Nashville at 4-H Congress after we had both been named winners of the State Citizenship Contest.

Right Photo: Sherry and I with Tennessee U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver at his office in Washington, D.C.

4-H Awards and Recognition

1958 – Scholarship to State 4-H Club Congress in Nashville, TN

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• 1959 & 1960 – Outstanding 4-H Club Boy in Hardeman County • 1959 & 1960 – Scholarship to State 4-H Conservation Camp in McMinnville, TN • 1961 – Scholarship to 4-H Club Roundup at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, TN • 1961 – Received 4-H Vol State Award • 1962 – Won District and State Citizenship Contest – Scholarship to Washington, DC • 1961 – Member of 4-H Club All-Stars

1961 4-H All-Stars: Rich Emerson, James Ernest Mitchell, Ricky Reynolds, Woody Savage, Camille Sammons, Bettye Kinney and Jeanette Sammons

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