Georgia 4-H Centennial Historic Legacy.... Dynamic Future

Georgia 4-H: Still Making the Best Better

The Beginning…Corn and Tomato Clubs and Head, Heart, and Hands

G.C. Adams – The Founder Of Georgia 4-H Professor County School Commissioner Started the Newton County Corn Club in December 1904 with 151 members

G. C. Adams "Like a toy weighted at the bottom and laid on its back, Uncle Claud when pushed always came up smiling and more determined to carry on and start a new adventure. Like a tall oak, the mighty 4-H Club has grown from that small corn club started by G.C. Adams." -From the Adams family history book

P.D. Johnson, a black teacher in Newton County, started the Negro 4-H Program at the same time with a corn patch project for sons and fathers who wanted to learn modern corn production practices. The first Girls’ Tomato Canning Club was organized soon after in Hancock County.

First State 4-H Winner In 1906, the first State 4-H Winner at the Georgia State Fair in Macon was Roy Brown from Toccoa.

The First Three H’s Head Heart Hands

The Fourth H Hustle (added in 1911) Later changed to the present day H, Health

,000 boys and 23,000 girls enrolled nationwide USDA created charter for 4-H

1914 Congress passed Smith-Lever Act, creating Cooperative Extension Service In 1914, the Georgia 4-H Poultry Club was started. By 1915, Georgia had 5,507 club girls and 14, 275 club boys

The 20’s, 30’s and 40’s…Global Expansion and National Conferences

Post WWI 4-H crossed the Atlantic to Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway 1923 – More than 55,000 Black boys and girls involved in 4-H clubs Late 1920’s – Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs created its own Extension Service, promoting 4-H among Native American youth

Camp Wilkins – The First Georgia 4-H Summer Camp Camp Wilkins opened its doors in 1924 on the grounds that now house the UGA CAES's Driftmier Engineering Building. Its program incorporated agricultural education and recreation. Each week, boys from all over the state would come to the camp to take short courses on agricultural issues, swim in Lake Kirota, play on the camp's baseball diamond and create lasting friendships Camp Wilkins Alumni Reunion

National 4-H Conferences National 4-H Club Congress – 1923 National Club Camp – 1927 (now National Conference) –National 4-H pledge and 4-H motto were officially adopted here

Georgia Master 4-H Club The Georgia Master 4-H Club was organized in The first meeting was held at Camp Wilkins with 200 members present Master Club Officers

1937 In 1937, Georgia has County Agents working in every county. 4-H enrollment grew to 82, 962.

Great Depression Food production and conservation skills learned in 4-H were still an asset to youth, their families, and their communities.

World War II 4-Her’s canned, conserved, adopted special recipes, and were at the forefront of the war movement with patriotic pledges and more.

1943- SS. Hoke Smith In 1943, Georgia 4-H’ers sold enough War Bonds to buy a $2,000,000 Liberty Ship and grew food to fill it!

Georgia 4-H Foundation In 1948, the Georgia 4-H Club Foundation was organized to help further 4-H work in the state. Each 4-H Club member was asked to donate one dozen eggs to the Foundation during By year’s end there was $7,000 in the bank.

History of 4-H Camps in Georgia Georgia’s 4-H Camps / Centers Opened: Camp Wilkins, Athens – 1924 Negro 4-H Center, Dublin – 1939 Wahsega 4-H Center– 1943 Burton 4-H Center on Tybee Island Rock Eagle 4-H Center Fulton – 1971 Jekyll – 1982 Fortson

CURRENT 4-H CENTERS Rock Eagle 4-H Center

Rock Eagle 4-H Center Opened ,428 acres of forested land, including a 110 acre lake

Jekyll Island 4-H Center Just renovated, Jekyll 4-H Center is on Jekyll Island on the coast of Georgia. The center was originally the Dolphin Club and Motor Hotel, but after desegregation the facility was shut down. During the 1960’s and 70’s the facility was used for a group camp and youth center In June 1983, the Georgia 4-H program leased the facility from the Jekyll Island Authority and it became Jekyll 4-H Center as we know it today.

Burton 4-H Center on Tybee Island Renamed in 2004, Burton 4-H Center is located on Tybee Island on the Coast of Georgia One of the older camps, Georgia 4-H began using Tybee 4-H camp ( then known as Camp Chatham) in 1946 Tybee offers 4-H’ers the opportunity to experience marine ecology and much, much more!

Wahsega Before this valley in the Chattahoochee National Forest north of Dahlonega, Georgia was called Wahsega 4-H Center, it was home to the McDougal family. In the 1930's, the valley was used by the CCC as a camp for the men building roads and bridges in this area of north Georgia. In the late 1930's the site was used as a summer camp for underprivileged youth. By 1943, Georgia 4-H was using the facility for conferences and rallies. 4-H Summer camp was first held at Wahsega in In 1998 Environmental Education program started at Wahsega

Fortson 4-H Center Once a Henry County 4-H camp, Fortson became a Georgia 4-H Camp in 2004 Fortson was used as a community camp while not a 4-H center. Fortson has been the home of Georgia 4-H Officer Training for 3 years. A new history will be written for Fortson in the next century of Georgia 4-H.

Other 4-H Milestones 1954 – 50 th Anniversary Celebration of Georgia 4-H 1958 – The first 4-H Automotive Club in Georgia started in DeKalb County In 1963, Georgia 4-H enrollment was the largest in the nation with 150,000 members In 1976, 4-H’ers celebrated the nation’s bicentennial with a new citizenship program called the Sunshine Brigade.

Corn and Tomato Club Members Celebrate Georgia 4-H 50 th Birthday!

Other Milestones 1979 – Georgia 4-H Turned 75! 1981 – The Georgia 4-H Performing Arts group, Clovers & Company was formed – 4-H Environmental Education began at Georgia’s 4-H Centers In 1990, Rock Eagle 4-H Center was renovated and rededicated. In 2002, 1,200 youth and adults from throughout the county participated in The National Conversation on Youth Development in the 21 st Century in honor of the National 4-H Centennial.

More Milestones In 2002, Founder’s Lodge was dedicated. This facility honors those who gave significant time, talent, and energy to the development of Rock Eagle 4-H Center.

4-H: A Partner in Education Short-term educational programs Taught by teacher or Extension Staff member Over 190,000 youth participated in Georgia 4-H in 2003 Georgia 4-H’s District Project Achievement enhances language arts, encouraging the development of both oral and written communication skills 4-H has become an active partner in the Cooperative Curriculum System

Georgia 4-H 75 th Birthday Party!

2004…Still Making the Best Better

Important Dates for the Centennial Year Don’t Miss…

Some 4-H Centennial Events June 26, Kickoff of the Georgia 4-H Centennial at State 4-H Council Centennial 4-H Gala,August 14, 2004, Atlanta Georgia 4-H Centennial Celebration Day, October 12, 2004.

Some Centennial Programs Centennial Website at Georgia 4-H Hall Of Fame – Fall, H Centennial History Book Bradford Basket Collector Basket Program 4-H Quilt Expansion Project

A Few Famous 4-H’ers (Drum roll, please…)

Holly Hunter Georgia Alumnus

Garrison Hearst

Hershel Walker Georgia Alumnus

President Jimmy Carter Georgia Alumnus

Governor Sonny Purdue Georgia Alumnus

Nancy Grace Georgia Alumnus

Nikki DeLoach Georgia Alumnus

Faith Hill

Jim Davis

Reba McEntire

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Ann M. Veneman

Johnny Carson

Dolly Parton

David Letterman

Alan Shepard

Reggie White

YOU!!!