Delaware 4-H History |
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There was no 4-H Club Work in Delaware previous to the passage of the Smith-Lever Act of Congress and its acceptance by Delaware in 1914. Early in that year Mrs. Nellie F. Snyder of Newport, in New Castle County acting under a special appointment of the Secretary of Agriculture, did some work in canning club instruction with individual girls in New Castle and Kent Counties.
The first organized 4-H Clubs in the State were formed by M. O. Pence, County Agent in Kent County, early in 1915. A boys’ corn club was organized at Tomahawk School and a club of boys and girls was organized at Houston. The Houston Club is recognized as the first organized club in the State and Dewey Sapp of Houston was the first member to actually join the club. From 1914 to 1917, most of the 4-H Club Work was conducted by the County Agents and was either corn or pig-club work. Girls’ Club Work was confined to canning, first under the direction of Mrs. Snyder and later supervised by Miss Elizabeth Jefferson, who had been appointed State Home Demonstration Instructor. Stimulus was given to boys’ corn club work by the State Board of Agriculture which provided funds for furnishing good seed and awarded cash prizes at a boys’ corn club show in 1915 and 1916. The first organized girls’ 4-H Club was the Black Swamp Canning Club at the Black Swamp School, west of Felton in 1915. In 1914, Howard T. Ruhl was appointed as the first State Club Leader, but served only one year. He cooperated with the County Agents and did some individual work in the field but there still was no organized 4-H Club staff. In 1918, Theodore T. Martin was appointed State 4-H club leader. Mr. Martin began an aggressive campaign for 4-H leadership and developed organized plans which formed the basis for the present 4-H club organization. With Miss Agnes Medill as Assistant, he started the policy of organized 4-H club groups in 1918 and sought the assistance of local leaders. During the year from 6 to 8 Emergency Demonstration Agents were furnished by the Federal Extension office to do 4-H club work in Delaware. A great deal of this work was war garden work and enlisted boys and girls in urban as well as rural districts. Standard projects in dairy, swine, poultry, canning and clothing projects were set up and record forms developed. In 1919, the services of the Emergency Agents were discontinued and the State Leader and his Assistant conducted the program in cooperation with the County Agents and Home Demonstration Agents in the counties. An enrollment of approximately 1200 boys and girls was built up, and a system of local and State 4-H exhibits and contests developed in cooperation with the local Granges, the State board of Agriculture and the Delaware State Fair. In 1920, the titles of all the county Home Demonstration Agents were changed to become County 4-H Club Agents, responsible for the organization and conduct of all 4-H club work in their counties. Miss Medill no longer acted as Assistant State Leader as she had been made Home Demonstration Agent in New Castle County. Miss Helen L. Comstock became the first county Club Agent in Kent county where she has served continuously until her retirement. Miss Dorothy Emerson was the first 4-H Club Agent in Sussex County. During his service from 1918 to 1921, Mr. Martin developed the plans for organized clubs with regular programs and offices. Local leaders were secured for each club, although most of them were school teachers who functioned only during the school months. Clubs were organized and met, for the most part, on school time under an agreement with the State Board of Education. A system of exhibits, public demonstrations and judging contests were organized with special classes and contests for 4-H club members at the Delaware State Fair, and the newly-organized Kent-Sussex Fair. In 1919 the support of the Delaware State Bankers’ Association was enlisted by Mr. Martin and member banks contributed 40 scholarships to be used by 4-H boys and girls at the first 4-H Club Short course held at the University of Delaware. This practice was continued for about 10 years, until the Short Course had become of such importance that support was made possible through State appropriation and the funds raised by 4-H members. In 1921 Mr. Martin resigned and was succeed by A. D. Cobb, formerly County Agent in Kent County. The policies already started were continued during the period from 1921 to 1925. However, all of the urban garden club work was gradually dropped, and projects were added to broaden the scope of the work in a strictly rural field. The Supervisor continued to do much of the field supervision of boys’ projects. |
In 1923 a memorandum of understanding was developed between the 4-H Club Department of the University of Delaware and the Agricultural Vocational Department of the State Board of Agriculture which was instrumental in preventing misunderstanding and duplication. In 1925 the duties of the State 4-H Club Leader were combined with those of the County Agent Leader under the title of State Leader of County Agents and later in 1929 under the title of Assistant Director. To meet the need for some assistance in handling agricultural 4-H projects, a State Boys’ Club Agent at Large was appointed in 1936 to work out of the State Office and assist the club Agents in developing and conducting work with boys. From 1925 to 1935 enrollment grew steadily until a top enrollment of 2200 members was reached. In 1935 stock was taken and it was apparent that much of this enrollment was not followed by honest project work. Part of this was due to the enthusiasm of the agents and partly due to the ease with which so-called enrollments could be obtained in school-room contacts. About this time it became apparent that the consolidation of schools had resulted in a situation where efficient 4-H Club Work could no longer be done in school surroundings. Gradually club work has been removed from the schools and put on a community basis. This change was completed in 1939 and has resulted in much better work when measured by quality of enrollment and percentage of completed records. During this process, enrollment was reduced, completions and value of club projects increased, and subject matter record book material improved. In 1927 the supervisor formed an organization of older and former 4-H club members known as the Order of Link in the 4-H Club Chain of Delaware. Each county has a Chapter of the Order which has functioned as Junior Advisory Council for the club Agent. In 1935 George Worrilow, former New Castle County 4-H Agent, was named boy’s State 4-H Club Leader at large, two months later he was promoted to New Castle County Agent and was succeeded by C. E. McCauley, former 4-H Club member who in later years was named State 4-H Leader. Mr. McCauley worked in this capacity until 1945. Miss Jean Lee of Iowa was named State 4-H Club Girls’ Specialist in 1946 and continued in that position until 1950. In addition to responsibilities for the girls’ program, she was responsible for such state-wide events as 4-H Short Course, 4-H Fairs and contacts with the Federal Extension Service and the National 4-H Committee. Sam M. Gwinn, former Sussex County 4-H Agent, was appointed State 4-H Club Leader in September of 1951. He was responsible directly to the Director of Extension and charged with the responsibility for the overall 4-H club program in the State. In 1956 Mr. Gwinn took sabbatical leave to receive his Doctor’s Degree at the University of Wisconsin and Wayne Bath of Nebraska served as acting State 4-H Club leader in his absence from 1956 to 1958. Dr. Gwinn returned to Delaware in 1958 and continued to serve as State 4-H Leader and Assistant Director until 1960 at which time James O. Baker, Sussex County 4-H Agent, was appointed State 4-H Leader.
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