COLUMBIA, Mo. – “Making the best better” for generations of Missouri 4-H club members, 44 volunteers joined the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame. The 2020 inductees, from 36 counties, have established a legacy totaling 1,008 years of service to 4-H.

Membership in the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have created a legacy of service to 4-H, said Rachel Augustine, director of the Missouri 4-H Foundation.

“These volunteers have played a vital role in helping our youth develop essential life skills that will empower them to become strong leaders in the 21st-century workforce, and we are proud to honor their service,” Augustine said.

“Missouri 4-H’s most valuable treasure is represented by more than 9,000 volunteers who provide mentorship to our youth to become leaders and responsible adults,” said Lupita Fabregas, director of the University of Missouri Extension 4-H Center for Youth Development.

“Volunteers inducted into the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame have committed years of their lives to make 4-H in the state of Missouri a strong program,” Fabregas said. “Our volunteers, like the ones we celebrate in our Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame, have shown us the true meaning of the words devotion, compassion and commitment. Thank you to all of our inductees for your support of Missouri youth. You are contributing to building a better future for the next generation of Missourians.”

2020 Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame inductees

• Audrain County: Dave & Sharon Welschmeyer
• Barton County: Don & Barbara* Lucietta
• Caldwell County: Steven Grooms*
• Callaway County: Cheryl Rohrbach
• Cass County: Scott White
• Clark County: Rebecca Krueger
• Clinton County: Linda Guthals
• Cooper County: Anton & Alice Gerke*
• Crawford County: Frank & Georgetta Shasserre*
• DeKalb County: Mary Jo Hayter
• Franklin County: Geraline Ellerbrake
• Gasconade County: Bob Bohl
• Greene County: Donna Hammontree
• Grundy County: Carol Ausberger
• Henry County: Irene Komer
• Howard County: Cathy & Dennis Daniels
• Jasper County: Don Carver
• Johnson County: Kimberly Feldman
• Knox County: Michael Ellison
• Lafayette County: Annette Kappelman
• Lawrence County: Jim & Janella Spencer
• Lewis County: Jim Turner
• Linn County: Dean Palmer
• Macon County: Angela Helton
• Madison County: Dr. Scott Mier
• Marion County: Marcia Bross
• Mercer County: Sheryl Thompson
• Monroe County: Marilyn O’Bannon
• Montgomery County: Katherine Hoette
• Pike County: Judy Coates
• Putnam County: Mary Oden
• Randolph County: Rick* & Kathy Buxton
• Ray County: Gwen Gilbow
• Scotland County: Elaine Forrester
• Vernon County: Everett & Ruby Forkner
• Warren County: Donny Kopmann

*Posthumous award.

Photos of inductees are available at https://facebook.com/media/set?vanity=mo4hfoundation&set=a.3459955724027446.

About Missouri 4-H

4-H, the nation’s largest youth development organization, grows confident young people who are empowered for life today and prepared for careers tomorrow. 4-H programs empower nearly 6 million young people across the U.S. through experiences that develop critical life skills.

University of Missouri Extension 4-H connects the technical knowledge of Mizzou youth across Missouri learning about the sciences, leadership, citizenship and skills for life. For 70 years, the Missouri 4-H Foundation has been managing funds for the MU Extension 4-H Youth Development Program, providing higher education scholarships and recognizing 4-H volunteers.