4-H Awards

4-H County Awards

4H Awards have been proudly earned and worn by members throughout the years.

This page covers the County Award level and my attempt to organize and date them.

4H County Awards were basically offered in 7 versions:

Medal - big and heavy enough to be displayed hanging from a ribbon
Key - similar to a medal, but smaller with a distinct design (Meat Animal)
Charm - smaller, able to be worn on a bracelet or necklace
Pin
Paper Certificate (very few)
Tie-Tac (only 1 known, the Dress'/Fashion Revue for boys)
Key-Ring (1 - Automotive)

There was a large number of programs that a 4H member could earn an award. The programs were modified and names changed as they were added or dropped throughout the years as the interests and the needs of the 4H members changed.

The actual designs of the awards also changed throughout the years and can be difficult to date unless they are engraved on the back or paperwork is found with the awards. It is not known who was in charge of designing the awards but it could be understood that the major corporations that sponsored the award may have had a say in the design, at least in the early days. This may explain why there is little cohesion in the early awards.

Listed below are:

known programs for 4H awards
images of all the versions of each item, if available
the sponsor or donor to program, if known
the general date if known
Specialty Programs

What this page does not have:

Very early 4H Awards that were elegant but generic, meant to be inscribed with proper information
Panel Pins: items with a base pin and a separate "panel" designating the program that was affixed to the base pin.

This 1932 County Honor is "unknown", sponsored by Montgomery Ward Co. - Any ideas what this award was for?

-- A --

Program Title
4H Achievement Awards Sponsors: President of the United States of America National Committee on Boys and Girls Club Work (1942) Ford Motor Company	No County Award for 1946 & 1947	1951	1977
Agricultural Program International Harvester
Alumni Recognition (Adult) Introduced 1952 Olin Mathieson Chemical Corp. Plant Food Division
Automobile Program Introduced:1959 Firestone Tire & Rubber Co.

-- B --

Program Title
Bale of Cotton Award		1956
Beautification of Home Grounds Mrs. Charles R Walgreen (1942)	c. 1947
Beef E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.
Bee Keeping		1956
Better Farm and Home Methods (1946) Farm and Home Electric (1951) Westinghouse Educational Foundation (1946)
Bicycle
Boy's Agricultural International Harvester Co.
Bread Demonstration Standard Brands Inc.

-- C --

Program Title
Canning Kerr Glass Manufacturing Food Conservation, Preservation and Safety Heinz Vinegar		1951
Citizenship Sponsored In Honor of Thomas E Wilson (1868-1958)
Clothing Spool Cotton Co. (1942) Coats & Clark Inc. ( 1958)	c 1947
Community Beautification

-- D --

Program Title
Dairy Dairy Production Demonstration Kraft Cheese Co. (1942) Dairy Production The Oliver Corporation
Dairy Achievement Lederle Laboratories Div. American Cyanamid Co. (1951)
Dairy Foods Dairy Foods Demonstration Kraft Cheese Co. (1942) Kraft Foods Co. (1946) Carnation Company (1951)	1947	1951

Dog Care Dog Care and Training Ralston Purina Co.
Dress Revue American Viscose Corp. Chicago Mail Order Co. (1942) Simplicity Pattern Co. Inc. (1958)			1946

-- E --

Program Title
Electric Energy Electric Program Electric Energy Better Methods Electric Electric Westinghouse Educational Foundation
Entomology Hercules Powder Company

-- F --

Program Title
Fashion Revue Simplicity Pattern Co & White Sewing Machine McCall's Pattern Co & Viking White Sewing Machine Co.
Field Crops International Harverster Co. (1951) Arcadian Products Dept. Allied Chemical Corp. (1958)
Foods Foods Preparation Food Nutrition Servel, Inc. (1942) Kelvinator Division of Nash-Kelvinator Corp (1951) Betty Crocker of General Mills (1958)	1946
Forestry American Forest Products Industries, Inc. (1951)		1956
Frozen Foods International Harvester Co. (1946) Whirlpool Corp.(1958)	c. 1946

-- G --

Program Title
Garden Gardening Allis -Chalmers Manufacturing Co. (1951) Farm Equipment Div. Allis-Chalmers Mfg Co (1962)	c. 1946
Girls' Demonstration Girls' Record Introduced 1922 Montgomery Ward & Co. (1942)	c. 1946

-- H --

Program Title
Health Improvement Introduced 1947 Health Kellogg Co. (1951) Eli Lilly and Company (1958)	1947-1951 Certificate
Home Economics Girls' Home Economics Montgomery Wards
Home Environment S & H Foundation
Home Grounds Beautification Mrs. Charles R Walgreen(1942)
Home Improvement Sears-Roebuck Foundation
Home Management
Horse

-- L --

Program Title
Leadership H.A. Moses & Edward Foss Wilson ( 1942)Edward Foss Foundation (1958) Sears-Roebuck (1962)	No County level award (1946)	1947

-- M --

Program Title
Meat Animal County Live Stock Champion Introduced: 1928 Named after Thomas E Wilson (1868-1958)	1930

-- P --

Program Title
Petroleum Power Sponsor: Standard Oil Introduced: 1944
Photography
Plant and Soil Science Quaker Oats
Poultry Swift & Company (1946) Dearborn Motors Corp. (1951) Sears-Roebuck Foundation (1958) Heisdorf & Nelson Farms Inc. (1962)
Public Speaking Speaking Introduced: 1949

-- R --

Program Title
Rabbit
Recreation - Rural Arts Recreation United States Rubber Co. ( 1951) National Committee on Boys and Girls Club Works (1958) John Deere (1962)
Rural Electrification Westinghouse Elec. Mfg, Co. (1942)

-- S --

Program Title
Safety 4H Farm Safety (1946) Introduced: 1944 General Motors Corp.
Soil Conservation Soil and Water Conservation Conservation Firestone Tire & Rubber Co.

Swine Moorman Manufacturing Co.

-- T --

Program Title
Tractor Operator Tractor Tractor Maintenance American Oil Co., Humble Oil and Refining Co, National Committee on Boys and Girls Club Work, Standard Oil, Utah Oil Refining Co.	1947	1956

-- V --

Program Title
Veterinary Science
Victory Achievement International Harvester Co. (1942)	County Award was a gold-filled medal, unknown design
Victory Garden Sears-Roebuck & Co. (1942)	1946 - No County Winners	1947 - County Winner Medal is "4H Garden" Medal

-- W --

Program Title
Wildlife Conservation
Wood Science
Wood Working