AZ 4-H Hall of Fame 2008 Inductees

Natalie Baker

There is always someone that you know you can ask to help and if it is possible they will be there. Natalie Baker, a Greenlee County 4-H Leader, is one of those people. Natalie has served 4-H as a Community Club and Project Leader. Natalie became involved in 4-H like most do, as a parent with youth involved in projects. Natalie has led various 4-H projects including rabbit, cooking, sewing, and cake decorating. One of her most enjoyable projects was teaching youth how to cook in Dutch ovens at county 4-H camps. She has volunteered to help many times with summer sewing camps and is always a huge help at the fair in the 4-H Food Booth. As a school teacher, Natalie has always been very active in promoting the 4-H program in the Morenci Schools. Her commitment to 4-H is evident as she serves as the 4-H Superintendent at the Greenlee County Fair. She is continually looking for ways to encourage and promote 4-H youth and leaders. Natalie is always willing to pitch in with an optimistic attitude. She is a positive influence on youth and adults wherever she goes.

Diane Bales

As a California 4-H’er for nine years, Diane was a County Dress Revue Champion, Jr. Leader Merit Award Winner, Camp Counselor, and County All Star. She later studied Animal Science at Chico State College where she was a member of the Livestock Judging team. Diane’s mom was the first 4-H’er in the family—she had poultry and garden projects in the 1920s. But Diane’s Grandma was her inspiration when it came to livestock, especially sheep. Diane definitely says that 4-H helped make her the person she is today. After having to give project reports, demonstrations and lots and lots of sets of livestock judging reasons, the shy little 10-year-old girl became a confident young lady who went on to judge for Chico State College. In fact, her first trip to Arizona was to judge with that team at Arizona Nationals. She became a 4-H sheep leader in California the year after she finished 4-H. Diane moved to Arizona in 1976 where she continued to be a leader. This is now her 37th year as a leader. Throughout those years she led numerous projects: foods, clothing, breads, arts and crafts, photography, aerospace, vet science, small stock, livestock judging, market goat and sheep. Diane enjoys working with kids and their animals the most. She has been sheep leader for all 37 years. When Diane thinks of 4-H, she has so many memories that come to mind. Not only all the kids she has taught, but her fellow 4-H’ers in California and her fellow leaders in both California and Arizona, plus all the friends she made from various states that she met on all the trips she was fortunate enough to go on: Arizona and Western Regional Leaders Forums, Salute to Excellence, Chicago, National Extension Conference, State Roundup, 4-H Camp, plus the many livestock shows and fairs. Diane says “I have made so many lifelong friends through my experiences with 4-H —many of them are more like family!

Carlos Gamez

Mr. Gamez began his involvement with Pinal County 4-H as a young member at the age of nine when he joined the Stanfield 4-H club. Carlos became a volunteer for our county program approximately 30 years ago. He has served in countless positions over the years. He began as a swine leader in the Casa Grande Valley area. Today, Carlos is the community club leader for the Casa Grande 4-H Livestock club – Big Hogs, Big Veal, Big Goats and Big Beef, one of the largest clubs in the county. Carlos’ swine group alone has upwards of 50 4-H’ers. His entire 4-H club encompasses approximately 80 4-H’ers learning how to raise and show market/carcass swine, veal, beef and goats. Carlos has been extremely involved with the Pinal County Jr. Livestock Committee, serving as treasurer and auction chairman. Carlos dedicates his time and efforts to benefit Pinal County youth. He manages numerous auction volunteers to assist in creating a family friendly atmosphere where youth are the “stars of the day.” On numerous occasions, Carlos has commented on how much he loves the 4-H program. He holds 4-H community club meetings at his business where all youth learn and practice “Making the Best Better.” Carlos has freely contributed to the Pinal County 4-H program through his dedication, commitment, knowledge, skills, positive attitude, cheerful nature and smile. Carlos is a successful businessman in the community and is the owner/operator of Gamez Lining Systems.

Marifloyd Hamil

Marifloyd was hired in 1970 to work with the EFNEP (Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program) in Maricopa County. As the leader of a new 4-H program, she was expected to succeed in developing a program that reached out to low income and minority youth in the inner city areas of Phoenix. She became very successful, but her success was not without its challenges. Despite their limited resources and family challenges, Marifloyd inspired both youth and adults in the program to “Make the Best Better.” The EFNEP 4-H members in Marifloyd’s clubs learned how to do demonstrations and participated in judging activities, Favorite Food shows, Merry Dairy Dish shows, and Round-ups and they still participate in one of the favorite County Fair participatory events: Tortilla Making. Marifloyd relishes the successes of the many 4-H members she has mentored through the years, many of whom have achieved great things despite their challenges. Her 4-H members were selected to attend Arizona 4-H Roundup, National 4-H Congress and National 4-H Conference and have won prestigious honors like City of Phoenix Youth of the Year. Marifloyd also mentored so many staff, faculty and 4-H leaders over the years, who in turn mentored young people and families to make a difference in their communities. The successes of this program led to other Urban 4-H programs, Youth at Risk programming and many other national initiatives. After her retirement from Extension, she continued to serve in a volunteer role to continue her activities with new youth each year.

Dorothy Johnston

Mrs. Johnston is the example of volunteerism at its best. She not only loves to serve others but she also knows the true meaning of generosity which is one of the essential elements of 4-H youth development. Over her 35 years of serving as a volunteer leader not only for her own family but for literally hundreds of others, she repeatedly showed her selfless personality. Mrs. Johnston was a leader for just about every project area that 4-H has to offer, from small stock to cooking to youth leadership skills. Each year at the annual county fair, her club members walked away with numerous outstanding awards for everything from quilts to food projects to grand champion rabbits. Her motto as a leader was always, “if the kids have an interest in it, we will all learn about it!” This type of optimism was contagious among her co-leaders and members as they “learned by doing” through their 4-H involvement. Dorothy has served the communities in Southern Gila County through her church involvement, Gila County fair committee memberships, and as a part time teacher at the community college level. She realizes the value of community involvement and the impact it has on the building of character traits in children. Her career has always involved teaching others, from her role as mother to grandmother to teacher. Many students have benefited greatly from her lessons and never ending creativity and patience. Over the years, her 4-H involvement has encompassed community club leadership and project club leadership and she has served as 4-H state event chaperone, judge, show and clinic coordinator, mentor and most importantly a positive example to others. Past and current leaders, Gila County 4-H alumni and current members will agree that Dorothy Johnston has been a positive influence on the development of 4-H programs within the county and on successful life skill development among numerous youth.

Susie King

The professional side of Susie is an educator — advocating for and teaching, nurturing and molding the lives of young people for 20 plus years. Susie’s family were among the original homesteaders in Yuma and with that distinction there is a deep rooted devotion and sense of pride in the community. Susie was born into a 4-H family where 4-H was like school — the more you took part and were an active participant, the more benefits you reaped. Still reaping the benefits as an adult being involved for more than 30 years, the lifelong learning experiences and memories are just as important now as they were when she was a member. Home economics and cattle were her favorite projects then, and she continues her involvement with the Home Economics Committee, is a fair Superintendent and helps wherever she can be of service. Luckily for Susie, the clover is flourishing and she’s proud to be a part of it! Not only is Susie a 4-H alumni, she is also a U of A Wildcat alumni and no one — except for maybe her sister Janice — can be a more loyal, passionate, spontaneous supporter. She is truly one of the best marketing tools for the university and everything it has to offer young people. Susie has an enthusiastic spirit and a contagious laugh! She’s always pulling for kids, no matter who they are, and wants to see them do their best. Susie is great about seeking out opportunities for youth. When there’s a project, she can always be counted on to jump in and help, no matter what the job is. All organizations have helpers, but Susie is a worker! She’s not afraid to get dirty, try something out and do whatever she needs to do to help kids.

Donald and Sharon Landeen

Don Landeen was a big supporter of 4-H. In 1971 Jean Buzzard recruited Don to be the sheep leader for Tanque Verde Livestock 4-H Club. While serving as a leader in his club, Don introduced the idea of wearing vests to improve the overall appearance of participants in the show ring. He later became the Pima County’s Sheep Director and assisted the beef project. He served as a member of the Pima County Junior Livestock Sale Committee, where he creating the sale order before computers were used. In recognition of his service, he was the 1976 recipient of the Friend of 4-H Award. Don and his wife have been longtime financial supporters of 4-H youth by purchasing animals for 41 years at the Pima County Junior 4-H Livestock Sale. Even after Don’s passing in 2004, he continued giving through an endowment fund created in his memory by his wife in 2005. The Don Landeen Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually with preference given to 4-H members from Pima County who exhibit large livestock. Sharon Landeen has volunteered in many aspects in 4-H for almost 40 years. She began as the Dairy goat and dairy foods leader and is currently a sheep leader in the Tanque Verde Livestock 4-H Club. From 1979 to 1983 she was the director of the dairy goat project for the county. Sharon has received awards recognizing her leadership in 4-H. In 1984, she was presented the Friend of 4-H award and in 1989, an Outstanding Leader Award. 4-H has been an enjoyable experience that the whole family had become involved in. One of the highlights for them was being a host family for an exchange student from Tokyo. All four of Don and Sharon’s children and two grandchildren have been involved in 4-H. Sharon works to ensure that her husband’s endowment fund continues to support 4-H youth.

Irene Notah

Irene Notah has been a 4-H leader for 20 years at the St. Michaels Association for Special Education (SMASE) School on the Navajo Reservation. She has single handedly kept their 4-H program going for the past 20 years. Each year she has taught the 8-10 special education students in many 4-H projects like macramé, wearable art, livestock, leather craft, bead work, braiding, and foods. Irene’s greatest asset is her patience in working with disadvantaged youth, which creates an excellent place for them to learn. She has gone the extra mile in helping the young people prepare their exhibits for the Navajo Nation fair, then taking her students to the fair where they can see the ribbons and placing that they received. She has been a dedicated 4-H leader to many special needs 4-H youth while a teacher at SMASE School.In addition to her great 4-H volunteer work at the SMASE School, she was a founding member of the Hunter Point 4-H club. She has recruited, mentored and trained other additional 4-H volunteers to lead the club so she can devote more time to other worthy events. Her children were 4-H members who participated in a variety of 4-H projects including archery — one son participated in the National 4-H Shooting Sports Contest. Irene helped create the Cottonwood Gulch Foundation which invites groups of young people onto her farm to learn about life on the Navajo Nation. Each summer, she dedicates many hours to teaching kids and staff alike to make fry bread, weave on a traditional Navajo loom, take care of animals, work with leather, and connect to the land. Her endless energy, kindheartedness and witty sense of humor combine to make her an invaluable part of the community and we are deeply grateful to call her a friend of 4-H.

Patty Holbrook Oliver

The focal point of 4-H has always been the idea of practical and hands-on learning. Patty has lived this idea from the very beginning. She moved from New York to Arizona in 1940, as her dad’s dream was to be a cowboy. They lived on the Tom Bell Ranch until approximately 1945. They were involved in raising hogs and milk cows and selling milk and their very own churned butter.Patty attended Calabasas School for a year before her family bought and moved to a ranch near Harshaw. There she attended the Harshaw School. The Ranch consisted of 5,000 acres, some private and some Forest Service land. They raised 135 head of cattle. Patty, her mother, and brother participated in all facets of ranching. She and her brother were the “cowboys!” Sometimes her dad would keep them out on the ranch working for 7-8 hours. That’s when her mother would get in the ranch truck, fill it with medical supplies and come looking for them because she just knew someone must have been hurt for them to have stayed out so long. Round-ups were her favorite time of the year. She loved participating in the vaccinating, branding and even castrating the cattle. What a way to grow up! She learned an awful lot about screw worms, pink eye and pulling calves. In 1949, her parents, along with the Havertys in Patagonia, started the first 4-H Club in the area. They named it the Apache 4-H Club. Her father was the beef leader and her mother was the sewing leader along with Wanda Haverty. They started with six or seven members.Patty and her brother each had a steer that first year. The second year they decided to get into the breeding projects so they both had a bull and a heifer. She kept building her herd and was able to sell her calves in November. The first Santa Cruz County 4-H Fair was held in 1950 in Sonoita. In 1954, Patty started at the University of Arizona. She was a Rodeo Queen Nominee for the U of A in 1955. In 1956 she married John Oliver, who also became a 4-H Leader. Patty and John continued 4-H involvement with their three children. She was the 4-H Horse Leader for three years and also pursued buyers for all of the 4-H auction and she still does this today.Patty is involved with her community in a variety of ways—she was in the Young Republicans and earned the Barry Goldwater Award. She has been a member of the Cowbelles for more than 45 years, serving on the Scholarship Committee for many of those years. She is also a member of the Santa Cruz Fair and Rodeo Association. She and her husband have helped several families in Mexico. She also donates clothing to the Seri Indians in Mexico each year. Her family has even loaned their personal animals to young 4-H’ers who couldn’t afford their own.They are ardent supporters of Imago Dei Middle School, a tuition-free and private school downtown that serves underprivileged students from Tucson. She was an Assistant Manager for Holbrook Insurance Agency and worked there for 20 years. Patty was also an actress in movies filmed here in the Southwest, most notably “Oklahoma” with Gordon McRay, “McClintock” with John Wayne and “The Frisco Kid” with Harrison Ford. Patty’s seven grandchildren continued the 4-H tradition with rabbits, steers, horses, lambs, pigs, and chickens…you name it and someone in their family raised it. They now have a great grandchild who is waiting at the gate to get started. That would be the 4th generation to be involved with 4-H.

Bill Peterson

Bill Peterson dedicated his entire career to youth and volunteer development spanning 34 years and five states starting with a Vo-Ag teaching position and ending up in Arizona for 11 years as the Director of the 4-H Youth Development Program. He served on many national teams and committees highlighted by his leadership for the first national 4-H Program Impact Study. He also served on 4-H state strategic planning teams and conducted strategic planning sessions in most Arizona counties. Bill’s state leadership of the Colorado and Arizona 4-H Programs resulted in program expansion well beyond the traditional 4-H club program.

Angela Teskey-Peterson

Angela Teskey-Peterson has been an active 4-H volunteer in Yavapai County for 20 years. During this time she has served as project leader, community club leader, Cooperative Extension Advisory Board member, chaperone to various 4-H events and J.O.L.T. (Journey: Opportunities for Leaders of Tomorrow) staff, as well as serving as Yavapai County 4-H/FFA EXPO chair, swine superintendent, ambassador superintendent, premium book superintendent and vice chair for the Yavapai County 4-H Leader’s Council. Angela says, “To me being a ‘good volunteer’ used to mean being able to‘teach’. After a while, it meant being able to ‘demonstrate’. Now it means being able to ‘inspire’. To see members and other leaders taking active roles in teaching, leading and learning to inspire others is the most rewarding part.” Projects she has led include all large livestock, Cloverbuds, handwork from our heritage, food preservation, photography, leadership, and cake decorating. She has also attended Terra Pod training, Project Wild and Building Adult/Youth Partnership Trainings. Angela is certified to teach both archery and rifle shooting sports. She teaches this project at the Community Club level and for county and statewide events at the James 4-H Camp at Mingus Springs and elsewhere. Angela has actively promoted 4-H through her activities with Kiwanis, Meals on Wheels and other community organizations.As Community Club Leader, Angela (and her husband Tom) purchased a vacant house in their neighborhood and have converted it into the Lonesome Valley Wranglers 4-H Clubhouse. When it is not being used for 4-H activities she has made the clubhouse available for other Cooperative Extension programs and for campus researchers working on mitigating health hazards associated with a nearby EPA Superfund Site. The 4-H Clubhouse has become a gathering place in the community of Dewey/Humboldt. Angela is a true champion of 4-H!

Dempsey and Christine Scott

Dempsey and Christine Scott’s lives in 4-H began as young 4-H’ers. Dempsey began raising rabbits, and Christine raising lambs; both are members of the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) and come from farming families residing on the Colorado River Indian Reservation. Back in those days, there was no La Paz County — Parker was known as Northern Yuma County and all 4-H’ers and their families had to travel to Yuma to show and sell their animals. Surviving that week in Yuma was difficult at times, but the experience was worth it. When La Paz County was established in 1983, it became a lot easier for the Parker 4-H’ers to raise and show their animals locally. Dempsey served on the Parker 4-H Leaders Council as Vice President then later President, received Alumni Award 1993-1994, and was a member of the Youth Livestock Association for several years. Youth Livestock Association was made up of volunteers from various backgrounds such as agriculture, education, and local businesses. The Youth Livestock Association planned the auction held during the County fair. This entailed setting up the livestock pens and prepping the arena and show schedules for 4-H as well as obtaining a vendor for processing the sale of the meat animals from the auction. Christine also served on the 4-H Leaders Council and was club leader of the Lower Forty Community Club, two time winner of the Alumni Award first in 1998-1999, and 2003-2004, and received Outstanding Leader 2001- 2002. Dempsey and Christine devoted their family time to local 4-H fund- raisers and also at the Boat Races, Desert 400 dirt races, annual sausage sale at Contingency Row, serving food to the Best Dam Bike Riders (who rodefrom Phoenix to Parker Dam to raise money for MS) and taking club and members to Salome to assist Tri-Valley in fund-raisers. They took 4-H’ers to Tucson, Blythe, Salome and other places so the club members could participate in judging events.Dempsey was elected to the CRIT Tribal Council and served a four year term (1996-2000). At this time he discussed the new trends that were happening in farming and crop production and worked with many farmers in consultation with County Extension Agents such as the late Woody Winans, Janice Shelton and others throughout the state.Christine is employed with the CRIT Tribal Gaming Agency as the Chief of Inspectors, which regulates Indian Gaming at the Blue Water Resort& Casino. Dempsey is employed with the Colorado River Residential Management Corporation which manages all the HUD tribal housing rental and home ownership programs. Dempsey and Christine have three sons, Theodore, Daniel and Joshua.

Shelli Whaley

Shelli was a 4-H member as a child, so she encouraged her children to join also.“When my kids joined Cactus Critters 4-H Club in 1995, I became a poultry project leader just so my kids could be in that project. Within two years I was the leader for all small stock, rabbit, poultry, pigeon,waterfowl and cavy! Our club had some great senior members who taught me everything I know. It didn’t take long and one of my mentors asked me to run for County Project Director for Small stock. I held that position for 8 years. I was also on the Executive Leader’s Council for eight years serving as President for two years and Vice President for five years,” she said.“The most rewarding part of my4-H career has been watching the new members join and learn, and then seeing the incredible growth as senior members. After 17 years of being a leader, I now am seeing my members enroll their children in the program! My own grandchildren are now only a few years away from joining, so here I stay! Forever Green.”