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Kansas 4-H

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Rock Springs 4-H Center

Clovia Scholarship House

K-State Research and Extension

Kansas Members of The National 4-H Hall of Fame

Kansas Members of the National 4-H Hall of Fame Include:

J. Harold Johnson, the first full-time 4-H agent in Kansas, was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame in 2002. Serving as both assistant and State Leader, his career is linked with the start of the International 4-H Youth Exchange Program in 1948, continued development of the Kansas 4-H Journal, support for Clovia Scholarship House, purchase of Rock Springs Ranch and the establishment of the Kansas 4-H Foundation.           

Merle Eyestone was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame Class of 2003. A former 4-H agent in Shawnee County, Merle served as Director of Rock Springs and Executive Director of the Kansas 4-H Foundation, receiving recognition by his peers for his success in fund-raising. Merle, along with co-author Betty Lou Denton, wrote the Kansas 4-H history book, “Kansas 4-H, The History of Head, Heart, Hands and Health 1906-1993”

Arthur Capper, co-owner of Capper Publications, Kansas Governor and Senator, publisher and philanthropist, was inducted into the National 4-H Hall in 2004. Capper participated in the group that organized the national committee on Boys’ and Girls’ Club Work in 1918 and helped to get government backing for 4-H, sponsoring the Capper-Ketchum Act that provided permanent federal appropriations for financial support for the 4-H Club work through agricultural extension

Otis Hall was also inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame Class of 2004. Hall served as the first Kansas State 4-H Leader. Recommending a canning factory in every community to “make pin money for the young people and lighten the work of the women folk“, he organized the first canning club in the nation in Leavenworth County, Kansas. In 1918, Hall submitted the winning entry for a 4-H pledge—the pledge still used in 4-H clubs today

Glenn Busset, National 4-H Hall of Fame Class of 2005, shared his lifelong interest in world citizenship projects by initiating the 4-H Japanese Exchange in Kansas, as well as other international Extension education ventures, while serving as State 4-H Leader. Glenn introduced television programming, short-term projects and special interest groups as ways to reach out to new audiences

Maynard Coe, National 4-H Hall of Fame Class of 2006, served as Kansas State 4-H Leader from 1925-1945. Encouraged by his desire to stress the complete development of youth beyond the agriculture and homemaking content, Coe expanded the community club 4-H program into all 105 Kansas counties

Cecil Eyestone was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame in 2008. "Teaching by example" was his philosophy during his 31-year Kansas 4-H career. Cecil served 12 years as Montgomery County club agent where he initiated the first junior leaders club for teens and served 19 years as State 4-H Specialist.

Lois Redman, National 4-H Hall of Fame Class of 2009, earned respect as a 4-H youth development professional in Missouri, Oregon and Kansas. She developed summer educational opportunities for 4-H youth, agents and volunteer leaders via Oregon’s Summer School and Kansas 4-H Round Up (now Discovery Days). Lois worked to introduce youth to the global society through international programs. She has served as National 4-H/Labo/Lex Coordinator; developed an exchange program with Paraguay for county agents; and nurtured involvement in the IFYE program.

Marcia McFarland, National 4-H Hall of Fame Class of 2010, joined Kansas 4-H in 1980, writing materials and providing training focused on expanding 4-H audiences. Her curricula included affective learning skills for 4-H leaders; self-care support for children home alone after school; after-school-day-care programming; minority student retention programming; and a co-authored substance abuse prevention curriculum that was adopted by 45 states and named one of 20 Exemplary Prevention Programs in the U.S.

Bill Riley, National 4-H Hall of Fame Class of 2011, grew up in Washington Co., Kansas where he was a charter member of the Farmington 4-H Club.  In 1968, Bill accepted the position of Rock Springs Director, serving through 1976.  He returned to the Kansas 4-H Foundation in 1985 to lead the nation's first successful privately funded multimillion-dollar state 4-H Foundation campaign. In 1986, Bill was named president of the Kansas 4-H Foundation. Under his leadership, four 4-H endowments were created to support programming, scholarships and internships, as well as the Rock Springs Endowment Fund and the Foundation Future Fund. Planning for the future, he created a site plan for Rock Springs 4-H Center, an investment management system and a board recruitment and orientation model now used by other nonprofits.  Bill retired in 2005, leaving the largest, privately funded 4-H Foundation in the nation.