Georgia 4-H
Official 4-H emblem.
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| Motto | "To make the best better" |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1904 |
| Type | Youth organization |
| Legal status | Non-profit organization |
| Purpose | "To assist youth in acquiring knowledge, developing life skills and forming attitudes that will enable them to become self-directing, productive and contributing citizens." |
| Headquarters | Athens, Georgia |
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Region served
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Statewide |
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Membership
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175,000 young people in Georgia, ages 9 to 19 |
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Founder
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G.C. Adams |
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State 4-H Leader
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Arch Smith |
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Current State President
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James Hancock |
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Main organ
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National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) |
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Parent organization
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United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) |
| Website | Georgia4h.org |
Georgia 4-H was founded in 1904 by G.C. Adams in Newton County, Georgia, United States, as the Girls Canning, and Boys Corn Clubs.
The Georgia 4-H Program is a branch of Georgia Cooperative Extension, which is part of the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, and is funded by the University System of Georgia and private partners.
Georgia 4-H began with the start of the special Boys Corn Club contest that was first organized by Superintendent of Schools, G. C. Adams. Like the corn club he organized 100 years ago, G. C. Adams was unique. He ranked high as an educator. He taught at Pine Grove School in Newton County, he was principal of Palmer Institute at Oxford, he served as county school commissioner, and he was the president of the Fifth District Agriculture School at Monroe. Yet, Mr. Adams never attended high school or college, and he did not go to school more than a year in his entire life. While writing about Mr. Adams in the Atlanta Constitution after he had been elected Georgia commissioner of agriculture in 1932, Stiles A. Martin called him “one of the best educated, best read and most learned men in the state.”
Perhaps Mr. Adams’ greatest accomplishment was organizing the corn club, and he is best known for that; but he was a pioneer in other fields, too. He also single-handedly developed a plan for transporting school children, which probably resulted in our school buses of today. In the same year he organized an oratorical association, the first in the South. The plan was for pupils of the various schools of the county to meet and put on a program, with awards being made to schools making the best showing. Out of this grew the field days which are held in many places today, featuring musical contests, debating and other events. Mr. Adams also served in the state legislature. He was elected to represent Newton County in 1926, and served two years.
W. L. Weber was Mr. Adams’ good friend. He was head of the English Department for Emory-at-Oxford College. Mr. Adams and Mr. Weber shared many walks from Oxford to Covington. It was during one of the walks in 1903 that Mr. Weber, who was from Illinois, told Mr. Adams about the success of the first known boys’ corn-growing contest, held in Winnebago County, Illinois, during 1900. This idea was spreading very rapidly to other states. “Prof. W.L. Weber, of Emory College, who always manifests great interest in our public school, deserves credit for inaugurating this unique contest in Newton” – G.C. Adams.
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Wikipedia