In 2002, the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents created the National 4-H Hall of Fame in conjunction with 4-H’s centennial year celebration. The National Hall of Fame honors laureates who have made major contributions to 4-H at the local, state and national levels. Tennessee boasts seven members of the National Hall of Fame. These volunteers, supporters and staff have made remarkable contributions to our program and are deserving of this major accomplishment.

Ben Powell (2002)

As part of the inaugural class of Hall of Fame inductees in 2002, Ben Powell has nearly 40 years of work with the Extension Service. Powell became an Assistant County Agent in Rutherford County in 1959 andwas appointed to a 4-H Specialist position just 10 years later. In 1981, Powell was appointed the State 4-H Leader and under his leadership, Tennessee was recognized as the top state in a number of national 4-H project winners. Powell is a recipient of the Distinguished Service award from both the NACAA and NAE4-HA, as well as the NAE4-HA’s American Spirit Award. In addition to his work with Tennessee 4-H, Powell has served as the President of the American Hampshire Sheep Association and Secretary of the Tennessee Purebred Sheep Breeders Association and the Southern States Sheep Council. He currently serves as a volunteer 4-H sheep project leader and at the state 4-H office.

“4-H encourages you to set goals, provides opportunities to help you meet these goals and then recognizes you for meeting the goals. Recognition comes in many ways. It may be a pat on the back or that good feeling you have after you have helped a younger member or senior citizen in some ways, or the ribbon or award you receive, or your name in the newspaper, or maybe even a college scholarship.”

 

Martha Jo Tolley (2006)

Martha Jo Tolley became the first Tennessee woman to be inducted in the National 4-H Hall of Fame in 2006. With an Extension career that spanned 33 years, Tolley served as a County Agent in Anderson and Hawkins counties, State 4-H Specialist and Interim 4-H Leader. She served on numerous national committees, including several National 4-H Congress Committees, the Citizenship Washington Focus Extension Planning Committee and the National Extension Task Force on Competition in 4-H and the Awards Committee. Tolley was a founding member of the Tennessee Association of Extension 4-H workers and currently serves as the secretary of the Tennessee 4-H Foundation.

“I learned to value the never-ending talents and abilities of today’s youth and to try to guide those talents and abilities to help them make a difference. Today’s youth may be our greatest underutilized resource. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to impact a few of them and to watch our county staff make a huge impact working with Tennessee youth.”

 

Peggy Mustain Adkins (2011)

4-H never had a better friend than Peggy Mustain Adkins. Adkins service spans four counties, two states, and 11 countries. As president of NAE4-HA, Adkins was a member of a 250-person delegation for the very first African/African-American Summit in Ivory Coast, West Africa. She chaired NAE4-HA’s fist Legislative Update on Youth at Risk and worked tirelessly with lobbyists to engage states’ efforts with children, youth and families at risk. Her efforts secured $10 million for what is now known as CYFAR (Children, Youth and Families At Risk). Adkins was named one of 10 Outstanding Young Women of America in 1985 and Freed-Hardeman University Alumnus of the Year in 2007. As a State 4-H Specialist, Adkins was known for her curriculum development expertise and authored the TAXI volunteer system development curriculum.

“4-H has kept my head filled with great things for 50 years and I am grateful.”

 

Dr. George Foster (2013) 

The late, great Dr. George Foster was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame in 2013. Foster’s career is marked by a number of firsts that he initiated, including a program with the American Camping Association for Extension workers in camping, support of the first state 4-h alumni organization and securing funds for the first full-time Tennessee 4-H Foundation worker. He served as a County Extension Agent, Assistant 4-H Specialist, 4-H Club Professor and State
4-H Leader and worked at USDA, where he chaired the national award winners selection committee. He was awarded ‘life membership’ by the Parent-Teacher Association, NAE4-HA’s Distinguished Service and 25-Year Service awards, and when he retired, Foster had the longest tenure of any active state 4-H program leader.

 

Dr. M. Lloyd Downen (2015)

Former Dean and Director of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service, Dr. Lloyd Downen was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame in 2015. During his administration, Dr. Downen led the Tennessee 4-H program to an unprecedented growth – he hired Ben Powell as State 4-H Leader, provided resources for grade-level curriculum in all 4-H projects, supported the employment of the first director of the Tennessee 4-H Foundation and provided the state the ability to obtain more national 4-H project winners than any other state for 10 consecutive years. Downen served on countless advisory boards and councils, including the National Extension Committee on Operation and Policy (ECOP), ECOP 4-H subcommittees and the 4-H Council Panel of Extension Directors and the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees. His efforts were recognized by many, and he was selected by his peers to serve as the Chair of the Southern Directors Association.

“In retrospect, I did not know my 4-H pig project in 1933 would be far more important to me in the future than learning to care for my pig. Other 4-H Club members and I were learning responsibility, integrity, leadership, citizenship and other life skills. Those experiences as a 4-H member were invaluable to me as I served as Dean of the University of Tennessee Extension.”

 

Dr. Jim Byford (2016)

Dr. James (Jim) Byford’s efforts for Tennessee 4-H go above and beyond, including those with wildlife advocacy across the country, which made him an obvious Hall of Fame choice in 2016. In Tennessee, Byford initiated the 4-H Wildlife Project, 4-H Food and Cover Establishment (FACE) Contest, and 4-H Wildlife Conference, which has become the longest-running state conservation camp in the nation. Byford also worked on the TN 4-H Wildlife Judging Contest, which later became nationally recognized as WHEP, and continues today. During his time as Dean of the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences at the University of Tennessee – Martin, Byford worked to make sure that 4-H members were always welcome on campus and served as advisor and mentor to the collegiate 4-H Club. Byford has been awarded the Tennessee Youth Conservation Program of the Year, Cavendar Award and Citations for Distinguished Service at both the state and national levels. The Jim Byford 4-H Endowment is made each year in his honor and awarded to youth leaders for their contributions in Tennessee and throughout the U.S. Byford is a National Partner in 4-H awards and in 2014, he served on a task force that successfully received $15 million to build a Tennessee 4-H conference and business retreat center.

“Never take yourself too seriously, never let success go to your head and when you fall down, get back up, dust yourself off, take inventory of what you have left and start over.”

 

Steve Sutton (2017)

Steve Sutton is a prime example of 4-H advocacy. As the most recent Tennessee inductee, Sutton is a 30-year member of NAE4-HA and now a Life Member. Sutton is known for his ability to engage professionals in educational projects to provide leadership opportunities for youth around the state and served on the educational learning subcommittee for the Youth Issues ‘95: A  4-H Congress in Memphis. Sutton’s real passions lie within producing high-quality 4-H curricula – he’s served as a jury member for the National 4-H Curriculum Collection, chair of the 4-HCCS curriculum committee and a peer reviewer for 4-H National Headquarters’ Programs of Distinction Database. Sutton served two two-year terms on the National 4-H Congress Board of Directors and initiated the Tennessee 4-H Academic Conference to recognize junior high 4-H members. He is a recipient of the NAE4-HA’s Distinguished Service Award, 25 Year Service Award, American Spirit Award, Meritorious Service Award and Tennessee Friend of 4-H Award.

“4-H has been good to me. As a youth it helped me develop the confidence and skills to achieve things beyond my wildest dreams. As a profession, it has allowed me to make a difference in the lives of countless young people.”