“I pledge my head to clearer thinking,

My heart to greater loyalty, 

My hands to larger service, 

And my health to better living, 

For my club, my community, my country and my world.” 

By Marlise Schoeny, History Curator

While 4-H has origins across several states, with youth programs in Illinois and Iowa among others, 1902 is typically considered to be the beginning as several youth clubs emerged that year. One such club was administered by Albert Graham, who would become Ohio's first superintendent of Agricultural Extension in 1905. When Albert Graham organized a meeting of boys and girls in the Clark County courthouse basement in 1902, he could not have anticipated the enduring influence of 4-H and its global reach. While its roots lie in agricultural education, 4-H seeks to empower children and teens from urban neighborhoods, suburban districts and rural communities with the skills and confidence to improve the world around them. 4-H emphasizes learning by doing, with hands-on projects in STEM, agriculture, healthy living and civic engagement. 4-H has been a central part of Ohio’s education for over 100 years, and a cornerstone of county fairs and the Ohio State Fair. Through posts on this blog, the Ohio History Connection seeks to shine a spotlight on 4-H and highlight the hard work of Ohio young people. Afterall, one of Albert Graham’s original goals for 4-H and Ohio Cooperative Extension Service was, “to elevate the standard of living in Ohio,” and the youth of Ohio have been doing just that for generations. 

The first project being featured from our 4-H collections is a tailored Pendelton wool suit created by Diane Goodrich (née Demorest) in 1971. Diane was 17 years old when she made this ensemble consisting of a jacket, skirt and pants. She made the suit as her project for the tailored clothing category. Tailored clothing is a Senior Sewing unit within the 4-H curriculum. Diane modeled the suit at the Marion County Fair in July of 1971 and was a finalist in their Style Show. One can see why, as the quality of the workmanship is outstanding. Upon donating her ensemble, Diane reflected on the process of creating it.  

“Aspects of the construction of the suit that I worked hard to get “just right” involved matching the plaids at all the seams, doing the hand-stitching for the shaping of the jacket lapel, making the bound buttonholes in the jacket and crafting the matching covered buttons.” 

Diane didn’t just wear the suit for the fair, however. She wore the jacket and skirt to the Homecoming Dance at River Valley High School in Marion, Ohio, in October 1971. Her suit is in remarkable condition and can be shared as a piece of 4-H history for generations to come. Be sure to visit the blog as we highlight additional artifacts of 4-H history.  

Our Archives & Library has resources for you to learn more about the history of 4-H in Ohio. Be sure to visit the Archives Wednesday through Friday for a research appointment to see these documents.

Do you still have your 4-H projects? Are you curious to see if they could be a part of the Ohio History Connection's collection? Check out our donations page to learn more!