Induction of the 2016 members took place during the State 4-H Forum in Pasco on October 21, 2016.
Clark
Ken & Nancy Bisbee have been a part of the Clark County 4-H Program for twenty-five years. Project areas for their club, the Ridgeketeers, have included Family Living, Cloverbuds, Gardening, Baking, Foods for All Occasions, Sewing, Performing Arts, International/Cross Cultures, Food Perseveration, Mechanical and Computer Science, Dairy Goats and Cavies. Not only did they have their own club, they were secondary leaders when their children were in a dairy goat club (10 years) and a cavy club (6 years). They also were chaperones for youth from the county at state fair, staying in the dorms.
Ken has served as superintendent of the 4-H Record Books and Secretary Books for twenty-five years. He was in charge of the 4-H Mechanical and Computer Sciences programs for a number of years, superintendent of 4-H Performing Arts for eleven years and superintendent of 4-H Cavies for four years. Nancy started her superintending role with the 4-H Cloverbuds in 1991 and from there took on roles of superintendent for the International/Cross Cultural Program for three years, 4-H Table Setting, 4-H Baking, Assistant 4-H Record Book Superintendent for 14 years and Superintendent of On the Spot for three years.
Nancy was instrumental in introducing and bringing the 4-H Food and Nutrition Judging activity to the Clark County Fair in 2008. She continues to be co-superintendent of that activity. She has been superintendent of 4-H Performing Arts for eight years and the past five years their son, Ian, has been her assistant superintendent. Nancy served as a judge for public presentations at both county and the state fair, and has served as secretary on the county 4-H Leader’s Association Board.
Both Ken and Nancy have given many hours of training as well as being mentors to youth, 4-H youth and 4-H leaders at the fair and in our community and continue to do so even thought their five children have aged-out from the 4-H program. They have been instrumental in giving the 4-H performing Art youth an opportunity to share their talents as well as giving another venue of entertainment for Fair attendees. Ken and Nancy are being honored as “Volunteer of the Year” for Clark County Fair for 2016.
Perhaps the most significant quality about this couple is their humility and their desire to make a difference in young people’s lives without anyone really knowing about it. They quietly have influenced the lives of thousands of youth throughout their time as 4-H volunteers. They have spent hours and hours working to help young people develop life skills and they are the epitome of dedicated, life-long 4-H volunteer.
Kitsap
Kay Hibler has been a 4-H Volunteer for thirty-two years. She has always been an educator and giver of her time for all of 4-H. For all those years, she has kept the youth first and foremost in her heat. She has led by example in all the oppositions she has held during her years of service.
As leader of the Bunny Bunch 4-H Club, she had her club prepare a large hands-on educational exhibit to be displayed at the Kitsap County Fair for all to learn about Rabbits and their care.
In her 4-H career, Kay has served Kitsap County in many capacities, including Club Leader of the Bunny Bunch, Kitsap County 4-H Council President and Treasurer, Year End Award Committee Chair, Know Your Government Supervisor, Teacher, and Chaperone, Superintendent, and Teen Leadership Club Leader. She has taught countless classes at Super Saturday and Mega Monday Events. Kay has taken a group of 4-H Forestry-Environmental Stewardship State winners to compete at National 4-H Forest Expo, she included a tour of Washington, DC to visit the sights, highlighting our heritage and history, scheduling meeting with a Senator and a Kitsap County district Representative.
At the State and National level, Kay has been a class instructor for “The Magic of Leadership” at multiple Leader’s Forums. She served on the Event Planning Committee for the 2013 Western Regional Leaders Forum; she planned, diagrammed, produced and orchestrated a Murder Mystery for the Western Regional Leaders Forum on the Alaskan cruise, and taught a class on forensic medicine on the cruise as well. Key has taught multiple classes at various Western Regional Leaders Forums. She served as Environment Stewardship Superintendent at State 4-H Fair.
Kay Hibler has been a positive part of the National, State, and Kitsap County 4-H Program; impacting the lives of countless 4-H youth.
Pierce
Pat BoyEs began her life in 4-H as a member of the Happy Wranglers 4-H Horse Club in Cowlitz County through her high school. After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and Master’s in Adult and Continuing Education, from WSU, she taught at Lower Columbia Community College.
Pat’s career in Extension began as a livestock agent in Pierce and King Counties. She then moved to Pacific County, where she served as County Director – one of the first women department heads in the country. In this role, she served as 4-H, Agriculture and Family Consumer Science Agent. In 1994, she became Interim State 4-H Program Director. The “Interim” piece of the title was removed a few years later, and Pat served in that role of State Program Director until her retirement in 2015.
Pat gave leadership to the Washington State 4-H program for over 35 years, at all levels – from club office to county agent and director to the state 4-H Program. This leadership occurred as the 4-H program went through many changes – from implementation equestrian through multi-million dollar grants, Pat was at the helm as the program evolved. She championed background checks on volunteers and tighter controls on the state’s non-profit status. Through her persistence with the IRS, Washington was assigned a new 501(C)3 number, which resulted in each club becoming compliant with the federal standards. She worked diligently as budgets went up and down over the years. She always put the 4-H member and volunteers first when times were tough.
Pat had a profound impact on the whole program. From Primary 4-H member to the 50 year 4-H Volunteer to the faculty and staff and the county offices, Pat impacted their experience and work. We all knew Pat had our back. Her commitment to the program and its people was visible in her appreciation of every youth participating and volunteer giving their time. She always said “thank you”.
Pat was instrumental in the creation of the Washington State 4-H Hall of Fame in 2001, which provides recognition at the state level of those 4-H leaders and retired extension staff who were shining stars in Washington State. She shepherd the 4-H license Plate through the State Legislature, and was the driving force behind WA State’s 4-H Centennial Celebration, and made certain that Washington was part of the Tufts Study on Positive Youth Development. Pat was active
Pat was active within the 4-H Western Region, serving as their Treasurer for many years. She was on the States’ 4-H International Board of Trustees, serving as the 4-H International Exchange organization’s Chair for a year. Pat was an avid supporter of the annual 4-H Forum auction, never failed to generate enthusiastic bidding, spending thousands over the years in support of 4-H.
Pat was never afraid to get done what needed to be done. From tagging piglets in Pacific County to testifying on behalf of 4-H in court, she represented the clover with dignity and grace.
Spokane
Margret (Margie) Burdega served the Washington State 4-H Program for over thirty years. In 1958, she began volunteering as a project leader, but after a few years became the general leader of the County Kids 4-H Club of Spokane County. For twenty-one years, this was the group (some years enrolling over fifty members) in which her five children, along with so many others, would form lasting bonds, gain skills and learn life’s lessons through.
During her years of 4-H involvement, Margret would go on to serve in many other capacities and positions of leadership; While continuing to foster her club members and other adult volunteer leaders; she was on the board of the Deer Park Community Fair and served on the Spokane County 4-H Council. She said, “Well you know if you show up to meetings a couple times in a row, you are bound to be voted into some office.”
As her children aged our of the 4-H program, Margret began to set her sights on new experiences and expanded leadership roles. She served a number of terms on the State 4-H Advisory Council and the State 4-H Fair Board. Yet even with the endless committee meetings, she still had time to taxi youth and entries from Spokane to Puyallup, be a judge for demonstrations, and tabulate judging scores in cramped backrooms on the fairgrounds. When asked why she continued volunteering she explained, ” It gets in your blood!” “You could just feel the excitement of fair season approaching with the anticipation of seeing friends that you only see once a year at fair; it was the celebratory atmosphere and enjoyment in everyone’s accomplishments.”
Margret turned ninety this year, and has many fond memories of the children in her 4-H club and the many friends who volunteered by her side. She summed up the span of years by saying, “They were good time and they were fun!” Margret was a role model for generosity, community involvement and volunteer service. While one daughter volunteered at Spokane Interstate Fair, another daughter served her own thirty years as Beef Superintendent at the State 4-H Fair in Puyallup, and a third daughter was the 4-H Extension Educator for seventeen years in Benton and Franklin Counties. So, in many ways, Margret’s journey in 4-H had impacts far beyond the young lives she directly influenced, and in fact, like ripples on a pond, touched the entire Washington State 4-H program.