Orion Samuelson: 4-H alum has been the trusted voice of Illinois agriculture for 60 years

Orion Samuelson: 4-H alum has been the trusted voice of Illinois agriculture for 60 years

When you love the place you work, when you enjoy the people you work with, and when you believe passionately about the subject you write about, can you really call it work? Perhaps, you just call it life.

For 60 years, Orion Samuelson has mixed work with life so seamlessly that his broadcasts feel like friendly chats at the kitchen table. It’s that personality that gained him the trust of rural America.

No one commands a room like Orion. It’s the voice, surely, that deep, resonating voice. But there’s more to Orion than his thundering baritone. He deeply cares for the people whose stories he tells, and it shows.

University of Illinois President Emeritus Robert Easter recounts one of those times. “During my time as interim dean of ACES in early 2002, I was asked to attend the National 4-H Centennial in Washington DC. It was a splendid affair, and the keynote speaker was Orion. He held the audience of 4-H members from across our nation spellbound as he spoke of his personal experiences and the enduring values of 4-H. I’ve never forgotten that moment and I have seen him repeatedly reaffirm his appreciation for 4-H in the years since.”

“He held the audience of 4-H members spellbound as he spoke of his personal experiences and the enduring values of 4-H,” says Easter.

Longtime friend Louise Rogers shares her fondest memories of the media giant. “Orion is the ultimate educator of agriculture to adults and youth. Whether it be during the annual Sale of Champions at the Illinois State Fair, interviewing 4-Hers during his noon shows, or ensuring that 4-H experiences were included on the resumes of scholarship recipients, Orion carried the values on 4-H in his heart and through his voice.”

Over the years, Orion has shaken hands with some of the world’s top leaders in agriculture and politics. His storytelling is a woven work of art that takes one on the journey with him

Orion told agriculture’s story from the center of Chicago. He retired from WGN Radio at the end of December, but not before doing one last 4-H story on Elizabeth Weidner, the courageous 4-H teen who, despite battling cancer, shines a bright light of hope.

Orion says that interview was one he’ll never forget. And, we can say the same thing about the man who earned the trust of the nation’s farm families and agriculturalists.

by Judy Mae Bingman

Samuelson (left) broadcasted his radio show from the ACES tent at the 2019 Farm Progress Show. He is pictured with ACES Dean Kim Kidwell. Bingman photo.