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Utah 4-H, a Dynamic Youth Program
Utah Historical Quarterly
Vol. 51, 1983, No. 2
Utah 4-H, a Dynamic Youth Program
BY DANIEL A. JOHN
SINCE THE FIRST TRIBE OF ROAMING HUNTER-GATHERERS tired of running down big game and began looking for a more consistent food supply, agricultural education has meant the difference between feast and famine. A clay tablet found in Iraq detailed instructions for sowing grain and harvesting it. This 3,700-year-old extension-type bulletin is the oldest known work by a long-forgotten "county agent." Throughout the turbulent history of civilization and underlining each successful culture is the ability to grow food. The rise and fall of an empire may hinge on the success of its farms.
Agriculture was the key industry in the upstart United States. The founding fathers were tied to their agrarian roots. George Washington wrote detailed letters home to Mount Vernon concerning the operation of his plantation. In Philadelphia in 1785 came the first development of a formal agricultural organization. Though limited in funds, this group chartered state societies and aided the farming community by providing educational programs. Local and statewide meetings disseminated information, and on occasion a speaker from a college lectured. These groups also published journals and sponsored fairs, but their greatest contribution was in developing farmers' institutes, a concept that continues to this day. These informative meetings generated an enthusiasm that helped the agricultural societies promote agriculture in general and the idea of public-supported agricultural colleges.
The need for agricultural education and federal support of agriculture were critical in the nineteenth century. But ministry, law, and medicine were emphasized in American schools, and little was done in the field of agricultural education. Not until Abraham Lincoln became president were some gains made. In early 1862 Lincoln recommended the establishment of a permanent Department of Agriculture. Then, in June 1862, he signed the Morrill Act, which provided for the establishment of land-grant colleges to promote agricultural education and productivity. Although the Morrill Act marked a significant beginning, important things were missing from these early agricultural institutions, including curriculum, textbooks, and professors!
The land-grant colleges fought an uphill battle. Their work progressed slowly but steadily until by 1905 the institutions had established a standing committee to deal exclusively with extension education — the dissemination of agricultural and home science education to wide sectors of the population not attending college. Extension work in northern Utah became the province of the Utah State Agricultural College (USAC, now Utah State University), a land-grant institution founded in 1888 in Logan. Following statehood in 1896, the introduction of the first farmers' institute established extension work in Utah.
The need for a boys' and girls' program was clearly evident. In the spring and summer of 1912 James C. Hogensen visited fiftyeight schools and encouraged 6,786 boys to organize boys' potatogrowing clubs in cooperation with county superintendents and high school principals. In Cache County ten potato clubs were organized with an enrollment of nearly 600 boys. Box Elder County had nine clubs with 300 boys, while Utah County added four more clubs with 100 boys. Sanpete County's one club and 20 boys brought the total enrollment in potato clubs to approximately 1,000.
These early potato-growing clubs paved the way for later 4-H work. Each boy pledged to grow a half-acre of potatoes under the direction of USAC. Accurate records had to be kept to ascertain the total cost of the project. Each member was allowed to compete for local prizes. The winners advanced to the county fair and then on to the state fair.
The judging was thorough. The boy with the highest yield garnered 60 percent, the others lost 5 percent for every decrease of fifty bushels. The best fifty pounds and the best dozen tubers received 20 and 10 percent respectively, with points taken off the others for blemishes, poor shape, and poor size. The written paper, worth 10 percent, was graded sternly with points deducted for misspelled words, poorly constructed sentences, and untidiness. Under these rules Merle Gilbert Hyer, a sixteen-year-old farm boy from Lewiston, Cache County, won the state fair prize in 1912, a $100 check from the National Copper Bank.
In September 1913 Utah joined the federally funded cooperative club work under the auspices of the Office of Farm Management, and Hogensen became the first full-time club worker west of Nebraska. Utah soon saw the advantages of working through the federal program. For winning first prize at the 1913 state fair, Merle Hyer and Hattie Holbrook of Bountiful, winner of the home economics award, received free trips to Washington, D.C, where a meeting of the boys' and girls' agricultural clubs of thirty states was held. Hyer received considerable respect for his potato-growing prowess. He had raised 797 bushels when the Utah average was only 190 bushels. He accomplished this without commercial fertilizers, although he did admit to spreading some of the barnyard variety on his project.
Hyer kept an important photograph from his trip to Washington. Many of the studies of early 4-H work suggest that it was not until 1927 that the term "4-H" and the words "head, heart, hand, and health" came into common use. However, Hyer's picture proves conclusively that during the meeting in December 1913 the 4-H symbol, the cloverleaf with an "H" on each petal, was emblazoned on the state banners.
On May 8, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Smith-Lever Act providing an initial grant of $ 10,000 to each state to use in extension work. Each year the states were guaranteed that amount along with a share of eventually $4,100,000, divided according to the states' rural populations. The authors of the bill were Hoke Smith, former governor of Georgia and a devotee of extension work, and Asbury Francis Lever, a South Carolina congressman proud of the sensational gains that clubs were making in his native state. "My efforts to secure the passage of the Smith-Lever Act had the most encouragement from the achievements of the members of the corn and tomato clubs and I hope sincerely that a large share of this money will be devoted to an expansion of the work with young folks," Lever declared. In Utah the federal money allowed the establishment of an Extension Division at USAC and a 4-H state office.
At the helm of the state office was James C. Hogensen, a Danish-born professor of agronomy at USAC. Under his direction club work began to make visible gains. By 1914 he could report that nine different types of clubs had been formed: corn, market garden, potato, apple, poultry, sugar beets and mangels, bread making, flower garden, and sewing clubs. But more important, Hogensen noted: "Two years ago, very little was thought of club work. Now most farmers, business and professional men support the work both morally and financially." Additionally, he said, "farmers are beginning to use the same methods on their farms as the club members are using." Club work, he said, created closer cooperation between school and home; better records were kept of farm and home work; children took more interest in school work; they looked at agriculture and home economics more favorably; better seed selection was made and more plant diseases were combatted; and use was made of many otherwise wasted products.
By 1915 Hogensen was able to report the hiring of Claire Parrish as a full-time worker in response to his suggestion that a woman would be of great help in advancing club work. A. C. Carrington worked part-time for Hogensen, and two full-time workers were in the counties, P. J. Sanders in Davis and Walter J. Glenn in Box Elder. In the fall of 1913 Glenn had organized agricultural clubs in Brigham City. His group became very enthusiastic, sending 56 of the 415 exhibits to the state fair, a very high number considering the county's population.
Flogensen continued to underscore the impact of club work, calling it "one of the most important educational factors in the state." The county school boards, he said, were "contemplating the employing of their county high school teachers in Agriculture and Economics during the summer months to act as leaders in club work." He also outlined several financial factors. The state expended $4,200 for club work. In return it received a definite $68,140.80 and perhaps as much as $152,552.40 in the form of new wealth created by club projects. Aside from monetary return, the state received these less tangible benefits: better methods of farming; some of the drudgery taken out of farming; greater care in selecting seed, resulting in better seed; better balanced farms; better variety of crops; better records kept of crops; and greater labor incomes received from farms. Yet, problems lay ahead for the program.
World War I brought an increased demand for agricultural activity, but it also created severe budgetary problems. The Salt Lake County agricultural agent's report for 1917 told part of the story. Before the war the county enjoyed increased production, and the surplus had been distributed to the "worthy poor." Once the war broke out, greater production was urged. A circular was sent to all Mormon bishops in the county requesting that they encourage individuals to convert vacant plots into gardens. The response was "amazing," the agent said. The church auxiliary organizations began to compete in the production of wheat and potatoes, and the church offered prize money as an additional stimulus. The report underscores one of the unique features of Utah 4-H, the influence of the Mormon church. By utilizing the well-established church communications lines and organization, extension work was easily expanded during the war.
On the debit side, in December 1918, USAC President E. G. Peterson apologized to Hogensen for budget cuts that would cripple 4-H in the upcoming year: "I regret exceedingly the present conditions of the finances of the Junior Extension Department." Despite his regret, Peterson felt helpless to do anything. By June 1919 a series of events led to the transfer of Hogensen to the position of agronomy specialist and his replacement as state club specialist by Milton Hyrum Harris of the City College of New York, for whom Peterson painted a rosy picture and held out the possibility of a faculty post in the Economics Department.
The organization Hogensen had worked so hard to develop was being destroyed by budget cuts. "I suddenly felt as if eight of the best years of my life had been given for naught," he wrote to Peterson. "I do hope that it is not the intention to abandon the work entirely. In my opinion that would be a great step backward." Although Hogensen's tenure as state club leader ended on July 1, 1919, he remained close to 4-H during the next twenty-three years, accompanying state champions on 4-H trips across the country and judging many 4-H projects.
Peterson was less than candid about finances with the new club leader, for before arriving in Utah, Milton Harris was optimistic about his new work: "I feel keenly the importance of this club work and know that money so spent is more efficient than that spent in knocking erroneous ideas out of the grown-ups." But the realities of the budget crunch soon became apparent. Two employees, Bessie Eaton and Henry Oberhansly, had already been transferred to other work, leaving only the state leader and an assistant, Goldie Faux, to oversee the clubs. After eight months as state club leader, Harris began to make a stronger appeal for club work: "If club work is school work, it is not the concern of the extension division, but if it is really what we maintain it to be, it is worth pushing by the institution." Yet, club work was on a downhill course. In 1920 four counties, Cache, Davis, Uintah, and Washington, had maintained fulltime county club leaders; but by 1921 there were no county club leaders, and the state office had all but disappeared.
In April 1921 Harris assumed a new position as professor of economics at the college. He no longer attended to field work, and to fill the void Gladys Christensen was hired as assistant state leader in May. She ran the state office alone. Because she was a woman she was given the title of assistant state leader, although there was no state leader to assist. In June 1922 she resigned.
In its 1922 report the Extension Division explained the reorganization of club work. It had been "entirely shifted from county club agents to agricultural and home agents." This change was "an outgrowth of forced economy."
How did the county and home agents fare? R. L. Wrigley, Cache County agent, responding to a question about what people thought of club work in his county, said, "Few of them know what it is." Carbon County reported that 400 boys and girls had started gardens, but when school let out there were too many projects for the agent to follow-up on. Many counties tried to reestablish club work. Davis County continued to scramble for funds, and the agent there acknowledged that the drop in funds still hurt. The 1921 Weber County report captured the general feeling about club work at this time: "As a whole, in Weber County, there seems to be no place for club work."
Club work was needed in Utah, however. The Farm Bureau tried to fill the void and made a notable effort with youth during the absence of club work in Utah, but the programs were limited compared to the broad spectrum of 4-H. For nearly three years Hogensen's great work all but vanished.
Then, in 1924, renewed interest in club work led to the search for a new state leader. In eastern Idaho, David P. Murray, a native of Utah, had been making a name for himself in the field. Extension offered him the position of Utah state club leader. On January 6, 1925, he officially began his job in Utah. Club work had received a second chance. The new leader would overcome the budget crunch.
Murray was ideally suited for the job of Utah's state 4-H leader. He had grown up as a farm boy in Cache Valley and graduated in science in 1910 from Brigham Young College in Logan. The next four years found him teaching the elementary grades. Then he decided to finish his education at USAC where he received a bachelor's degree in agriculture in 1916.
In July 1917 Murray began work as the first agricultural agent of Madison County, Idaho. He faced the difficult task of convincing farmers to try his new ideas of farming and animal raising. They were, for the most part, reluctant to change, but their children were receptive. Murray found that if the children's work was successful, the parents became very interested in extension work. "Boarders" (livestock that produced poorly) were a major problem in the Rexburg area where Murray did most of his work. Modern animal husbandry methods needed to be introduced to improve the quality of livestock. He embarked on a program with the local bankers that allowed the youth to purchase livestock. He attached several stipulations to these loans that later became the basis of much of his 4-H work in Utah. First, the boy (or girl) was given the loan, with the father cosigning, which put the child in a position of great responsibility. The second condition required the agent to approve the livestock to be bought. The youths were required to keep complete records of all expenditures during the year. The results were more far-reaching than just training the youths in how to raise livestock. The program improved the quality of local livestock, trained the youths in appropriate banking and money management techniques, and stimulated the father-child relationship.
Upon returning to Cache Valley, Murray quickly identified the major problems plaguing Utah club work: the lack of interest shown by county extension agents and the Smith-Hughes program, which overlapped club work in the schools. It took time to sell the county agents on the club program; most preferred dealing with adults. Murray developed leadership schools, often held in statewide meetings at USAC, to instruct volunteers on how to organize club work. The Utah Bankers Association helped by financing awards for winners in the county fairs. Despite this auspicious start, the club program was on a collision course with the administration of the Smith-Hughes program.
The Smith-Hughes law had been enacted in 1917 to provide year-round activity in agriculture. The Smith-Hughes people, now known as the Future Farmers of America, worked primarily through the schools, usually tying in closely with the curriculum. By contrast, club work in 1917 usually concentrated on activities during the summer and spent less time in the schools. When James Hogensen, the first state leader, took club work to the schools during the first years of extension, conflict surfaced almost immediately. A temporary agreement with the Smith-Hughes people that allowed boys and girls to join both organizations only widened the rift between the two groups, as both competed for the limited time of the youths.
There were many more boys and girls in the Smith-Lever (4-H) clubs than in the Smith-Hughes (FFA) organization. In Salt Lake County 337 boys and girls did club work compared to 108 involved with the Smith-Hughes association. The numbers were more striking for Cache County — 761 club members versus 57 Smith-Hughes participants. Although club leaders saw the need for a change, county agents often presented a problem because the Smith-Hughes program made the agents' work with youth easier. It was this confused situation that Murray inherited upon accepting the post of state leader.
In retrospect, the resolution of the rivalry appears relatively simple. The Smith-Hughes program could have remained in the schools working with the curriculum, and club work could have concentrated on summer activities with perhaps a regular meeting during the year. But more tension was felt when Murray and Le- Grande Rich Humphrey, head of the Smith-Hughes group, confronted each other to determine whether club work would remain in the schools.
Humphrey's background was similar in many ways to Murray's. Both men were born in 1884. Humphrey graduated from Bear Lake Academy in Idaho and went on to teach mathematics, physics, and chemistry at Fielding Academy in Paris, Idaho. After a few years there he resumed his education at USAC, the same decision Murray would make. Upon his graduation in 1912 Humphrey joined the USAC staff and began teaching agricultural education. From this position he pioneered the Future Farmers of America in Utah. He is remembered by club members as a hard-driving individual of extreme loyalty.
Murray chose to take club work out of the school system. His wife reacted like many others involved in club work and told him to "toot his horn a little more." Instead, he redoubled his efforts to improve the quality of club work. He understood the path Utah 4-H should take, but the problems he faced directed much of his attention away from convincing county agents to work with youth. This difficulty has yet to be completely resolved.
Despite the problems Murray faced in his first few years, he enjoyed some important positive moments. The work being done by the boys and girls continued to improve, as did the rate of completions. Then, in 1927 the first national club camp, held in Washington, D.C, molded the shape and texture of 4-H into the organization it remains today.
As far back as 1925 Murray and other state leaders had been calling on the USDA to establish a national camp. Finally, in 1927, the USDA agreed and held the camp on the lawn in front of their building in Washington. The camp filled three main purposes: to reward and develop outstanding junior leaders, to acquaint club members with their government and Washington with club work, and to provide a convenient meeting for state leaders.
The camp ran for seven days, June 15-22. Sightseeing tours, recreation, dinners, addresses by notables, and general meetings filled the agenda. Reveille sounded at six in the morning, followed by a flag-raising ceremony and swimming; then the campers were allowed to eat breakfast. Clarence Beaman Smith, who opened the camp with the statement "Education is not preparation for life, but life itself," outlined the need to encourage more volunteer leaders and to attract older club members. Murray and the other delegates left with more than a vague outline of the grand scheme of 4-H; they left with a pledge, a motto, and an institution.
The camp established 4-H traditions that continue to the present. The pledge, which today opens every meeting, was written by Otis Hall, state leader of Kansas. R. A. Pearson, president of Iowa State College, and A. C True of the U.S. Extension Service submitted the pledge to the executive committee of the Land-Grant College Association virtually unchanged from Hall's original. It was short but direct:
The first national camp also marked the acceptance of the 4-H motto: "To Make the Best Better."
Formulating a pledge and a motto were visible accomplishments, but the real achievement lay in the fact that state leaders had finally come together to dedicate themselves to improving the quality of club work. The camp lifted the morale of everyone involved and crystallized ideals in the minds of millions of young people. For Utah 4-H the camp symbolized a turning point in club work; the emphasis now shifted to positive growth and developing better projects.
Utah 4-H provided many opportunities for youngsters. It enabled some children to travel, to develop important skills, and to achieve a measure of personal satisfaction and pride in their work. Occasionally, the skills learned in 4-H provided more than satisfaction. In the case of Wilma Peterson McQuarrie, the sewing skills learned in 4-H marked one of the major achievements of her life and helped her and her family to survive hard times. During the depression Wilma made all of her family's clothes and worked at the Logan Knitting Mills. After her marriage she earned money making drapes and wedding dresses in her home. She also helped out with 4-H for many years, teaching young girls her love for sewing. Without the 4-H sewing club she joined when she was fourteen, Wilma would have had a much different life. Because she had to take care of her younger brothers and sisters after her mother's death she was never able to finish high school, but 4-H filled the void.
In 1931 Murray outlined the goals, ideals, and direction of Utah 4-H. He took the concepts pioneered at the 1927 national camp and translated them into workable, understandable principles. Though written during the early years of the depression, this report looked beyond those times of despair and stressed the need for a positive outlook. It emphasized the two major goals of 4-H activities: first, to teach through doing, and second, "to dignify and give proper recognition" to the important tasks of farm science and home economics. To implement these goals Murray underlined the importance of quality rather than quantity; 4-H should be allowed to grow only as fast as effective supervision would warrant.
Without David Murray the story of Utah 4-H would have been much different. After almost six years of neglect the program was reborn under his leadership and dedication and transformed in many positive ways. He insisted upon learning and personal achievement rather than winning blue ribbons and gold cups. This emphasis enabled members like Wilma Peterson to learn more than just simple sewing skills; she was given an opportunity to develop her skills into professional quality work for a lifetime. From 1925 to 1931 Utah 4-H sought to provide direction for and rekindle interest in club work and to provide club members with the opportunity to learn. The program grew quickly during those years, but much more remained to be done.
By 1932 Utah 4-H had established itself as a growing, cohesive unit. With Murray controlling club work from the state office in Logan, Utah 4-H became one of the most dynamic club groups in America. He had established a strong organization. The years 1932 through 1952 found others leading 4-H to diversify its programs to meet the needs of more youth. This effort was coordinated by Myrtle Davidson and Fern Shipley Kelley.
Davidson was appointed assistant club leader in September 1930. She had worked in Idaho for a number of years in boys' and girls' club work before joining Utah extension as a home demonstration agent for Cache and Box Elder counties, the position she left to take the 4-H state job. Soon Davidson's and Murray's efforts to improve the already powerful club organization were drawing national attention. Gertrude L. Warren, a 4-H specialist from Washington, D.C, asserted that "No other state in the Union is making more progress in 4-H club work than Utah."
One of the ways to enlarge the program was through the farm and home science clubs developed by Myrtle Davidson. During the 1930s 4-H turned its attention to senior 4-H groups for those age twelve to fifteen and those sixteen and older who were not married. The farm science clubs were organized on an agricultural basis, and to challenge these older children project size was increased each year. The home science clubs offered three "majors" — food, clothing, and home management — to be rotated each year. An advisory committee recommended that the farm and home science clubs meet jointly at least three times a year for social activities.
One of the advantages of senior 4-H work was the additional time a club worker could continue on a project. Margaret Hansen had been a calf club member for four years when she entered her fourteenth contest with her calf, Bess. At age sixteen Margaret placed second at the state fair in fitting and showmanship, all breeds. The next year, 1932, she entered Bess who became the Grand Champion of the Utah State Fair. For her achievement the girl was awarded the prestigious Union Pacific Scholarship. The development of senior 4-H allowed Hansen and others to use the program beyond high school.
During this era one of the most remarkable, if least publicized, groups in Utah 4-H formed: the Ever-Ready 4-H Club of Pleasant View. Since 1940 this group of outstanding women has kept in touch by a letter that takes over a full year to make its rounds. Each member adds a note and perhaps a picture or newspaper clipping and then sends the growing missive on its way. The letter has been a source of comfort, humor, and interest ever since.
It all started in May 1928 when Bertha Leibhardt formed a canning club, organized under Utah County agents Anson Call and Lyman Rich, with nine original members. The girls shared a wide variety of projects from canning and clothing to the care of shrubs and charm and personality development. The group was extremely successful, with members winning several out-of-state trips. What the girls learned was much more important than the trips they won. The skills they acquired from their 4-H leaders left them in a better position to help their families weather the depression. The girls of the Ever-Ready 4-H Club shared the same experiences as Wilma Peterson: skills learned in 4-H meetings became a means of supplementing family income. Like Wilma., too, most of these women served as 4-H leaders in their adult years.
William Peterson served as the director of extension in 1918 and then from 1924 through 1943. Reviewing the history of Utah 4-H, one sees that the years under the authoritarian Peterson were the most productive in terms of organization and development of club work. He perceived the important role 4-H would achieve in the future and distinguished himself by understanding the key role of women in shaping policy and programs. During Peterson's tenure 4-H in Utah was rejuvenated under David Murray. The 4-H state staff became a cohesive professional unit that saw the program as a career, not just a stepping-stone.
From Claire Parrish and Gladys Christiansen to Myrtle Davidson and Fern Shipley Kelley, Utah club work was greatly enhanced by the work of women on the state level. Although they were not always recognized or honored for their individual efforts, collectively their work became a distinguishing feature in Utah extension. Peterson recognized that "women are vitally interested in the soil, in soil and water relationships, in the use and care of the range, in livestock breeding and feeding, in conservation of natural resources, as well as in rearing children and making comfortable, convenient and happy homes."
In March 1938 with Myrtle Davidson on sabbatical, Peterson requested "the appointment of Miss Fern Shipley to the position of assistant club leader." Fern Shipley Kelley (she married in 1959) enjoyed a long association with Utah 4-H. Born in Franklin, Idaho, she was the niece of David Murray's wife, Mabel. Fern was first employed by Utah 4-H as a part-time secretary in 1928, a position she held until 1933 when she received her home economics degree from USAC She was reemployed by extension in 1936 and worked at a variety of tasks until appointed assistant state club leader. Under Murray's tutelage Kelley soon learned how to develop a strong youth program. He stressed the leadership training schools, something she quickly picked up on. Soon Utah was providing the highest percentage of volunteer leaders to county agents.
Fern Kelley took particular pride in the programs she administered. The most conspicuous of these was the development of the enthusiastic and well received county camp program she and state leader David Sharp brought to Utah. Second was the "glamorization" of the two girls' programs. Stock shows had been rather unpopular with the parents of 4-H girls who thought them unladylike. Kelley's solution was to make them more culturally oriented and better chaperoned and to have the girls stay at nice hotels. This seemed to please everyone. Along with increasing the appeal of stock shows Kelley developed a career day for girls. Several companies, including Sears and J. C. Penney, along with organizations like the Utah Dairy Council, helped. Career day gave the girls a taste of professions like fashion designer, interior decorator, and office manager. A furniture dealer in Richmond brought the girls to his store and by using his own merchandise showed them the difference between quality and inferior furniture. This is only one example of the many excellent seminars given.
One program available to a few fortunate club workers inspired many others. The International Farm Youth Exchange (IFYE) allowed club members to travel to foreign countries and take part in their vocational agricultural programs. The first member to go was Josephine Daines Clark, later an agent in Morgan County. Following the trip she toured Utah, giving lectures and slide shows. IFYE was a community project with contributions solicited to help with expenses. The Lions Clubs of Utah put up much of the money for the 4-H members to travel.
In May 1938 David Murray suffered a heart attack, leaving Kelley to handle the state office alone for a year. When Murray's condition remained unchanged, Peterson appointed David Sharp, Jr., as assistant state leader with the understanding that he would become the new state leader. (Murray was not officially replaced until June 1942.) Kelley, clearly, was the candidate best qualified for the job considering her education, training, and experience, but "there was no thought they would appoint a woman club state leader." When Kelley moved up to the National 4-H Office she was again overlooked for the office of national leader.
At the time of his appointment Sharp was the popular agent for Summit County. He was born in 1888 in Vernon, Tooele County, where his father ran eight hundred head of horses. After graduating from USAC in agriculture in 1913, he became involved with a new federal service called Cooperative Extension. For sixteen years he served as the Summit County agent with his expertise in constant demand. Kelley always felt that Sharp would have preferred the livestock specialist position for which he had excellent qualifications. Sharp recalled the beating that Utah 4-H took each year at the Ogden Livestock Show at the hands of the Idaho Falls group. One year Murray told Sharp how much he wanted to win this show. Sharp said he could count on a win the next year. He hand-picked a group of his best livestock club boys in Summit County. "I took the boys and I trained 'em. That's all they needed: training. The next year, we went to the show and beat 'em good." That spirit epitomized Sharp, but he also had "a touch of charisma" and a dry humor. When asked how the agents accepted 4-H, Sharp replied: "4-H was new to the agents, some of them sided away from it. They were like I was down in Summit County. When Dave [Murray] asked me to do something, I did it. Otherwise, I tried to pass it off."
World War II brought a boom in 4-H activity nationwide as the country turned toward increasing food production to meet wartime needs. This stirred interest in the kinds of activities that 4-H had long been concerned with. Peterson called for "a victory garden in every 4-H home," and Utah adopted the national seven-point pledge for victory. Sharp felt that Utah 4-H changed little during the war years and that increased interest in home gardening was probably the only difference. Fern Kelley noted that the war bolstered membership and that unlike other states, Utah did not experience a crippling drop in enrollment after the war; rather, the Utah organization continued to grow.
Because of Utah's many parks and camping sites, each county could hold its own summer camp. Under the leadership of Sharp and Kelley the camp system was brought to its peak. Sharp claimed that 90 percent of the 4-H members attended camp one year, and Kelley said that 75 percent of club members attended camp year in and year out. These are phenomenal numbers, unmatched by any other state. These camps generated tremendous enthusiasm among members. Though Sharp and Kelley are credited with developing the outstanding success of the camp program, the groundwork was done by Paul Dunn and, later, by J. Whitney Floyd, extension forester, who set up attractive, entertaining camps that first attracted forestry club members. Soon, other 4-H members began attending these camps, even girls from clothing and cooking clubs. The state office realized that a successful 4-H camp could develop enthusiasm for the entire program and climax the 4-H year. The camps were almost too successful; Sharp had his hands full one year when Kane, Iron, and Washington counties decided to hold a combined camp. The expected enrollment was 300 club members, but 900 attended. Although handicrafts were in rather short supply, the camp ran smoothly; but Sharp decided never to hold a combined county camp again.
An important aspect of the camps was the clean camp committee. One of Sharp's fondest memories was the year he had to beg to hold the Cache County camp in Logan Canyon. Youth groups were not allowed there overnight. As the campers were packing to leave, a ranger and five workers entered the camp. The ranger demanded, "What kind of a camp are you running here, anyway?" Sharp answered, "Well, I thought a fairly good one." The ranger said, "I brought these five guys here to clean this camp from one end to the other, and I tell you we couldn't find one gum wrapper!'" The ranger reached into his wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill. "Here, this is ten bucks for your clean camp committee. Your 4-H kids can come back any time."
Utah 4-H experienced many changes during the Sharp years. The membership grew, the program changed, and the team of Sharp and Kelley leckthe state office; 4-H had established a rural base for itself in Utah, but it was time for the program to expand and diversify. A new state office would lead Utah 4-H into these areas. This task would fall to Glenn Baird and Amy Kearsley in the mid- 1950s. They decentralized many of the programs, giving the counties larger responsibilities and introducing a wide range of new activities.
Programs began to respond to community needs in the areas of health, safety, recreational leadership, and other communityrelated activities and events. This new emphasis on community leadership marked the beginnings of 4-H work in the larger towns and cities and the evolution of urban 4-H. The number and variety of programs were expanded, ranging from personality development and physical fitness to water safety and citizenship. The methods for carrying out these programs included films, tours, workshops, outside speakers, and panel discussions; but the key element was to provide challenges for older 4-H members. In the past, project titles like pig club or sewing club had tended to keep boys and girls within their traditional roles. The new approach stressed interaction between the sexes at every program level not only in Utah but in programs that began to extend Utah 4-H's hand around the world. Future historians may well find these urban and international programs of Utah 4-H worthy of detailed study.
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