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llwial YOUTH 



As the RECORD goes to press, Illinois 

 Rural Youth have purchased $58,179.20 in 

 War Bonds in its campaign to reach $75,- 

 000, or the cost of a pursuit ship. With 

 one-third of the reports yC to be received 

 from county groups, tlie final should be 

 reached by the deadline of (an. 1, 19-44. 



Rural Youthers holding Christmas parties 

 during December remembered the boys in 

 service by sending them greeting cards. 

 Other county groups turned the proceeds 

 from their parties into presents or checks 

 for orphanages and others send gifts to men 

 of the armed services who were facing bleak 

 holidays in the hospitals. 



McLean County Rural Youth built up a 



Christmas fund at their December party in- 

 stead of having a gift exchange and the pro- 

 ceeds were sent to the hospital at Rantoul 

 for wounded service men. About 60 mem- 

 bers and guests were present at the party, 

 reports Violet Wiekert, president. 



Mason county's Christinas party resulted 



in a number of gifts being collected for the 

 needy children of the county. Other news 

 from this county brings the announcement 

 of the marriage of [ane Stone and Harvey 

 Rutledge on Nov. 24. Harvey was past 

 president of the Mason county group. The 

 young couple plans to make their home on 

 a farm in the southern part of Mason coun- 

 ty. 



Bureiu county had a gift exchange at its 



party with the gifts being donated to the 

 local orphanage, reports Herman Pierson, 

 president. 



Edgar county Rural Youthers had a 



Christmas party Dec. 15 with a gift ex- 

 change and pot luck supper attended by ^5 

 members. They sent holiday greeting cards 

 io the boys in service with the monthly 

 news-letter, reports Thelma Sturgeon, presi- 

 dent. 



S<ime 145 persons attended Tazewell's 



ninth annual banquet in Tremont Dec. 11. 

 Visitors were welcomed from Macon, Ma- 

 son, DeWitt, Fulton, McLean, Woodford, 

 and Peoria counties, reports Franklin Allen, 

 president. 



Wayne County Rural ^'outh remembered 



the boys in service with holiday greetings. 

 As the Record goes to press this Rural 

 Youth group was scheduled to hold its 

 first big banquet. The date was Dec. 2.^. 



Richland county's annual meeting is set 



for Jan. 13, reports Lester Sterchi, president. 

 Attendance at the Dec. 9th meeting was 45 

 with a party and gift grab bag. , They closed 

 the program with Christmas songs and the 

 Christmas Bible story. 



Macoupin county had a pie and pound 

 social Dec. 1, and made $26.80. Members 

 are planning a Christmas dance for the 

 holidays, says ■ Lucille Denby, president. 



Versa Lee Bradley, Gallatin County Rural 



Youth secretary, writes, "Our president. 

 Wilson Rister, is in the Army and our 

 Rural Youth program is temporarily dis- 

 continued." 



New Rural Youth state committee, first 

 row. left to right. Harold Toepke, McLean 

 county; Lawrence Herbert, Christian: 

 Margaret Sharp, Woodford: Franklin Allen. 

 TazewelL' Lester Sterchi. Richland. Second 



row, alternates, Don Bowton. Peoria: 

 Theron Summers. Edwards; ETelyn Mire. 

 McLean; Harold Teeple, Kane, and CUHord 

 Betsold, Montgomery. 



Lyle Given is the new Rural ^'outh 

 president in McHenry county. 



Nearly 1,700,000 farm boys and girls 

 were participating in the wartime 4-H club 

 program on July 1, according to estimates 

 by state agricultural extension services 



Charles W, Vieth, seaman second class, 

 greets his father. William F. Vieth, former 

 president of Madison County Farm Bu- 

 reau, at lAA annual meeting in Chicago. 



Effingham Connty Fann 



Yonth Killed in Action 



Mr. and Mrs. Henry Bierman, Ef- 

 fingham County Farm Bureau family, 

 received word in 

 October of the 

 death of their son, 

 Pvt. Ralph B. Bier- 

 m a n , who was 

 killed in action in 

 the North African 

 territory. 



Ralph was inr 

 ducteci into the U. 

 S. Army on May 

 12, 1942 and a few 

 months later was 

 assigned to an overseas contingent. Be- 

 fore he entered the Army he helped 

 his father on the farm. Mr. and Mrs. 

 Bierman have another son, Harry, who 

 is serving his country in the South 

 Pacific war zone. j 



This is a copy of the 

 citation received by Illi- 

 nois Rural Youth from 

 the United States Treas- 

 ury Department for the 

 Bonds lor Bombers cam- 

 paign conducted in 1943. 

 Enough Bonds to equal 

 the cost of a medium 

 Bomber were purchased 

 by September 30, at 

 which time a second 

 campaign was launched 

 lor the last three months 

 of the year to buy 

 enough Bonds to equal 

 the cost of a pursuit 

 ship. 



IL'XITKD STVIESTKEASITIY DEPARTMEVT' 



3llinnis Kural Uuuth. 



JANUARY, 1944 



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