16,000 girls to represent Illinois in the 

 national record contest. During the 

 past year she devoted 940 hours to the 

 victory service project, driving a trac- 

 tor during the spring and working full 

 time in a store after the close of 

 school. During her entire 4-H club 

 career she has given 1692 hours to 

 victory service. 



Bonnie Jean Switzer, 18, Knox 

 county, was named to represent Illinois 

 in the national 4-H leadership contest. 

 During her nine years in club work, 

 she has participated regularly in local, 

 county and state events and has been 

 a repeated prize winner for her work 

 in canning and clothing. 



Robert M. Guehl*r, 19, Somoncnik, De- 

 Kolb county, and Keith F. Schertz, 17, 

 Benson, winners of $200 scholorshipa each 

 in junior livestock feeding contest at Chi- 

 cago. 



Among the other state delegates and 

 representatives selected to go to the 

 national 4-H club congress were: Ru- 

 hama Lodine WalUng, Streator, La- 

 Salle county; Marian Healy, Kankakee, 

 Kankakee county; Rosemary Sharp, Eu- 

 reka, Woodford county; Rosemary Cas- 

 teel, Lovington, Moultrie, county; Agnes 

 Bridgeland, Winnebago, Winnebago 

 county; Ila McDonald, Trivoli, Peoria 

 county; Martha Mollett, Greenville, 

 Bond county; Robert J. Alms, Cort- 

 land, DeKalb county; Morris L. Bell, 

 Chandlerville, Mason county; Kenneth 

 Clay, Kent, Jo Daviess county; LeRoy 

 Copple, Farmington, Fulton county, 

 and Bruce Mowery, Ullin, Pulaski coun- 

 ty- 



Illinois 4-H Clnbs Name 



Liberty Ship For Pioneer 



Illinois 4-H clubs have been honored 

 for their outstanding contribution to 

 the war effort by the U. S. Maritime 

 Commission, which selected them for 

 the privilege of naming a new Liberty 

 ship which was launched Nov. 28 in 

 Houston, Tex. 



The ship was christened the "Will 

 B. Otwell" in honor of the man who pi- 

 oneered in the work with farm boys 



Rurol Youth state committee ior 1945 gets 

 started on its work.. Left to right are E. 

 D. Lyon. lAA director oi young people's 

 activities; Bill Thomas, Whiteside county; 



lewell Emmerich. Jaspen Bob Croxton, 

 Schuyler; Wanda Bradshow, Wayne; and 

 JoAeph Brankey, Kane. This committee 

 gets valuable training in its work. 



and girls that later grew into the pres- 

 ent 4-H organization in Illinois. Mrs. 

 M. E. Eldred of Greenfield, Greene 

 county, daughter of the late Mr. Ot- 

 well, christened the ship. 



The late Mr. Otwell was born in 1877 

 and began work with the boys of Mac- 

 oupin county in 1898. As president of 

 the county farmers' institute, he pur- 

 chased and distributed seed corn to ap- 

 proximately 500 boys. In 1904 at the 

 St. Louis Worlds Fair, his exhibit of 

 10-ear samples of corn grown by 8000 

 Illinois boys attracted nation-wide at- 

 tention. 



(luAol YOUTH 



By Ellsworth D. Lyon 



War Bond purchase reports received 



up to the first week in December from 

 Illinois Rural Youth show that they 

 have purchased a total of $209,000 in 

 War Bonds during 1944. Additional 

 reports for the month of December are 

 expected to bring Rural Youth near 

 their $300,000 goal for the year. The 

 first $110,000 bonds purchased entitled 

 Rural Youth to name an ambulance 

 plane, and the next $75,000 in pur- 

 chases earned for them the privilege of 

 naming a pursuit ship. 



Illinois was represented by eight youdi 

 delegates at the annual American Farm Bu- 

 reau Federation meeting in Chicago, Dec. 

 11 to 14. Two Illinois young people had 

 official responsibilities — Margaret Sharp, 

 Woodford county who had charge of reg- 

 istration, and Franklin Allen of Tazewell 

 county who was chairman of the National 

 talkfest 



good. There were 248 young people who 

 registered. Reports from official county 

 sources indicate that there were many young 

 people who did not register. Participation 

 at all Rural Youth sessions was on a high 

 order — educational, entertaining, and help- 

 ful. 



Reports of Rural Youdi regular meetings 



indicate that a number of very interesting 

 topics have been discussed at recent meet- 

 ings. Clay County Rural Youthers recently 

 presented "Young People of Other Lands [ 

 The countries studied especially were Rus- 

 sia and China. 



The Twin City Ripples of Whiteside coun- 

 ty took up the same topic by studying food, 

 education and features of everyday life of 

 the young people in France, England, Ger- 

 many, China, Japan and Russia. The Twin 

 City Ripple correspondent remarks that talks 

 on such themes "may help to bring about a 

 better world in the future after the war, 

 perhaps making us more tolerant." 



St. CUir county discussed "Sharing the 



Family Income." They had Elmer Searls, 

 tJniversity of Illinois, as speaker on this 

 subject. - 



Randolph county discussed "International- 

 ism at Christmas" at a recent meeting. The 

 secretary says of this meeting, "The pro- 

 gram was very good this time with every- 

 body taking part." 



The Newton Notions of Whiteside and 



Morrison Merrymakers recently studied the 

 subject of race relations. The secretary 

 comments "This meeting was well planned 

 with nearly everyone taking part." 



The Prophetstown-Tampico Warriors dis- 

 cussed "Farming in Wartime." This group 

 is especially interested in the blood donor 



service. 



Attendance at all Rural Youth sessions 



of the annual meeting of the lAA was very 



Some fine examples of coounuaity service 

 by Rural Youth groups come from Sl Clair 

 county by ushering at the annual Farm 

 Bureau meeting; Tazewell, Peoria and Ef- 

 fingham counties by sending boxes to men 

 overseas; Saline, Brown, Wayne, LaSalle 

 and Edgar counties by sending letters to 

 servicemen. 



JANUARY. 1945 



