RURAL YOUTH 



Illinois Sends Three Delegates and Talk Fest 

 Winner to AFBF Convention 



ILLINOIS Rural Youth, true to its 

 reputation of representation at na- 

 tional I'arm Bureau meetings, sent 

 three delei;ates to the AFBF meeting 

 at Atlantic City in December. 



The young people going trom Illinois 

 were: Ruth Huser, Morton, retiring 

 member from the State and National 

 Rural \'outh Committees; Doreen 

 NLirti, Greenville, newly elected mem- 

 ber to State and National Committees; 

 and Mary Alice Roser, Carmi, who was 

 our representative in the National Talk 

 Meet. Mary Alice did not place first. 

 But, nevertheless, she gave an excellent 

 speech and was the only speaker who 

 drew laughs from the audience. Mary 

 Alice is new in Rural Youth. Her warm 

 and friendly attitude and sympathy 

 toward people and their problems and 

 her willingness to work soon made a 

 place for her in her county program. 

 VX'inner of the National Talk Meet was 

 Donald McKnight who is from the re- 

 cently organized Maryland Rural Youth 



group- 

 Outstanding among future plans 



made by the Rural Youth delegates was 

 a Rural Youth Leaders' Conference to 

 be held at Gilbertsville, Ky., near Pa- 

 ducah, March 7, 8, and 9, 1949. Ten 

 people will be privileged to attend from 

 each of the states and a Rural Youth 

 program under Farm Bureau instruction 

 will be given in organization, educa- 

 tional and recreational programs, and 

 community service, and special projects. 



COMMUNITY SERVICE 



Counties served by the G.NL&O. rail- 

 road are streamlining their programs in 

 order to meet the hii;h st.indard of com- 



Mr. and Mrt. Sp^ntar MeCully, recently 



married, attend Woodford County Rural 



Youth annual banquet as special guests. 



Dinner was held Dec. 4 at Meiamora. 



By ELLSWORTH D. LYON, 



Director, Young People's Activities 



munity service as outlined in the com- 

 munity service project of this railroad. 

 Madison has appointed a committee 

 consisting of Vera Mae Kleuter, Harold 

 Thurnau. Loretta Shermann, Dorothy 

 Schillinger and Beatrice Hastings whose 

 duties will be to work for member.ship 

 maintenance and attendance and to find 

 leaders among the members who will 

 serve as leaders in 4-H, Red Cross, and 

 church activities, community projects 

 and in county, state, and national Rural 

 ■^'outh activities. Faithful reporting to 

 this committee or to Rudy Viere is 

 asked so that adecjuate information may 

 be relayed to A. F. Stephens of the 

 G.M.&O. and to Clareta Walker and 

 Curt Kenyon of the University of Illi- 

 nois. 



St. Clair voted to give a prize for 

 faithful attendance at the monthly meet- 

 ings. If the prize winner is not present 

 when announced, the money for same 

 will be given to a charitable organiza- 

 tion. 



COUNTY ACTIVITIES 



Edgar helped plan and serve two din- 

 ners, Jan. 5 and l-», to Farm Bureau 

 leaders in connection with the annual 

 county Farm Bureau membership drives. 

 While a small profit was realized for 

 these two dinners, the help of Rural 

 Youth was a distinct service. 



Woodford invited its most recently 

 married couple to its Annual Banquet 

 held on Dec. 4 in Metamora. This 

 couple was Mr. and Mrs. Spencer Me- 

 Cully. Mrs. McCully was formerly 

 Barbara Fisher of Roanoke. Spence was 

 president of his county group. One 

 year ago he attended the lAA Short 

 Course in Chicago, Jan., 19(8, and has 

 been a song leader in county bancjuets 

 and other Rural Youth meetings. Bar- 

 bara was a member of Rural Youth a 

 short time. They are living on a farm 

 at Washburn. 



Other big county bani]uets of recent 

 date were Adams, Tazewell, McHenry. 

 Stevenson, Schuyler, McDonough, and 

 Richland. 



A number ot counties assisted in the 

 CROP program. Whiteside reports 

 that Rural Youth took charge of the 



Donald McKnight, 34-year-old Maryland 

 dairy farmer, won first place in the fourth 

 annual Rural Youth Talk Meet at the AfBf 

 convention. At right is Illinois representa- 

 tive in Taiit Meet, Mary Alice Roser, 18, 

 White county. 



program for the entire county and col- 

 lected $-1,000 in cash and 12.000 bushels 

 of corn. 



Mrs. Don Cowling sends in the fol- 

 lowing letter: 



This is the final report of the year on 

 the Rural Young Married Couples of 

 Edwards County. We had our bancjuet 

 on Dec. 6 with 34 members and 18 

 guests present. The tables were deco- 

 rated for Christmas. 



Our speaker of the evening was Rev. 

 H. L. Metcalf of the Albion Methodist 

 Church, who spoke on "The Home." 

 Mrs. H. L. Metcalf gave two piano spe- 

 cials. Each person received a gift from 

 the grab bag. 



The officers for our coming year are 

 chairman. Robert Roose\elt; vice-chair- 

 man, Clara Faye Lankford ; Sec.-Treas. 

 Laura Mae Seigert; Song leader, Mary 

 Betty; Assistant song leader, Vcrtis 

 Neal. 



At the present time we have 64 mem- 

 bers which is a gain of 20 during the 

 year. We've had an average of 31-8 

 persons at each meeting. 



Our financial score is rather lean at 

 the present. We have a balance of 

 $2.76. 



forrest Schavo (Mt), who has token over 

 operation of the home farm, signs up as 

 the 1600th farm Bureau member In Rock 

 Island county. Volunteer worker at the 

 right Is Wilbur Devinney who signed up 

 15 members on the drive — his first. 



16 



I. A. A. RECORD 



