Twelve new members of the 4-H Hall of Fame were installed May 10 at the Louisiana 4-H Museum in Mansura. The inductees are, left to right, front row, Madge Borne of Jefferson Parish, Randy Stutes of Vermilion Parish, Carolyn Lang of Winn Parish, James "Jake" Abadie of Iberia Parish, Terril Faul, State 4-H Office; Pete Miranda of Iberville Parish; back row, l-r, Sue Butler of Concordia Parish, Karen Broussard of Vermilion Parish for her late husband Johnny Broussard; Ann Langlinais of Vermilion Parish, Lynn Farrar of Caddo Parish, Judia Lacombe of Acadia Parish and Sandra Brumley of Caddo Parish. (Photo by Bruce Schultz)

News Release Distributed 05/13/14

MANSURA, La. – A dozen individuals were honored on May 10 for their work with youth as the newest inductees into the Louisiana 4-H Hall of Fame.

They bring the total number of Hall of Fame members to 170 since the recognition began in 2008. They were inducted into the hall at the Louisiana 4-H Museum housed in the Avoyelles Parish extension office.

Much of the credit for the Louisiana 4-H program’s success can be attributed to its volunteers, said Mark Tassin, LSU AgCenter associate vice chancellor for youth programs.

“Our 4-H program would not be where it is today without the efforts of the volunteers,” he said.

The future of the program, now in its 106th year, will depend even more on volunteers, Tassin said. “It’s not going to happen with just the employees.”

One of the honorees, Ann Langlinais, said the 4-H staff in Vermilion Parish and other volunteers have made it possible for her to continue in the program. “We just say ‘4-H,’ and they ask how and when they can help us.”

LSU AgCenter associate department head for 4-H youth development Janet Fox said this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act, which established the national Cooperative Extension Service that includes 4-H.

The Hall of Fame honorees rose to the challenge of helping youth, Fox said. “These individuals have lived their lives in service, making the best better.”

Another honoree, Madge Borne, of Jefferson Parish, said working with 4-H has been one of her most gratifying experiences. “It’s really rewarding to make a difference in the lives of children.”

Sue Butler, of Concordia Parish, said she considers her work in 4-H as the most important aspect of her teaching career. “It was a blessing I’ll never forget.”

Terril Faul, who worked in a number of 4-H positions for the LSU AgCenter, recalled getting numerous letters from 4-H Club members while he was in Vietnam. “That told me what 4-H was all about.”

Honorees recognized at the event were:

– Pete Miranda, Iberville Parish

Miranda, age 93, of Iberville Parish, has been involved in the 4-H program since 1928 when he became a club member. He has served the program on advisory boards and councils and as a livestock project leader with the horse, dairy and poultry projects, and he played a key role in establishing the Mike Zito Mireto Purpose Facility for livestock events.

Miranda has conducted numerous horse and livestock clinics for youth and organized the first parish horse show in 1972. He continues to volunteer at the parish livestock shows, judging events and the Cloverbud petting zoo.

He received the 2009 Honorary Citizen Award by the Iberville Parish Police Jury for his exemplary work with 4-H and agriculture. He was named the Iberville Parish President of the Day, and he was awarded the Friends of 4-H award.

– Judia LaCombe, Acadia Parish

LaCombe has devoted her life to the Iota 4-H program starting in 1955 as a member. She has been an organizational and project leader for Iota Junior and Iota Senior clubs for 40 years, and the Acadia 4-H Advisory Council for 25 years, along with working on the 4-H Foundation Board, awards trip and scholarship coordinator. She organized annual awards trips to Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Washington, D.C., New York and Canada.

LaCombe organized the Iota 4-H Club to help a resident whose home was in disrepair and to work with a food program for the elderly. The club also sponsored three scholarships awarded annually to 4-H graduating seniors. Her family served as host for the International 4-H exchange program for 11 years.

She was named Acadia Parish Person of the Year, Woodmen of the World Citizen of the Year, Acadia Parish Outstanding 4-H Leader, Achievement Day honoree, Good Provider Award and delegate to the National 4-H Foods and Nutrition Leaders Forum. She coached youth softball for 33 years, winning the 1991 National Championship.

– Ann Langlinais, Vermilion Parish

Langlinais has worked with 4-H for 46 years as a 4-H Club member, parent, organizational and project leader. She has been 4-H Foundation board chairman and a member of the Vermilion Parish Advisory Committee, Southwest Region LSU AgCenter Leadership Council and 4-H Trail Ride hostess.

In 1966, she became interested in the program as a leader of the Forked Island Elementary Club and continued to promote the demonstration and public speaking activities. Under her leadership, club members achieved many parish, district, state and national awards. Since she became chairman of the Vermilion 4-H Foundation, the board has raised more than $20,000 annually for the past three years, and the funds have been used to provide scholarships and transportation to statewide 4-H events.

She has been recognized as a state 4-H Good Provider Winner, as a 2003 Achievement Day honoree and by a legislative citation as Outstanding 4-H Leader.

– Sandra Brumley, Caddo Parish

Brumley began her work as a Caddo Parish 4-H volunteer leader when her son and daughter joined the group and wanted to show chickens and livestock 18 years ago. She worked with the Caddo Parish Fair as a board member, poultry superintendent and superintendent for 10 years.

Brumley serves as a key organizational leader in her children’s club. She has recruited and mentored members and families in the livestock program, offering guidance in purchasing, caring and tagging animals for show. As leader, she organized and coordinated community service projects throughout the year. One annual service tradition is decorating cans that are filled with personal hygiene items for the elderly.

She has attended the Southeast Regional 4-H Leader Conference in Arkansas and the Southern Regional Leader Conference at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, Georgia. She is a state 4-H Attorney General Livestock Leader winner and a 2013 Adult Volunteer Leader Award winner.

– James “Zeke” Abadie, Iberia Parish

Abadie began his affiliation with 4-H in the 1940s when he became a member in St. John Parish. He became a 4-H agent in Iberia parish in 1958, and he served his entire extension career in Iberia as assistant, associate, county agent and parish chairman until retiring in 1993.

Abadie’s program development efforts focused on project and record book competitions and leader recruitment and development. Under his leadership, the “Best Club” award was established that included a monthly scrapbook for club meetings and record keeping, a practice still in use today. After retirement, he continued to be active in 4-H by securing donors for the 4-H Sugarcane Festival Livestock Show and Sale, Sugar Cookery Contest, Sugar Cane exhibits and displays.

He has served as president and received the Distinguished Service Award from the Louisiana County Agents Association. The Iberia Parish 4-H dedicated Achievement Day and the Sugarcane 4-H Livestock Show and Sale in honor of his contributions to youth.

– Terril Faul, State 4-H Office

Faul’s extension career began in 1970 when he was appointed 4-H agent in Vermilion Parish. After five months on the job, he was drafted into the Army. After returning from Vietnam, he was assigned to Avoyelles Parish and transferred back to Vermilion after 18 months.

Faul started the first Vermilion Parish 4-H Livestock Show and Sale and the first 4-H Garden Contest. He has served as chairman of the National 4-H Congress Design Team and National 4-H Fishing Sports Advisory Committee. Faul coordinated the National Basketball Association’s donation of 10 new cars to volunteer 4-H leaders who suffered losses from hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

After retirement, he was appointed 4-H activities and events coordinator and continued working with programs he organized as 4-H department head, including 4-H Day with the LSU Tigers, 4-H Night with the New Orleans Hornets, Dinner at the Governor’s Mansion and 4-H Day at the Capitol, as well as coordinating 4-H University.

He was named the 2005 Honoree for the Vermilion 4-H Achievement Day. A scholarship has been established in his name in the Louisiana 4-H Foundation.

– Lynn Farrar, DeSoto/Caddo parishes

Farrar has a special love for 4-H since she became a club member in 1957. She promoted small-livestock projects because they are more financially friendly and accessible to youth. Her passion has been poultry projects, and she worked with youth and new agents throughout the Northwest Region.

As a poultry project leader, Farrar has worked with youth in feeding, caring and showing poultry at state, district and parish shows. She has secured awards and organized, checked and judged numerous poultry shows as well as promoted and conducted poultry skill-a-thons for premier exhibitor contests. She helped train three state Poultry Premier Exhibitor winners and Livestock Quiz Bowl teams at the State Fair.

She was recognized as a State 4-H Alumni winner and State Attorney General Livestock Leader and served as a delegate to the Southern Region Leader Forum at Rock Eagle, Georgia.

– Johnny Broussard, Vermilion Parish

For 39 years, Broussard was involved in the 4-H program as a member and livestock leader. As a member, he exhibited the grand champion Shorthorn bull at LSU and participated in the State 4-H Short Course Meat Identification and Poultry Judging contests. He served as chairman of the parish 4-H Livestock Sale Committee for 28 years and helped organize the buyer’s luncheon, oversaw finances and solicited buyers. He was a key leader in organizing the first parish show and sale.

Broussard assisted many youngsters with their livestock projects. He was instrumental in the passage of a parishwide sales tax dedicated to construction of the Vermilion Parish extension office and exhibit building. He managed one of the largest commercial Brahman herds in the parish and was recognized as the 1988 Cattleman of the Year.

He received the 4-H Alumni Award and in 2009 the Louisiana Cattle Festival was dedicated to his memory.

– Randy Stutes, Vermilion Parish

Since 1982, Stutes has volunteered in almost every aspect of the Vermilion Parish 4-H program, including project leader, 4-H Foundation and advisory board member, judge and chaperone. He has served as chairman of the Extension Service Leadership Advisory Council and vice president of the Acadiana District 4-H Livestock Show Board.

Stutes has assisted many youngsters with beef and lamb projects. He enjoys sharing his cooking skills with young people and most recently helped coach the Vermilion 4-H Food Star Team that won first place in the youth division of the Great American Seafood Cookery Contest. He also coached the winning 4-H Chicken and Turkey Ambassadors who represented the state at the national Poultry Conference.

He has served as chef for many 4-H and extension events throughout the state. He helps organize and prepare food for the parish 4-H Foundation Sporting Clay Shoot that has raised $20,000 each year for the past three years. He was named “Father of the Year” by the Vermilion Cattlewomen Association, received the State 4-H Good Provider Leader Award and was the 1999 Vermilion Parish 4-H Achievement Day honoree.

– Sue Butler, Concordia Parish

Butler served as a 4-H leader at Vidalia Upper Elementary School in Concordia Parish from 1988 until 1998. She served on the LSU AgCenter’s Leadership Council and parish advisory committee. Under her leadership, the club received the outstanding 4-H Club Award for eight years. During demonstration month, 95 percent of her club members participated.

Vidalia Upper Elementary club members had community service projects that included Arbor Day programs and 4-H Pumpkin Decorating contests. She paid for supplies, sponsored scholarships to 4-H Camp and provided transportation for students to participate. As a result of her innovative club meetings and community service projects, the club maintained a membership of 100 4-H’ers.

She has received the Outstanding Elementary 4-H Leader Award, the United Way Community Service Award and the Rookie 4-H Leader Award. She has conducted leader training sessions at the Northeast Region 4-H Leader Forum and attended the Southern Region Leader Forum at Rock Eagle, Georgia. She received the Edgar L. Gibson Memorial Award for her 4-H organizing efforts and cooperative spirit.

– Madge Borne, Jefferson Parish

Borne served as a Jefferson Parish organizational 4-H leader for 17 years and was on the parish 4-H Foundation and advisory boards for three years. Her innovative program included recruiting many fifth-graders into the urban 4-H program. The club promoted environmental projects such as annual field trips, tree plantings for the annual Arbor Day ceremony and maintaining a 4-H garden.

Members mentored elementary school students to grow a school garden. The event culminated with 4-H Soup Day so students could sample vegetables they grew. To help members understand environmental responsibility, the club sponsored recycling newspapers, cans and tabs, and phonebooks; and made bird feeders and birdhouses. Each year, the club published and sold recipes from the club-level commodity cookery and ambassador contest and donated the funds to a children’s hospital.

She was named the Outstanding 4-H Leader in the parish in 2009, and her club received the Outstanding 4-H Service Award and the first-place club award for 14 years.

– Carolyn Lang, Winn Parish

Lang is a 4-H alumnus who has served as leader of the Atlanta High School Junior 4-H Club for the past 18 years. A trademark of her 4-H Club is community service activities and learning activities. She encourages students to realize they all can make contributions to their club, community, country and world.

Some of the notable projects included a fundraiser for Winn cancer patients and the Ronald McDonald House, a sock collection for veterans and active servicemen, and a canned pet food drive. Under her leadership, an Atlanta High School heart disease awareness program received national recognition from the American Heart Association.

Lang has guided students in the 2013 Science Day Project that included a month-long after-school program with outdoor skills. Another successful after-school learning adventure was “I Can Survive the Wilderness Survival Camp.” Under her leadership, the Atlanta Junior 4-H Club won the Winn Parish Achievement Day Banner 4-H Club of the Year and the Winn Parish 4-H Club of the Year Award.

In 2012, she was named Winn Parish Outstanding 4-H Leader.