About Bill

William Lloyd “Bill” Brown Jr. was a teacher, mentor, and respected leader within the community. Bill was a leader with a “walk the walk” attitude, and his knowledge of agriculture was vast and appreciated by all his producers. In his retirement letter Bill wrote,

I have enjoyed my Extension career and have grown fond of the people in Alachua County. This includes both the citizens that we served and especially those that I have worked beside. I appreciate the opportunities that Extension has afforded me and will carry these memories with me.

This is the legacy we hope to carry on through the Bill Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Within his role with UF/IFAS Extension, Bill was an avid supporter of 4-H Youth Development, and he always wanted youth to have the opportunities to develop the life skills that 4-H strives to provide. Because of his constant support of the 4-H program in Alachua County, 4-H members today still benefit from the work he did to Make the Best Better. Bill was instrumental in starting the Alachua County Youth Fair and Livestock Show and was the driving force behind it while he was the Extension Director. Over forty years later, his impact is still seen through both the Alachua County Youth Fair and Livestock Show and our whole 4-H program.

The Scholarship Fund

After Bill’s passing in 2021, we wanted to make sure to honor his legacy to the best of our abilities, so the Bill Brown Memorial Scholarship was formed. The scholarship supports youth  participating in district, state, and national events as first-time attendees. Thanks to the many donors who gave in his memory in 2021, we have been able to support youth at each of these levels.

Even those who never had the chance to meet him will have an opportunity to learn and grow in the same ways Bill had done for 4-H’ers. We hope we can make him proud by supporting 4-H’ers for years to come through continued support for his scholarship. It is our ultimate goal to one day see the scholarship permanently endowed for Alachua County 4-H.

We are especially grateful to Bill’s family for sharing his time and talents with us here in UF/IFAS Extension. Our community is better because Bill was a part of it.

You can help us continue to grow this scholarship in memory of William Lloyd “Bill” Brown Jr. and support more of our members participating for the first time in regional, state, and national 4-H programs.

Give via Check

Your gift to this scholarship can be made by check made payable to Alachua County 4-H. Please include “Bill Brown Scholarship” in the memo line of any checks for this fund and mail directly to the UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County office at the address below.

Give Online

If you prefer to give via bank/credit card, your gift of any amount may be given online through the Alachua County fund at the UF Foundation: UFgive.to/BBrown4H/

More Ways to Give

Did you know you can pledge your gift for multiple years to help us plan for future awards? You can also make contributions to Alachua County 4-H with a donor advised fund, an IRA, appreciated stocks, your estate plans and many other tax-advantageous assets. To pledge your gift or discuss one of the many ways to support Alachua County 4-H, please contact Caylin Hilton, Director of Development & External Relations for Florida 4-H at grow4H@ifas.ufl.edu or 352-392-5432.

UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County
22712 West Newberry Rd.
Newberry, FL 32669
352-955-2402 | alachua@ifas.ufl.edu
Mary Lee Sale – 4-H Extension Agent
Dr. Cindy Sanders – County Extension Director

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