GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida 4-H will honor several lifetimes of positive youth development this week when five community leaders are inducted into the UF/IFAS Extension Florida 4-H Hall of Fame.
“We have a diverse set of honorees from all over the 4-H community. However, they all share a lifelong devotion to 4-H and the principles it stands for,” said Heather Kent, associate director of the Florida 4-H youth development program, part of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.
John Brenneman
Brenneman graduated from UF with degrees in agriculture and resource development. He went on to become a 4-H agent with UF/IFAS Extension Polk County. Between planning 4-H activities and chaperoning state events, he also mentored youth in the local 4-H dairy judging program.
In addition to working as a 4-H agent, Brenneman was involved in UF/IFAS water management programs. He certified instructor for the UF/IFAS Extension Master Naturalist Program and assisted volunteers in the UF’s LAKEWATCH program, which monitors water quality in Florida lakes.
Patricia Ann Bosley
Patricia Ann Bosley got involved in 4-H in 1978 when she and her family moved from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to the small community of Pioneer Plantation in Hendry County. She enrolled her three children in 4-H, and when the club leader at the time moved away, Bosley stepped into the role. She’s remained a club leader for the last 40 years, leading sewing, dairy goat and small animal clubs.
Bosley has been awarded the UF/IFAS Extension Hendry County 4-H Outstanding Leader award three times, and received the National 4-H Council Lifetime Volunteer Award in 2003.
Henry Davis
Davis grew up in Escambia County, Florida, and joined 4-H in 1937, when he was 10 years old. A World War II veteran and UF alumnus, he became the director of UF/IFAS Extension Taylor County in 1954 and retired in 1982. During his tenure, five Taylor County youth served as state 4-H president — an impressive track record, considering Taylor County’s small and largely rural population.
Davis has been very involved in giving back to the Taylor County community, holding numerous positions in local organizations. In 2002, the Henry P. Davis Scholarship Fund was established to help disadvantaged Taylor County 4-H members attend 4-H summer camp.
Vickie Mullins
Vickie Mullins was a 4-H agent with UF/IFAS Extension Santa Rosa County for 23 years. Some of her biggest contributions to Florida 4-H include helping establish the Florida 4-H Legislature Program as a National Program of Distinction. She also helped change the format of the 4-H Day at the Capitol program, allowing youth to educate state legislators about 4-H and incorporating more civics education into the experience.
Mullins believed in giving youth the opportunity to step and lead. According to a former 4-H member, Lauren Smyrski, “Vickie’s 4-H’ers were known to speak to elected officials, lead town hall meetings and partner with community organizations.”
Inez Pettigrew
Pettigrew was an educator in Manatee County schools for nearly 40 years. While teaching at Palm View Elementary 1952, she started the first 4-H public speaking program, which taught students how to deliver an effective speech and gave them valuable communication skills they could apply throughout their lives.
In 1969, Florida 4-H partnered with Tropicana to offer the 4-H/Tropicana Public Speaking Contest in Manatee County. The contest went statewide in 1985, and today, this award-winning program reaches more than 65,000 youth in 40 Florida counties.
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The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS works to bring science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. Visit the UF/IFAS web site at ifas.ufl.edu and follow us on social media at @UF_IFAS.
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