Warm Springs woman inducted into Oregon 4-H Hall of Fame

A long-time 4-H leader from Warm Springs is one of five who have been inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame by the Oregon State University Extension Service.

This year’s inductees are Lillian Larwood of Albany, Beverly Hobbs of Corvallis, Edythe Necochea of Hines, Barbara Griffin-Webb of Salem and Arlene Boileau of Warm Springs. They were honored at a ceremony in November during the OSU Extension Annual Conference in Corvallis.

“It is such an honor to recognize these five individuals who have made such an imprint on the Oregon 4-H program,” said Pamela Rose, state 4-H youth development program leader. “We are grateful for their service and incredible contributions to improving 4-H for so many young people.”

The Oregon 4-H Hall of Fame was established in 2004 to recognize people who have made a significant impact on the Oregon 4-H program.

Arlene Boileau, who became the first 4-H faculty member in Warm Springs in 1986, has fulfilled many responsibilities, including training 4-H leaders and youth, developing curriculum to make project material relevant to Native American culture and adapting nutrition information for third- and fourth-grade students.

She helped organize the Rainbow Dancers 4-H club, which has performed tribal dances throughout Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley, including the Oregon State Fair.

Thirty years ago, Boileau started the Warm Springs Culture Camp, where 4-H members connect with the traditions of their culture in activities like teepee building, basket weaving, bead work and drumming.

As a result of her contributions to 4-H and other community youth programs, Boileau was appointed by the Tribal Council to the Cultural and Heritage Committee.

The other inductees:

Lillian Larwood started her 4-H involvement as a child and then made it her career starting in 1980 at Washington State University. In 1988, she took a position at OSU as a faculty member focusing on 4-H in Lane County. Later she became a 4-H specialist and interim head of the university’s Department of 4-H Youth Development. Larwood was a strong advocate of 4-H international exchange programs and in 2000 took over leadership of Oregon’s participation. After her retirement in 2006, she continued in the role part time for nine years. Many awards have come her way, most notably the Epsilon Sigma Phi Distinguished International Service Award and the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents Meritorious Service Award, the organization’s highest honor.

For 15 years, Beverly Hobbs served as an Extension 4-H specialist focusing on programs for young children and Latino youth. She developed the non-competitive Oregon Adventures program, now known as Cloverbuds, for students in kindergarten through third grade. She also launched the Latino Outreach Project, which centers around after-school activities such as science and technology, cultural arts and soccer. Hobbs has written six articles on Latino outreach and is responsible for securing more than $1.8 million in grants for 4-H.

Edythe “Edie” Necochea first became involved in 4-H in 1983 as a volunteer leader for a sheep project and a few years later for a creative arts club. Since 1988 she has put her considerable energy and enthusiasm into the 4-H Global Citizenship Project. Necochea has been instrumental in placing more than 260 exchange students from eight countries with families in Harney County and traveled to many countries as a volunteer ambassador. She’s served as assistant state coordinator for the project, has taught workshops at both the state and national level, been recognized by Oregon’s 4-H International Exchange Programs and named an Epsilon Sigma Phi Friend of Extension.

For 50 years, Barbara Griffin-Webb has shared her love of dogs with more than 1,000 children in Polk County as the volunteer leader of the county’s largest dog club. For several of those years she was also head of the Guiding Eyes 4-H club working with children and adults who trained puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Griffin-Webb has served as 4-H dog superintendent at the Polk County Fair and been on both the county and state 4-H Dog Advisory councils. Over the years, she’s invited adults to participate in the club, charging them a fee that went into a fund she donated to the Polk County 4-H Leaders’ Association for building a new fair facility that’s used year-round. In 1990, she was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award as Polk County’s outstanding 4-H leader.