2016 Louisa County Bryan and Jill Hoben

Many “4-H parents” are actively involved in 4-H while their own children are involved in 4-H.  That makes it a family affair and that’s part of the value of 4-H.  The 2016 Louisa County nominees for the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame took it up a notch and made their family-building activity into a community-building activity. 

Bryan and Jill Hoben were leaders of the Guys-N-Gals 4-H Club for many years together.  They taught their own children and the many 4-Her’s in their large club about leadership skills, responsibility, hard work, organization, community service, and of course how to have fun. 

Jill worked countless hours teaching members to sew and refinish furniture.  She taught all the girls, and the young men in the club to bake and encouraged them to enter baked exhibits for the fair.  Jill is also remembered by the members of that club for emphasizing record books.

Bryan taught not only his own children how to do woodworking projects, he shared those skills with all 4-Hers in the club.  He taught everyone that was interested in animal projects how to work with, and show, cattle and hogs.

The effort that Jill and Bryan put into 4-H in Louisa County extended even further than their family and their club.  Remember -- it’s a habit of theirs to take it up a notch.  Jill was a charter member of the Louisa County 4-H Foundation and remains a member, helping to raise funds so all Louisa County youth can be members of 4-H.  Bryan  served as a 4-H Fair Superintendent in both Swine and Bottle Calf—and we all know that Fair Superintendents work with parents as much as they work with 4-H members.

It is part of family lore that Bryan and Jill met thru 4-H.  Both were 4-Hers in their teens – in different clubs in different counties. Both were delegates at the State 4-H Convention. The story goes that Bryan drove from Muscatine with another boy and John Wanfalt, who worked with    4-Her’s in both counties at the time, hooked those boys up with Louisa County 4-Her’s, including Jill, to ride together to Ames.  A follow up 4-H sledding party is a family memory that put Bryan and Jill together again.  The rest is history!!!

4-H members in Iowa are 4 times more likely to make contributions to their communities; 2  times more likely to be civically active and 2 times more likely to make healthier choices than youth not involved in 4-H.  Bryan and Jill Hoben are living examples of these facts about 4-Hers.  But again, they have taken it up a notch, and as adults have contributed their time and talents to touch the lives of hundreds–as parents in a 4-H family, as leaders of an active club, as volunteers -- who want to pass on those values to others.

It is the pleasure of the Louisa County Extension Council and staff to nominate Bryan and Jill Hoben for induction into the State 4-H Hall of Fame with the Class of 2016.