By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. — A Kansas woman who dedicated more than three decades to the 4-H youth development movement in Illinois and Iowa was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame, during a ceremony held at the 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Md., on Oct. 8.

Mary Kay Munson, formerly of Champaign, Ill., was one of only 16 people honored by the National Assoc. of Extension 4-H Agents for outstanding efforts in the 4-H program.

“(Munson) has served as a mentor to many current and retired extension 4-H youth development staff members and is recognized nationally for her work in risk management, volunteer screening, service learning, leadership skills and character education,” stated Sheri Seibold, 4-H youth development specialist, in a news release trumpeting Munson’s induction.

Reached at her childhood home of Junction City, not far from Fort Reilly and Kansas State University in north-central Kansas, Munson answered humbly when reminded of Seibold’s praise for her work.
“I’m hearing that I was a mentor, now that I’m gone,” chuckled Munson, who retired from Illinois 4-H in 2002 to return to Kansas and help care for her aging mother. “Sometimes you get a little more credit after you retire, I think.”

When asked to explain her duties while serving with 4-H, Munson said, “I was a specialist in volunteer leadership and staff development for the Illinois 4-H programs, to boil it down.”

Seibold was much more detailed in describing Munson’s duties and the legacy she left behind. Munson’s primary work was focused on the areas of citizenship, leadership and volunteerism, and she helped develop curricula, mentor and train educators, create volunteer delivery systems, fostered partnerships with state and national organizations and championed professional development opportunities, according to Seibold.

“University of Illinois extension and the 4-H Youth Development Program are proud to have nominated Mary Kay Munson in recognition of her outstanding efforts to the 4-H program during her tenure as a University staff member,” said Seibold.

Munson began her 4-H experience while a youth in rural Kansas, growing up in a farmhouse located only a mile from where she and her mother reside today. She continued her 11 years as a youth in 4-H during her attendance at KSU in nearby Manhattan.

“I experienced all of the things you can experience through 4-H before going into leadership roles,” said Munson.

After earning a B.S. degree, Munson ventured to India as part of what is now known as the 4-H International Youth Exchange. The experience would lead to a lifelong commitment to the program, which she continues today with Kansas 4-H as a volunteer contracted staff member.

“After I came back from India I went to grad school and taught high school here in Kansas for a couple of years,” Munson said. After earning her master’s KSU, she accepted a position as a 4-H Youth Leader for the counties of Polk and Warren in Iowa.

Seven years later, she seized the opportunity to return to Kansas and work on her Ph.D. in adult continuing education. While pursuing her doctorate, Munson continued her work with 4-H by organizing international programs in her home state. She began an exchange program with Japan that continues to flourish, along with a youth agricultural education program with Russia.

During the fall of 1978, Munson accepted a position with the UoI extension’s 4-H program and moved to the Prairie State, where she would remain for the next 24 years.

“I went as a curriculum specialist for 4-H, but evolved into volunteer and staff leadership by the following year,” recalled Munson, who also served as interim state leader for Illinois 4-H in 1992 and 1997 while continuing her pioneering work in youth foreign exchange programs.

During 2002, Munson’s then 90-year-old mother suffered a serious fall that required the 4-H educator to return to her hometown. “I thought it would be a good time to go for retirement, and come back to the farm in Kansas,” she said.

While helping nurture her elderly mother, now 98, she stayed active in 4-H leadership. She is now involved in 4-H internship programs in addition to mentoring foreign youth exchange program leaders.
“It really was an honor” to be inducted into the national 4-H Hall of Fame, Munson said. “They only select 16 people in the U.S., and all are noteworthy. You wonder why you were selected, and I reflected on that during my acceptance. I think perhaps it was because I stuck through 4-H through times of adversity while other talented people came and went.”

As part of the induction ceremony into the 4-H Hall of Fame, Munson received a plaque, pin and medallion and will have her biography posted on the National 4-H website for eternity. Munson said the future of 4-H, budgetary problems aside, could not be brighter.

“One of the things that we started during my time that will continue to be strong is an emphasis on professionals providing leadership to the program, and the focus on positive youth development,” she said. “Efforts began during my career are being strengthened now and I think the focus will continue to be on teaching life skills.