Gale VandeBerg (with family) receives Hall of Fame award with Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development Associate Program Director Kandi O’Neil and Wisconsin 4-H Youth Leader Council Vice President Debbie Heth
The University of Wisconsin-Extension 4-H Youth Development Program inducted 100 laureates into the brand-new Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame Saturday, November 15. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony was the last statewide event celebrating 100 years of 4-H in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame was established to recognize 4-H volunteers, financial supporters, staff and pioneers who made major contributions to 4-H at the local, state and national levels. The honorees represent 4-H in the broadest sense, according to Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development State Program Director Dale Leidheiser.
“We are inducting volunteers, supporters and UW-Extension employees who had an impact on the lives of children, their community or state through significant contributions of time, energy, or financial resource to 4-H and its members,” Leidheiser says.
Wisconsin 4-H is proud to be represented by Gale VandeBerg in the 4-H Hall of Fame. Gale first experienced Extension as a 4-H member in Clark County. He studied at UW-Madison, and then taught high school for two years before taking an assistant county agent position in Outagamie County. This led him to working with 4-H youth.
Continually learning and teaching was Gale’s life calling. His Master’s degree from Cornell is in extension education. While working on his Ph.D. at UW-Madison, he taught in the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education.
On completion of his degree, he was appointed associate professor in the National Agricultural Extension Center for Advanced Study. In 1960 he was appointed as assistant director of Cooperative Extension. He served on the committee to plan for the Extension merger in 1965. After the UW System merger in 1973, he became assistant chancellor and director of Cooperative Extension. His national contributions were recognized with the Epsilon Sigma Phi Ruby Award in 1982.
Gale was often the first one in a position as his career was during a years of growth, prosperity, and innovation.
Since 1914, Wisconsin 4-H has helped youth grow the leadership, critical thinking and communications skills necessary to be successful in a constantly changing world. Visit the Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame website to learn more about the individuals who supported 100 years of growing Wisconsin leaders.
