4-H County Honors 

​

This 1932 County Award is for "Girl's Record" with donor Montgomery Ward

Originally called National Honors, this page covers what is commonly called County Honors - all those pins, medals, charms and more, that had a donor or sponsorship noted on the back.

​

These awards NEEDED the approval of the County Office.

In the early days of 4H, donors such as Westinghouse would take on the cost of the educational programs for 4H. Sponsoring a 4H program was a source of pride for these companies and they would promote their involvement in their ads.

​

This page covers 1922 - 1977.

​

It also covers Specialty Awards, some of which became regular County Awards, others just stayed regional.

​

​

Achievement

Active by 1942

No county awards in the early days of the program.

County Award offered by 1951

Donors: President of the United States of America, National Committee on Boys and Girls Club Work (1942), Starting in 1962 the Ford Motor Company became the sole donor

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Set of 4 state-level 4H Achievement Pins;

• Year 1 - West Virginia (1 green petal)

• Year 2 - California (2 green petals)

• Year 3 - W (Wisconsin? Washington? Wyoming?)

• Year 4 - Hawaii (4 green petals)

Old 4H Achievement Pin with the words; state , school & home, with lamp of knowledge in the center.

This design in use in 1951

4H Achievement Charm

This design in use in 1962

Current design in 2020

Agricultural Program

1955

• Boy's Agricultural Program

• Agriculture

Donor: International Harvester Co. Chicago, IL

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Alumni Recognition (Adult Only)

1953

Donors: Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation, Plant Food Division

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Automotive Program/Automotive

1959 - new

• Automotive (1962)

• Automotive Care and Safety (1963)

Firestone Tire & Rubber Company

​

Bale of Cotton - Specialty Award

Active as early as 1956, as late as 1977

​

​

1956

Beautification of Home Grounds

1942

• Home Grounds Beautification (1946)

• Community Beautification (by 1977)

Donor: Mrs. Charles R Walgreens

​

1947

Beef

1962 - new

Donors: E.I duPont Nemours & Co., Wilmington, DE (1962)

Celanese Chemical Company, NY (1974)

​

Post 1977 design

Bee Keeping - Specialty Award

As early as 1966, as late as 1977

​

Bicycle 

1969, specialty award until at least 1977

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, OH

Bread

1952

• Bread Demonstration (1953) - silver medal

Standard Brands Inc., NY NY​

​

Canning

1929

• Food Conservation (Canning Foods)

• Food Conservation, Preservation and Safety

Kerr Glass Company, Sand Springs, OK

Heinz Vinegar (1951)

​

​

​

​

Citizenship

1948 - new

1951 - 1953 - no medal, 1956 - gold medal

​Thomas E Wilson

In memory of Thomas E Wilson (1958)

Reader's Digest Foundation (1962)​

​

​

Clothing

1941

• Clothing Achievement (1946)

Spool Cotton Company - Educational Bureau, NY NY (1951)

Coats & Clark Inc, NY NY (by 1958, after meager with Spool Cotton Co)

​

​

​

1947

Commodity Marketing

1972 - new

​Chicago Board of Trade, IL

​

Community Beautification - see Beautification of Home Grounds (above)

​

Conservation - renamed from Soil and Conservation (below)

​

​

Consumer Education

Active by 1974

​Montgomery Ward, Chicago, IL

​

Diary (not to be confused with generic Dairy medal offered as early as 1932)

• Dairy Production

• Dairy Achievement

Active by 1951

Lederle Laboratories Division, American Cyanamid Co. NY NY

The Oliver Corporation

​

​

​

Dairy (relaunched)

1974

​Insurance Company of North America, Philadelphia, PA

​

unknown design

Diary Foods Demonstrations

1947

• Dairy Foods

Carnation Company, Los Angeles, CA

​

​

1947

1951

Dairy Production Demonstration

Active in 1942

Gone by 1951

​Kraft Cheese Company (1942)

Kraft Foods Company, Chicago, IL (1946)

​

​

Dog Care and Training

1959

​Purina Dog Food Group, Ralson Purina Company, St. Louis, MO

​

​

Dress Revue

1929

• Girl's Style Revue

• County Dress Revue

• Fashion Revue

Chicago Mail Order Co.

American Vicose Corporation, NY NY (1946)

Simplicity Pattern Company, NY NY (1947)

​

Girl's Style Revue Pin

Fashion Revue

Electric

1936

• Rural Electrification Program (original name - 1936)

• Better Methods Electric

• Better farm & home Methods Electric

• Farm & Home Electric (1951)

• Farm & Home Electrification (1958)

• Electric (1958)

• Electric Project 

• Electric Energy

Westinghouse Educational Foundation (1958)

Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA (1974)

​​

​

Entomology

1952

Hercules Powder Company

Hercules Incorporated, Wilmington, DE (1974)

Farm Accounting - no pin or medal

1936 - new​​

​

​

​

Fashion Revue - renamed from Dress Revue 

after 1977

Simplicity Pattern Company

Simplicity Pattern Co Inc., White/Elna Sewing Maching Co.

​Simplicity Pattern Company & Viking White Sewing Machine Company

McCall's Pattern Company & Viking White Sewing Machine Company

​

FIeld Crops

As early as 1946

​International Harvester, Chicago, IL (1951)

Arcadian Products Dept., Allies Chemical Corp. (1958)

​

Food Preparation

1934 - new

• Food Nutrition

Servel Incorprated - Home Economics Department, Evansville, IN​ (1942)

Kelvinator Division of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation Dept, Detroit, MI (1951)

Betty Crocker of General Mills (1958)

General Foods Corp., White Plains, NY (1961)

1946

Food Preservation (Canning Foods) - renamed from Canning - see above

​​

​

Forestry - specialty award for a few years. No county medal - 1951, Gold medal for state winner. Sterling silver pin available 1956, still a specialty award in 1972.

1948​

​

1956

Frozen Foods

1946

International Harvester (1946) 

Whirlpool Corporation (1958)

​

Garden

1946

• Victory Garden (original name) - no medal in 1946

• Gardening

• Horticulture

Allis -Chalmers Manufacturing Co. (1951)
Farm Equipment Div. Allis-Chalmers Mfg Co (1962)

​

​

Girl's Record

1922

• Girl's Home Economics

• Home Economics

Montgomery Ward

​

Health Improvement

1947 - new

• Health (1953)

Kellogg Company, Battle Creek, MI and Omaha, NE (1951)

Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN (1956)

1932

Home Environment

1962 - new

​The Sperry & Hutchinson Foundation Inc, NY NY

The S & H Foundation

Home Improvement

1947 - new

​Sears Roebuck Foundation

​

Home Management

1966 - new

​Tupperware Home Parties, Division of Dart Industries, Orlando, FL

Beatrice Foods Company

​

Horse

launched after 1974, before 1977

unknown sponsor

Leadership

1942 - no county award until 1947

​H A Moses and Edward Foss Wilson (1942)

H A Moses and the National Committee Boys and Girls Club Work (1946)

Edward Foss Wilson, President of Wilson & Company, Chicago, IL (1951)

Sears Roebuck Foundation (1962)

Reader's Digest (1973)

​

​

Maintenance - See Tractor Maintenance

​

​

Meat Animal

1928

​Thomas E Wilson, Chairman of Wilson & Company, Chicago, IL (1942)

Thomas E Wilson and National Committee Boys and Girls Club Work (1946)

​

Petroleum Power - see Tractor Maintenance

​

​

Photography

1964 - new

​Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY

​

Plant and Soil Sciences

Introduced after 1974, before 1977

​Quaker Oats Company

​

Poultry - not to be confused with generic Poultry medal of 1932

1946 - new

​Swift & Company, Chicago, IL (1946)

Dearborn Motor Corp., Birmingham, IL (1951)

Sears Roebuck Foundation (1958)

Heisdorf & Nelson Farms, Inc. (1962)

KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken, Louisville, KY (1973)

​

Public Speaking - Specialty Award

1949 - new

​Pure Oil Company

Union Oil Company of California

​

​

​

​

​

Rabbit - County Awards program created after 1977, beyond the scope of this page

​

​

​

Recreation - Rural Arts

1951 - certificate at county level, no medal

• Recreation

United States Rubber Company (1951)

John Deere (1958)

​

​

​

​

Rural Electrification - see Electric - above

​​

​

Safety

1944 - new

• Farm Safety

• Farm and Home Safety

​General Motors (1946)

​

Sheep

as early as 1974 - no county winners, state winners received a $50 US Saving Bonds

Wilson & Company

​

​

Soil and Conservation

as early as 1946

• Conservation

​Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, Akron, OH

1951 offered as Division A (gold medal) and Division B (silver medal)

1953 offered as Senior Division and Junior Division

​

Swine

1958 - new

​Moorman Manufacturing Company, Quincy, IL

​

post 1977

Tractor Operator - specialty award

1956 - new

also offered 3 charms; Bronze, Sterling Silver, 1/20th gold

No longer offered by 1975

​

Tractor Maintenance

1944

• Tractor (1958)​

• Petroleum Power

American Oil Company, Humble Oil Company, National Committee​ Boys and Girls Club Work (gone by 1962), Standard Oil Foundation, Inc., Chicago, IL, Standard Oil Company, KY, Standard Oil Company, OH (gone by 1962), Utah Oil Refining Company (gone by 1962)

​

Veterinary Science

1968 - new

​Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo, MI

​

Victory Achievement

1942 - county medal design unknown

International Harvester Co. (1942)

​

​

​

​

Victory Garden

1942 - no county winners 1946, county medal design in 1947 same as Garden medal shown above

Sears Roebuck & Company (1942)

​

​

​

​

Wildlife Conservation - specialty award

unknown years

unknown donors

​

​

Wood Science

Offered after 1974, available in 1977

​Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY

​

4H Clubs:

• 4H Membership Pins

• 4H Club Rings

• 4H Panel Pins and Medals

• 4H County Honors

• 4H Adult Pins

• 4H Dress Uniforms

​​

​

...