Putnam 4-H alumnus Bryan Chadd also inducted into Hall of Fame

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Darrel Thomas won’t be the only person with Putnam County ties going into the National 4-H Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

Joining the longtime Putnam County Extension educator will be Bryan Chadd, who was a 4-H’er during Thomas’ tenure in Putnam County and went on to serve as an Extension educator in Arizona.

Thomas, who did some research into the subject, said it is the first time in the 20-year history of the Hall of Fame that this has happened.

“I’m amazed at the coincidence. He’s as deserving as anyone,” Thomas said. “There’s just 20 nominated every year and the fact that he’s in the same class blows my mind.”

During his 45-year year career in 4-H, citizenship has been Chadd’s focus. He insisted that every camp and multiple-day workshop had a community service component with a debrief of the importance. He impressed upon youth the importance of participating in their civic duties.

“Bryan is a respected, dedicated professional who believes in the intrinsic worth of everyone,” one colleague said. “He is always the first to volunteer to help, he is one of the first to contribute time or money to a worthy cause, and he is a compassionate friend when someone else is hurting or in trouble.”

Chadd shared his skills and talents in numerous leadership roles at the Arizona Association of Extension 4-H Agents and National Association of Extension 4-H Agents, contributing to both scholarship and professional development experiences. He was one of the agents that created JOLT (Journey: Opportunities for Leaders of Tomorrow), a multi award-winning state level teen leadership camp, which has been classified as “a true shining star of the Arizona 4-H program.”

Through his 24 years of JOLT leadership, more than 2,500 youth received training and experience in leadership, citizenship, service, communications and team building.

His leadership has been praised for his ability to take an idea, apply his creativity, make it a reality and then make it sustainable.

Chadd would say his biggest accomplishments are impacts he has made on young people.

As one volunteer put it, “He is the embodiment of the 4-H motto, ‘To Make the Best Better.’”

Joining Chadd and Thomas in the Hall of Fame class of 2021 are Daryl Buchholz, Stephen L. Censky, Louisa Bauer Cole, John E. Dooley, Karen L. Hinton, Nancy Kissel, Mike Klumpp, Julie Best Landry, Jeffrey D. Orndorff, Clementa Carlos Pinckney, Katherine M. Rickart, Robert M. Ritchie, Jan Scholl-Kennedy, Carol Schurman, Janice A. Seitz, Sandra Clarkson Stuckman, Bette Jo Clinton Van Kavelaar and Harlene M. Welch.

The laureates were selected for the National 4-H Hall of Fame because of their significant contribution to 4-H, the nation’s premier youth development organization that serves more than 6 million youth nationwide.