4-H has a long history in Robeson County. As part of that history we have had some incredible 4-H Agents who have gone on to shape Extension and 4-H on the state and national levels. One such agent is Dr. Eddie Locklear. In November we made a big announcement at our 4-H Volunteer Appreciation Night thanks to Dr. Eddie Locklear and his wife Brenda. The Locklears agreed to help establish an endowment that would fund a Robeson County 4-H Volunteer Hall of Fame and honor a special 4-H volunteer each year. This is a huge honor for our 4-H program and volunteers. It is something that will last for the lifetime of our program (which is currently 97 years old). In other words it is a gift that will truly keep on giving.Our County Extension Director, Everett Davis wrote an article that appeared in today’s Robesonian. Below is the article.
“Eddie Locklear was my first mentor when I began working with Robeson County Cooperative Extension almost 30 years ago. I have to give him a lot of credit for getting me started on a long and rewarding career.
When you first begin a new job, you need someone who you can really trust that will tell you what you really need to know. Although there are lots of rules, policies, and procedures, sometimes the real world requires instructions that just don’t fit the book.
Eddie was a local boy. He had graduated from Pembroke College and came straight to work with Cooperative Extension as a 4-H Agent. In addition to being highly organized and having a very strong work ethic, he knew almost everyone in the county, and he knew how to get things done.
In addition to being the 4-H Agent, Eddie had been handling the forestry responsibilities for several years before I got here. He knew the ropes, and he had developed a very strong and highly reputable program. It amazed me that he was able to get so much done in one day and that he had convinced so many volunteers to help him with whatever he was trying to do.
I quickly learned from personal experience how effective Eddie was at recruiting and training volunteers. In no time at all, he had me helping him with his forestry meetings, making signs for his forestry demonstrations, helping judge 4-H projects, cooking meals for 4-H events, helping raise money for his 4-H program, and helping set up tables and chairs for his meetings.
I guess Eddie was sympathetic to me and felt like he needed to help me become a good agent, because I was so gullible and so easily convinced that his projects were more important than mine.
I had the opportunity to become County Extension Director just a short time before Eddie chose a different career ladder. His goal was to become an Extension 4-H Specialist. He chose to move to Raleigh, get his master's degree and ultimately his doctorate, and to serve not only those in Robeson County but to serve on the national and international levels as well.
After he retired in 2003 while leading the national 4-H After school Initiative, which was funded by the JCPenney After school Foundation, he accepted a full-time position at the National 4-H Council as National Director of 4-H After school, and in 2006, was appointed National Director of 4-H SET, which is the acronym for science, engineering, and technology.
The advantage of this national position was that Eddie could work from home. So he and his wife Brenda returned to their real home. They moved back to Robeson County and built a beautiful home in Lumberton.
I share all this information about Eddie with you, because I realize that many of you probably did not have the opportunity to be involved in his 4-H and Forestry Extension educational program back some 25 years ago. You most likely would not have been aware of his highly successful efforts for youth on the state and national level. You probably would not know of his passion for volunteerism and the potential that everyone has for personal development.
Because Eddie and Brenda have such strong feelings for our youth, they recently agreed to establish an endowment that provides support and recognition to the more outstanding adult volunteers who work with these youth. I am pleased to share with you the Dr. Eddie and Mrs. Brenda Locklear Endowment for Robeson County that will be used to establish the Robeson County 4-H Volunteer Hall of Fame. This endowment will be managed by the North Carolina 4-H Development Fund, a 501(c)(3) entity of the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation at North Carolina State University.
When endowed, perpetual funds will be available to select the most outstanding 4-H volunteer each year and provide that person with a monetary award and public recognition. One wall inside the auditorium of the O. P. Owens Agriculture Center, where Cooperative Extension is housed, will be properly decorated to serve as a public display for the 4-H Volunteer Hall of Fame. The volunteer selected to receive this award each year will have their picture and appropriate biographical sketch displayed for all to see.
We are currently soliciting donations in order to complete this endowment. If you do not have the time and ability to serve as an adult volunteer for a youth group, hopefully, you will see an opportunity to create financial support that will recognize and say “thank you” to those who do.
Possibly, you would like to make a tax deductible donation yourself. Possibly you are like many adults today, you already have everything you want and need, so if extended family members or those from outside your immediate family try to give you a gift, it is going to wind up being something you don’t want and don’t need. More than likely, it will wind up in the yard sale or donated to a charity. Why not suggest they make a donation to this endowment in your honor.
This endowment may be the perfect opportunity to honor a deceased family member with a token that, unlike flowers, will last forever. Tax deductible donations in memory of those who loved children and the youth of the county are very fitting memorials.
For more information about how to support his endowment, please contact Robeson County Cooperative Extension by calling 910-671-3276.”
“Eddie Locklear was my first mentor when I began working with Robeson County Cooperative Extension almost 30 years ago. I have to give him a lot of credit for getting me started on a long and rewarding career.
When you first begin a new job, you need someone who you can really trust that will tell you what you really need to know. Although there are lots of rules, policies, and procedures, sometimes the real world requires instructions that just don’t fit the book.
Eddie was a local boy. He had graduated from Pembroke College and came straight to work with Cooperative Extension as a 4-H Agent. In addition to being highly organized and having a very strong work ethic, he knew almost everyone in the county, and he knew how to get things done.
In addition to being the 4-H Agent, Eddie had been handling the forestry responsibilities for several years before I got here. He knew the ropes, and he had developed a very strong and highly reputable program. It amazed me that he was able to get so much done in one day and that he had convinced so many volunteers to help him with whatever he was trying to do.
I quickly learned from personal experience how effective Eddie was at recruiting and training volunteers. In no time at all, he had me helping him with his forestry meetings, making signs for his forestry demonstrations, helping judge 4-H projects, cooking meals for 4-H events, helping raise money for his 4-H program, and helping set up tables and chairs for his meetings.
I guess Eddie was sympathetic to me and felt like he needed to help me become a good agent, because I was so gullible and so easily convinced that his projects were more important than mine.
I had the opportunity to become County Extension Director just a short time before Eddie chose a different career ladder. His goal was to become an Extension 4-H Specialist. He chose to move to Raleigh, get his master's degree and ultimately his doctorate, and to serve not only those in Robeson County but to serve on the national and international levels as well.
After he retired in 2003 while leading the national 4-H After school Initiative, which was funded by the JCPenney After school Foundation, he accepted a full-time position at the National 4-H Council as National Director of 4-H After school, and in 2006, was appointed National Director of 4-H SET, which is the acronym for science, engineering, and technology.
The advantage of this national position was that Eddie could work from home. So he and his wife Brenda returned to their real home. They moved back to Robeson County and built a beautiful home in Lumberton.
I share all this information about Eddie with you, because I realize that many of you probably did not have the opportunity to be involved in his 4-H and Forestry Extension educational program back some 25 years ago. You most likely would not have been aware of his highly successful efforts for youth on the state and national level. You probably would not know of his passion for volunteerism and the potential that everyone has for personal development.
Because Eddie and Brenda have such strong feelings for our youth, they recently agreed to establish an endowment that provides support and recognition to the more outstanding adult volunteers who work with these youth. I am pleased to share with you the Dr. Eddie and Mrs. Brenda Locklear Endowment for Robeson County that will be used to establish the Robeson County 4-H Volunteer Hall of Fame. This endowment will be managed by the North Carolina 4-H Development Fund, a 501(c)(3) entity of the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation at North Carolina State University.
When endowed, perpetual funds will be available to select the most outstanding 4-H volunteer each year and provide that person with a monetary award and public recognition. One wall inside the auditorium of the O. P. Owens Agriculture Center, where Cooperative Extension is housed, will be properly decorated to serve as a public display for the 4-H Volunteer Hall of Fame. The volunteer selected to receive this award each year will have their picture and appropriate biographical sketch displayed for all to see.
We are currently soliciting donations in order to complete this endowment. If you do not have the time and ability to serve as an adult volunteer for a youth group, hopefully, you will see an opportunity to create financial support that will recognize and say “thank you” to those who do.
Possibly, you would like to make a tax deductible donation yourself. Possibly you are like many adults today, you already have everything you want and need, so if extended family members or those from outside your immediate family try to give you a gift, it is going to wind up being something you don’t want and don’t need. More than likely, it will wind up in the yard sale or donated to a charity. Why not suggest they make a donation to this endowment in your honor.
This endowment may be the perfect opportunity to honor a deceased family member with a token that, unlike flowers, will last forever. Tax deductible donations in memory of those who loved children and the youth of the county are very fitting memorials.
For more information about how to support his endowment, please contact Robeson County Cooperative Extension by calling 910-671-3276.”
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