CORVALLIS, Ore. — Barbara J. Sawer, whose evaluation and program leadership strengthened Oregon and national 4-H, has been inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame.
“4-H encourages you to learn new things, take risks and work to benefit others,” Sawer said. “4-H is good for the whole family.”
Sawer served as a 4-H state youth development specialist for OSU Extension from 1974 to 1995. She was inducted into the Oregon 4-H Hall of Fame in 2015.
Sawer was one of 13 people inducted in a ceremony in Pittsburgh. Jim Rutledge, former state leader of the Oregon State University Extension 4-H Youth Development Program, accepted on her behalf.
Sawer served as a 4-H state youth development specialist for OSU Extension from 1974 to 1995. She was inducted into the Oregon 4-H Hall of Fame in 2015. The National Association of Extension 4-H Agents recognized her with a distinguished service award in 1984, a 25-year award in 1993 and a national diversity award in 2001.
For the national diversity award, she was part of a team recognized for outstanding effort in reaching and sustaining diverse 4-H audiences. Along with traditional 4-H work in volunteer leadership development, home economics curriculum, staff development, state fair and summer week, she expanded the program with “outside the box” ideas.
Leader in evaluation
Sawer was an early leader in program evaluation in Oregon and nationally. Her 1984 book Evaluating for accountability: A practical guide for the inexperienced evaluator became a key reference for 4-H and Extension program evaluation. She was frequently invited to present at national and international conferences.
She also introduced the idea of “4-H judges as teachers” in a 1987 Journal of Extension article. Nearly all participants in her trainings reported changing how they judged. One participant wrote, “I’m a picky judge, but you made me see beyond the exhibit to the member’s experience.”
Innovation in youth-at-risk work
In the late 1980s, Sawer co-led the Parents and Adolescents Can Talk (PACT) program, part of a statewide Youth at Risk Initiative responding to Oregon’s high teen pregnancy rate. She secured grants for training, evaluation and materials so counties could offer the program. PACT helped parents talk with teens about sensitive topics, encourage abstinence or delay sexual activity, and build communication skills. Though unusual for 4-H at the time, it proved popular and useful.
Latino outreach and Tech Wizards
Sawer was the project evaluator for the Oregon 4-H Latino Outreach Project and became a national 4-H expert on culturally responsive evaluation with Latino audiences. By the seventh year, OSU Extension 4-H reported a 400% increase in Latino enrollment. One element, 4-H Tech Wizards, led to 95% of participants graduating from high school and 70% pursuing education after high school, far above Latino graduation rates in Oregon at the time. She presented the project at national conferences and co-authored the capstone publication so other states could adapt the model.
4-H began on a Kansas farm
Sawer grew up on a farm outside Atwood, Kansas. She joined 4-H in fourth grade, enjoyed recordkeeping and served as reporter for the Driftwood Sunflower 4-H Club through high school. She promoted 4-H by posting flyers in town and giving radio interviews.
As a member, she focused on home economics projects, exhibited at the Rawlins County Fair and the Kansas State Fair, and gave regular 4-H demonstrations. Her work led to several honors, including Kansas 4-H Girl of the Year, State 4-H Achievement Winner and delegate to National 4-H Congress.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University, a master’s degree from Montana State University and a doctorate from the University of British Columbia. Before joining OSU, she worked as an Extension information and communications specialist in Montana for five years and in Washington for two years.
Service beyond 4-H
Sawer supported the Oregon 4-H Foundation and was active with the American Red Cross, nonprofit fund development and the Linn-Benton Council on Youth Alcohol Abuse. She lives in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
“Barbara’s commendable career contributed greatly to the 4-H experience of thousands of youths in Oregon and across the nation,” said Lyla Houglum, former dean and director of OSU Extension. “Her work has contributed to the national and international body of knowledge that undergirds 4-H youth development programming to this day. Barbara has always believed that her responsibilities extend beyond 4-H to include the larger field of positive youth development, as well as to all of Extension.”
“By sharing her work with others across the country through publications, conference workshops and individual consultations, she has improved educational experiences for 4-H youth wherever they reside,” Houglum said.
About the Hall of Fame
National 4-H Hall of Fame honorees are nominated by their states, National 4-H Council, the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals or the Division of Youth and 4-H, U.S. Department of Agriculture/National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
The Hall of Fame was established in 2002 as part of the Centennial Project of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents in partnership with National 4-H Council and National 4-H Headquarters at USDA.
Previously titled Sawer, an ‘outside the box’ thinker, inducted into National 4-H Hall of Fame
