2007 East Pottawattamie County - Kenneth Parkhill

Kenneth Parkhill enjoyed helping young people and so it was only natural that around 1950 he was asked by the county Extension 4-H aide to be a 4-H leader for the Westside Feeders 4-H Club. This was an agricultural club that had been formed in the 1940's and was made up of boys that lived in the rural area west of Oakland, Iowa. Having grown up in the area Kenneth knew nearly all of the families and he enjoyed going to their homes for monthly meetings and being able to help them with their projects. Many of their projects were livestock and Kenneth enjoyed being around and working with livestock. 

One of the things Kenneth noticed early in his career as a leader was that the boys were having difficulties conducting their meetings and keeping order during the meeting. He embarked on a mission to help the members learn about proper parliamentary procedure and to practice it at every opportunity during their 4-H meetings, committee meetings and other opportunities. As a result the club meetings became much more organized and members were able to discuss and transact business in a much more efficient manner.

During the time Kenneth served as a leader five of his members were candidates for and were elected to positions as State 4-H Officers during State 4-H Conference. At that time only 4 young men and 4 young women were elected each year to serve at the state level in what now is known as State Council so it was a great accomplishment to have this number of successful candidates within an 8-10 year period. Kenneth believed that one of the factors that helped these young men get elected was their ability to conduct business and get in front of a group and lead. He always felt that his major accomplishment as a 4-H leader was helping to educate the members on parliamentary procedure.

Kenneth helped many members while he served as a volunteer leader and touched many hearts. He received the highest honor that East Pottawattamie County gives to its 4-H volunteers when he was selected as an Honorary 4-H Member and was inducted in the traditional ceremony. Even after his active years as a leader were over he enjoyed helping his grandchildren and others that needed help.

Kenneth passed away early this year but will always be remembered for the contributions he made to the 4-H program in East Pottawattamie County.