Posted on August 23, 2021 at 9:06 AM by Emily Saveraid
Teresa Marshall-Kasper was a ten year 4-H member in Illinois and in her words, “I loved 4-H and everything about it!” Gaining communication skills through 4-H demonstrations, participating in the State 4-H Conference at the University of Illinois, and attending the Citizenship Washington Focus in Washington DC gave her local, state, and national experiences. She was a National 4-H Congress award recipient in Achievement.
4-H offered her a “window to the world outside the rural community where she grew up.” In 4-H project work, she gained the concepts of practice, process logic, and lifelong learning that are fundamental to everything she does on a daily basis today.
With both of her parents being 4-H leaders, Teresa stepped up as volunteer leader of the Victory 4-H Club because she wanted her children to have a successful experience. She was a terrific model of 4-H volunteerism. While providing a club framework, she looked for opportunities to develop the skills of each youth.
Teresa served on the 4-H Youth Development Committee and was a confident and skilled decision maker; her approach was always to provide educational experiences and make decisions based on sound youth development. She encouraged 4-H club members to participate in community service including helping at the annual 4-H pancake breakfast, making hat and tie blankets for their community, and assembling food baskets for the local school while learning about food insecurity. Teresa believes in the importance of communication skills gained in 4-H. She encouraged these opportunities in the club and served as the county fair 4-H Working Exhibits superintendent as well as the project leader of the 4-H agriculture, science and engineering, personal development and visual arts department at the fair.
Gene Kasper, Teresa’s husband, died in a farm accident in 2004. Gene adored his family and supported 4-H and Extension; he served on the Johnson County Extension Council.
In 1991, Dr. Teresa Marshall joined the University of Iowa College of Dentistry; she is a registered dietician and professor where she coordinates and teaches the nutrition curriculum within the College of Dentistry. In her words, “I will forever be grateful for the opportunities that participating in 4-H as a youth and a leader afforded me. They made me who I am.”
