Posted on August 22, 2024 at 5:00 PM by Emily Saveraid
Dannie Stephens of Creston has been a fixture in the Union County 4-H program since showing sheep, cattle, and horses at the Union County Fair as a youth in the 1960s. He has shared his passion for horses with young enthusiasts, helping them learn and growing the 4-H equine program and local, regional, and state opportunities. Dannie inherited his love of horses and working with youth from his parents, Ruby and John, who were both 4-H leaders.
As an adult, Dannie has spent the last thirty-five years serving the 4-H program in Union County at various levels, including as a leader of the Horse and Riders 4-H club, as the horse superintendent and horse committee member at the Union County Fair, and as a Fair Board member, leading as board president through much of the recent work to replace buildings and modernize the livestock facilities. He also spent over twenty years caring for and prepping the horse arena for club meetings, workouts, and shows.
When he wasn’t busy working with 4-H members, Dannie was active as a teacher and coach. He taught math in the Creston school district for twenty-six years, was a wrestling coach from 1980 until his retirement in 2006, and was a middle school head and assistant wrestling coach, working with the Panther Express wrestling team.
For his years of dedication to Creston Schools, Stephens was inducted into the Creston High School Hall of Fame in 2016 as a Distinguished Alumni, Distinguished Faculty, and Distinguished Contributor. Dannie and his wife Vickie have three sons: Shamus, Shane, and Shaun. Shamus and his wife, Jenny, have three children–Colten, Grace, and John Ross–also riders and 4-H alumni.
