Osborns to be inducted into the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame

Gary and Linda Osborn will be inducted into the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame at a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 20 in the 4-H Exhibit Building at the Iowa State Fair. The ceremony is open to the public.

You couldn’t ask for better supporters of the Jasper County 4-H Program than Gary and Linda Osborn. Gary joined the Wittenberg Winners 4-H Club in Jasper County when he was 10 years old. He remained a faithful member of this club all through high school. Following graduation, he became a leader of the club for two years. After that, in 1979, he formed the Draper Trail Blazers 4-H Club and was a leader of this club until moving in 1983. Gary owned a woodworking shop where he taught 4-Hers woodworking skills and was always willing to donate or raise money for county fair projects or improvements. Linda was not in 4-H when growing up, but supported Gary in all his 4-H endeavors. She saw to it their children and grandchildren were all very active 4-H members, both in fair projects and in record keeping.

In 2019, Gary and Linda walked into the Jasper County Extension Office to inquire about starting a Quilts of Valor 4-H Club, and as they say, the rest is history. Linda is the leader of this club and has taught a number of 4-H members how to quilt. Gary is now Linda’s support system and has taught kids how to quilt on their long-arm machine. To date, 44 quilts have been made by 4-H members and 52 quilts have been made by 4-H Quilts of Valor volunteers. Most of these quilts have been presented to United States Veterans at the Jasper County Fair, during an official Quilts of Valor presentation.