Carol Peterson inducted into 4-H Hall of Fame

by Bonnie Kay Baldwin
Lake Mills Graphic
Recently, Carol Peterson, Garner, was inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame at the 2019 Iowa State Fair. She was one of 133 4-H volunteers representing 96 counties that were inducted, Aug. 18.
Peterson was born in Correctionville, but has lived in Garner since 1980, when she began her work with the Winnebago County Extension as the Home Economist, later reaching the Director position.
Her love and enthusiasm for 4-H began when she was a 4-H’er herself. It continued through her college years as she spent her summers working at the Extension.
Peterson made a significant contribution to 4-H in Winnebago County. She initiated partnerships with local businesses, started the community foundation, and brought two new popular programs to the schedule, which are still going strong today—Family Fall Festival, and Family Fun Night. She was the face of the Extension—well known throughout the counties, not just her own.
Her passion for 4-H extended beyond her job to her free time. She spent endless hours judging 4-H entries at local county fairs from the 1970s until 2018.
Since her retirement from the Winnebago County Extension office in 2012, she worked for NIACC as the continuing education director for the next five years, retiring from there in 2017. Although, she still leads a bus tour for NIACC, for quilting enthusiasts every fall.
“Retiring after 32 years has been fun,” Peterson said. Her free time has been filled with quilting, walking, reading and volunteering.
“It was super nice that the staff and extension council nominated me. There, they tried to make you feel very special, trying to get one person from every county. It was kind of a surprise, but I knew to save the date, maybe two to three months ahead. I got a phone call, then followed up with that. Yes, it’s just really nice.”
Peterson has two stepchildren. She and her husband, Richard, have been married 29 years.
“4-H has made such a huge impact of growth and development in my life from learning skills to public speaking to all of that; meeting new friends. So, I just think as young people, and even as volunteers you see such an impact, and then later on you’ll get a note or a phone call and somebody will say, ‘my child remembers this,’ or did that. You really see the growth and leadership,” she said.
“It’s been a wonderful career, and I have loved every moment.”