FROM SOCK HOPS TO DRUG PREVENTION, 4-H PROGRAMS REFLECT CHANGES

Roger Wilcoxson's tenure with ~~4-H goes back to the era when its members were sewing poodle skirts that came almost all the way down to their white bobby socks.

In 1957, his first year, social concerns meant who was paired at the Saturday night sock hop. And 4-H was operating its traditional program.

But by the time Wilcoxson retired last August, society in general had gone through 33 years of profound change. Today, social consciousness is more likely to mean awareness of substance abuse and teen pregnancy.

The 4-H youth organization has transformed, too.

Wilcoxson, who served as youth specialist in Cape Girardeau County from 1965 until his retirement, has seen changes implemented in the 4-H program, with many of those changes occurring lately.

"It (4-H) has to change to stay in tune with the times or the progress will come to an end eventually," he commented. "With state funding (being) more restrictive, programs that don't keep up with the times get cut."

For example, he said 4-H has just implemented a new "Youth at Risk" program through the state. the new project is funded through a $3 million Kellogg Foundation grant to develop model programs for youth at risk.

Pilot programs are beginning in six Missouri communities, including one in Sikeston.

"The `Youth at Risk' program will address issues such as youth literacy, substance abuse, adolescent pregnancy all the major societal issues we are facing," he said.

Wilcoxson said 4-H programs continue to be plagued by declining membership. The membership figures for Cape Girardeau show dramatic erosion. When he arrived here, the total was about 500 youths. Membership peaked at 700 in 1970. By 1990, membership had declined to 250.

Asked why, Wilcoxson replied, "The 4-H has more competition now from other youth organizations, school activities and athletics. Athletics seem to have more appeal to some youth. 4-H has to keep improving to compete."

He also attributes the membership decline to changes in society, pressure from the state level for youth specialists to get involved in other programs, and a sign of the times - image versus reality. "4-H clubs were developed with agriculture in mind," Wilcoxson said. "Despite changes, the old image is still there, which makes it hard to recruit new members."

He backs up his statement with estimates of the present demographic makeup of the local 4-H membership, compared to 25 years ago. Then, the proportion of rural members was close to 90 percent, with a majority of 4-H members living on farms, Wilcoxson said.

The composition now is quite dissimilar, with the membership being equally divided between rural and non-rural areas and with only one in five living on a farm, he said.

The roots of change in the organization took hold during the 1960s, a time when American society was changing also, Wilcoxson indicated. He credits C. Brice Ratchford, then state director of the University of Missouri Extension system that oversees the 4-H program, with the change.

"He felt that if 4-H was to continue to receive funding, it would need to reach all youth," Wilcoxson explained. "He got Missouri moving. He was a good leader, very dynamic. I'm glad he was going in the right direction." Ratchford went on to become president of the University of Missouri.

Wilcoxson attributes his own start with 4-H to seeds planted during his youth in a relatively remote rural area of northern Missouri. "I didn't get to see a lot of people," he recounted. "There were few role models available. I got to know the county agent and admired him. I didn't want to teach so I decided while in high school to work for 4-H later on."

In 1957, Wilcoxson put in a six-month training stint at Independence before his first permanent 4-H assignment in Butler County, where he served for eight years as youth agent and county agent. In 1965, Wilcoxson relocated to Jackson to work with the 4-H program.

"I always preferred to work with the kids and leaders," he said. "Once into 4-H, it was a challenge. But I could see more needs in the human relations end than in crops and animals."

Wilcoxson believes 4-H needs to get more involved with the relevant problems in society. "The problems will be with us," he said. "You can't ignore them. If you do, we will have more kids in trouble and on drugs."

Wilcoxson said he has had a learning experience with 4-H over the years. "I can appreciate many things I wouldn't otherwise things like the importance of love in a family, to love kids and to make them feel wanted."