THE MICHIGAN 4-H STORY

Michigan hosts the annual National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Agents (NAE4-HA) Conference in Detroit providing opportunity to showcase innovative urban 4-H programming models.

Earth-sheltered house constructed at Kettunen Center. Becomes the residence of Kettunen Center director.

Washtenaw County becomes one of the first counties to provide funding for an agent position for mainstreaming and inclusive programming efforts.

Two Minnesota-based hockey-playing brothers discover an in-line skate while exploring a sporting goods store, refined the design for off-season hockey training and—voila—the inline skate and inline skating were born!

Since then it's been a popular choice for fun at 4-H Exploration Days.

Michigan 4-H Foundation helps county 4-H programs establish funds managed and supported by the foundation.

The Philips and Sony Corporations introduce the standard Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) medium in 1984, which paved the way for the advanced CD and DVD formats that deliver music, gaming and movies today.

A statewide product sale is launched - a 4-H cookbook - to raise funds to support 4-H programs.

Washtenaw County—through a partnership between Michigan State University Extension and the Washtenaw County Juvenile Court—becomes the first county in the state to jointly fund a full-time 4-H Youth agent position to work with the youth-at-risk populations in the juvenile court system.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation grants $2.16 million to fund "SPACES: Preparing Kids for High Tech and Global Future" initiative for early adolescent development.

The 4-H TRACKERS program, an environmental education program for school children, starts at Kettunen Center.

Chinese Performing Arts Troupe tours Michigan, launching the Michigan 4-H China Project.

Vision 2021: Master Plan for Kettunen Center created, resulting in the 1994 launch of a successful $2.5 million fund development campaign for facilities and grounds improvements and 4-H environmental programs.

The World Wide Web is born!

Who knew that soon 4-H'ers would be downloading their 4-H publications, chatting with friends, listening to the radio and watching video over the Web from their home computers?

4-H Children's Garden opens at Michigan State University as the first garden focused on youth that is located at a university campus.

Michigan hosts the 50th anniversary National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Agents Conference in Grand Rapids at the Amway Grand Hotel.

Michigan 4-H Youth Development goes online at www.msue.msu.edu/cyf/youth/

1997

Scientists in Scotland set off worldwide and American legislative debate on genetics, DNA mapping and ethics when they successfully cloned an adult sheep named "Dolly" (an event humorously explored here by University of Wisconsin scientists.)

Will 4-H'ers someday be signing up for biotechnology sheep projects?

2000

On November 2, 2000, the first residents of the International Space Station arrive on board to begin the historic continuous international human presence in orbit. Since then, the 150-ton orbiting complex has hosted 79 residents from six countries, including 58 from the United States.

Could this be the 4-H exchange trip of the future?

On September 11, 2001, terrorists crash passenger jets into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, into the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and into a field in rural Pennsylvania. More than 3000 people are killed in these attacks. MSU Extension rallies to help the survivors and their familes cope with the tragedy.