2005 Illinois 4-H Partner Award
Illinois 4-H Honors Paul A. Funk Foundation with Partnership Award
The Paul A. Funk Foundation, of Bloomington, received the 2005 Illinois 4-H Partner award for their long-term support of the Illinois and McLean County 4-H programs. Foundation representatives were recognized during the Saluting 4-H Champions recognition program held in conjunction with Salute to Agriculture Day festivities at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Friday, October 27.
One of Illinois 4-H’s most generous supporters, gifts from the Paul A. Funk Foundation began in the 1980’s during the Four Million for 4-H campaign. The Paul A. Funk Foundation is also recognized as the Illinois 4-H Project Partner for Citizenship and has provided sponsorships of many trips to the annual National 4-H Congress.
The late Paul A. Funk attended the University of Illinois College of Agriculture as a member of the class of 1929 and devoted his life to agriculture. His father, Eugene D. Funk, formed Funk Brothers Seed Company in 1901. Funk Seeds had a partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture dating back to 1918 when they provided farmland in McLean County for USDA to establish an experiment station for studying corn diseases and developing corn hybrids.
The Paul A. Funk Foundation is a longtime partner with the U of I’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. They established the Paul A. Funk recognition awards program for the faculty in the College in 1970. The family also provided the initial $1 million commitment for the ACES Library, Information and Alumni Center. The Isaac Funk Family Library is named after Paul’s great grandfather who built his first home in McLean County on a stand of timber now known as Funk's Grove in 1824.
The Paul A. Funk Foundation has made significant investments in education. They have also partnered with Illinois Wesleyan University and Illinois State University in establishing endowed support of students, faculty, and programs. The Funks' dedication to agriculture and to young people can be seen today throughout McLean County, the state of Illinois, the United States and the world.
Also honored during the event were four Illinois 4-H Alumni Award winners including: Illinois State Representative Monique Davis, Chicago; Brenda Krause Eheart, executive director for Generations of Hope, Rantoul; David C. Erickson, president of LANDcorp Inc., Altona; and Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, U.S. Air Force, Retired, Falls Church, Va. The Friend of Illinois 4-H Award was presented to Mike Adams, AgriTalk Radio Show Host, of St. Louis , Missouri. Hugh Wetzel, retired State 4-H Office specialist, was recognized for being named a 2005 National 4-H Hall of Fame Laureate.
4-H is the largest out-of-school educational program for youth in the United States. 4-H seeks to assist youth in acquiring knowledge, forming attitudes, and developing life skills that will enable them to become caring, competent , and contributing members of society. In Illinois 286,000 youth participate in 4-H and other youth programs of University of Illinois Extension. More than 26,000 adult volunteers assist in the programming. For more information about 4-H in Illinois, visit: http://www.4-H.uiuc.edu.
L-R: Duncan Funk and Carla Hickey, representatives of the Paul A. Funk Foundation, and Pennie Crinion, Interim Assistant Dean and Director, Illinois 4-H.
Press release (MS Word)
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