Dave and Linda Birney

Linda tells it like this: Linda Huber and Dave Birney met on a 4-H Citizenship Short Course Trip July 2-11, 1965, to Washington, D.C.

There were 30 delegates representing Washington County.

Linda had just completed her junior year at Keota High School, and Dave had just graduated from Washington High School. Dave had belonged to the Jackson Boys, and Linda belonged to the 76 Chickadees 4-H Club.

Our first date was later in 1965 when Dave was home from ISU, and we went to the 4-H County Awards Evening held at Washington High School.

We continued dating while he was at ISU, and after Linda graduated from Keota High School, she went two years to North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City.

Following Dave's graduation from ISU, he received his U.S. Army commission and did his military service in the U.S. and Vietnam. We were engaged before he went overseas.

When he got back to the states mid-January 1972, he wanted to set the wedding date for March. Linda opted for May 1972 as one could not plan a wedding in that short time.

'What farmer gets married during corn planting season?” was Dave's response.

Both the Huber and Birney families have been involved in the 4-H program through the years.

We both grew up in 4-H families in Washington County and both our parents, Herb and Marie Huber and James and Esther Birney, were 4-H leaders and on the Extension Council through the years. Each of our fathers was in 4-H in their early years.

Linda, through the years, helped at the county fair in the Visual Arts Department as an assistant. Dave became involved in the Sheep Department and completed 48 years the summer of 2020.

He followed in his mom's footsteps being inducted into the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame.

His mom, Esther Birney, was the first one from Washington County to be elected to the 4-H Hall of Fame in 2004.

We have one daughter, Christine, who was continually active in 4-H growing up. In 1993, she also went to Washington, D.C., on the 4-H Citizenship Focus Trip.

During the summer of 1996 while attending ISU, she served as the Washington County summer 4-H aide.

After her marriage and living in Winterset, she served two terms on the Madison County 4-H Extension Council. So 4-H has continued from generation to generation.