Straits selected as Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame inductees

KEOSAUQUA ? While the 4-H exhibits and grandstand billings might change, there is one thing Van Buren County Fair goers always can count on: if the fair is open, Marvin and Doris Bonnett Strait are somewhere on the fairgrounds.

Long-time supporters of the 4-H program, the Straits soon will be recognized for their dedication with more than a blue ribbon. The couple will be inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame at 3:30 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Iowa State Fair. The ceremony will take place at the 4-H Exhibits Building where a representative of the Iowa 4-H Foundation will present the couple with a certificate.

The Straits? devotion to 4-H has now spanned several decades. Marvin became involved in the organization as a child. His family was very active in 4-H. His parents, Rex and Eleanor Strait, were club leaders for many years, and Rex served on the Van Buren County Fair Board for many years. Following in his father?s footsteps, Marvin also has served on the Van Buren County Fair Board; at one time, he served in the capacity of treasurer.

?To be inducted into the hall of fame, I think, is not just about us, it is more of a Strait family honor,? Doris said. ?Marvin remembers going to the fair with his grandparents. His parents were active and then along came Marvin, and he?s been active since he was a kid.?

?They are a strong county fair family,? said Nancy Carr, Extension office assistant/bookkeeper and point-of-contact for Van Buren County ISU Extension services. ?Marvin?s parents were founding fathers of our fair and our 4-H program.?

Doris and her brother, Roy Bonnett, now of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., grew up northeast of Fairfield on the Salina black top. Growing up, Doris attended the Jefferson County and Iowa State fairs; however, she did not become involved with 4-H until after she married her husband.

?When you marry into the Strait family, you see the value in it,? Doris said.

A retired family and consumer science teacher, Doris has assisted countless kids with innumerable sewing projects through the years. Presently, she also serves as secretary of the Van Buren County Fair Board.

The Straits have three grown sons: Leslie, Mount Pleasant; Philip, Keosauqua; and Matthew, Oswego, Ill. Each of the boys was active in 4-H while they were growing up.

?They were very involved,? Doris said. ?They didn?t have a choice, but they loved it, too. That was our family activity.?

?Whether they loved it or not, they were there,? Marvin said.

By participating in 4-H, their boys learned many skills, Doris said. All three showed livestock as young men, but they also took food and clothing exhibits to the fair.

?One time, one of the judges asked them why they had so many sewing and food exhibits. They said, ?That is what happens when you have a mom who doesn?t have any girls,?? Doris said, laughing.

?As a family and consumer science teacher, those kinds of projects just came naturally to me,? she said.

In all, the Straits have five grandchildren. Leslie?s two children are not in 4-H, but they have helped with county fairs in a variety of capacities. Philip?s oldest daughter, Mary, entered exhibits in the Van Buren County Fair this year and at 12, will be advancing to the Iowa State Fair. Her brother, Cody, 5, is in Clover Kids. At 3, Caleb is too young to participate, but if family history is any indication, he, too, will get in on the fun of 4-H when the time comes.

?Mary?s pretty excited about going to the state fair,? Doris said, beaming with pride. ?It is her first entry to go to the state fair.?

It will be a state fair for all of the Straits to remember.

The Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame was initiated in 2002. Inductees are selected by counties for their exceptional contributions to the lives of 4-H members and to the overall 4-H program. Many inductees have served as club leaders, youth mentors, fair superintendents or fair board members, fair judges, financial supporters, chaperones or ISU Extension staff members. Iowans honored have demonstrated a long-term dedication, encouragement, commitment and guidance to 4-H participants and programming in the state.

?This is a wonderful opportunity for the counties and state to recognize and celebrate 4-H volunteers and staff who have shown outstanding service and dedication to Iowa?s 4-H program,? said Chuck Morris, director of ISU Extension 4-H Youth Development.

The honor, Carr said, could not go to a more deserving couple.

?Doris and Marvin are just wonderful,? said Carr. ?They?ve been past 4-H leaders. They help from the beginning of the fair to the end. They do everything.?

?It?s a great honor for doing something we fully believe in,? Doris said. ?We fully believe in the 4-H program. Our families, for generations, have supported it, and we certainly support it.

?4-H allows the individual child to develop, and for their interests to develop,? she continued. ?It teaches them responsibility, and it is a family activity. I like the family part. That?s the reason we are so involved with the fair, too. It is a family activity.?