The U.S. Post Office building in the southwest Iowa community of Clarinda has been renamed after Jessie Field Shambaugh, who is known as the ?Mother of 4-H.?
At a special ceremony on Monday, officials from the Postal Service, Iowa Third District Congresswoman Cindy Axne and descendants of Jessie Field Shambaugh officially renamed the downtown building in honor of the Page County native. Shambaugh was a teacher and school superintendent in the early 1900s when she formed the Boys Corn Club and Girls Home Club, which eventually became 4-H.
Mark Talbott is District Manager for the Postal Service’s Iowa-Nebraska-South Dakota region. He says Shambaugh left a lasting legacy on youth throughout the country.
“In 1910, she designed a three-leaf clover pin with the letter H on each one of the leaves, representing head, hands and heart,” said Talbott. “She added the fourth leaf for home, which later became known as health. The pin was used as an award, medal for outstanding club work and the motto for all the clubs was, ‘To make our best better.'”
The renaming was made official in early January when outgoing President Donald Trump signed a bill passed through Congress authorizing the change. Congresswoman Axne sponsored the bill, along with Iowa’s other three representatives. Axne says 4-H holds a special place in her heart.
“I was in fourth grade and we had moved to West Des Moines,” said Axne. “My mom said, ‘Girls, you’re going to learn the values that I grew up with on the farm and we’re going to start a 4-H troop here.’ We just remember getting our girlfriends together and starting up this club and learning stuff we thought was really pretty cool.”
The current Clarinda Post Office building has been in use since 1910 and postal operations have been ongoing in Clarinda since 1854. Postal officials presented a plaque that will now hang on the inside wall of the building.
