In 1976, he was crowned the Union County 4-H King and she was crowned the UnionCounty 4-H Queen. In 1980, the King and Queen were married. And today, that 4-H marriage between Douglas Hileman and Elizabeth “Beth” Bauer is credited for officially uniting the two 4-H families that have jointly been designated as this year’s statewide “4-H Family Spirit Award” recipients.
The Bauer-Hileman Families of Union County will be presented with the 2007 Illinois 4-H Family Spirit Award on Saturday, August 11, during the 4-H Family Picnic at the Illinois State Fair. Collectively, the Bauer and Hileman families have 43 different individuals who have been 4-H members, leaders, or volunteers. Cumulatively, the families represent 234 years of 4-H club membership, 68 years of serving as a 4-H club leader, and 231 years of being 4-H volunteers.
4-H experiences in the families date back more than sixty years ago to when some family members first joined 4‑H or became 4-H leaders or volunteers. Douglas Hileman’s parents, William and Bonnie (Jones) Hileman, were both members of the MCML 4-H Club in Union County from 1946-1955 and both later served as 4-H club leaders. William and Bonnie’s other four children are also 4-H alumni and their respective spouses each became 4-H volunteers. They include: Kurt (& Melanie), Russell (& Sherri), Lynn (& Connie), and Brenda. Nine Hileman grandchildren are either current or past 4-H members; they include: Sarah, Jacob, Lucas, Nicole, April, Joshua, Amy, Becky, and Daniel. Grandson Paul is anxiously awaiting to join 4-H in the coming year.
Beth (Bauer) Hileman’s parents, Norman and Barbara (Boyd) Bauer, were also 4-H club members; Barbara was a member of the Balcom Lucky Clovers 4-H Club in Union County from 1948-1953 and Norman was a member of the Variety 4-H Club from 1946-1956 in Berrien County, Michigan. Barbara and Norman first met in 1957 in WashingtonDC at an IFYE (“International Farm Youth Exchange” which was later renamed “International 4-H Youth Exchange”) orientation session. They each were on their way to Turkey to be an IFYE ambassador. They were married the following year. Norman and Barbara’s three sons—Louis, Timothy, and David—were also enrolled in 4-H. Louis’ wife, Debbie (Brown) Bauer, has been a 4-H volunteer. Besides their three Hileman grandchildren (Sarah, Jacob, and Lucas), the Bauer’s have four other grandchildren who have had 4-H experiences. They include: Matthew, Christopher, Rose, and Cameron Bauer.
Barbara (Boyd) Bauer’s parents, Glenn and Vivian (Corzine) Boyd, were 4-H volunteers and Barbara’s siblings, Jane Gimbel and Collin, were also enrolled in 4-H. Collin’s wife, Alice (Foreman) Boyd, became a 4-H volunteer and his children, Emily Beanland, Jeannie Jones, and Jerry, are all former members of the Balcom Lucky Clovers 4-H Club. Norman Bauer’s grandfather, Louis Abraham, and his parents, Reinhardt and Clara (Abraham) Bauer, were all 4-H volunteers in Michigan. Norman’s brothers, Wayne and Charles, were members of the same 4-H Club in Berrien County, Michigan.
4-H has provided an international dimension to the Bauer-Hileman Families over the years. Family members have had outbound 4-H exchange stays in: Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Turkey. And family members have hosted international 4-H delegates from: Botswana, Costa Rico, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Holland, India, Japan, Mexico, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. 4-H is credited for providing family connections around the globe. The guestbook at Norm and Barbara Bauer’s home has been signed by visitors from 75 different countries.
“We are delighted to celebrate more than sixty years of 4-H connections in the Bauer and Hileman families. And their families have shared their 4-H spirit around the globe,” said Rod Stoll, Director of the Illinois 4-H Foundation. “We are not only proud of the value that 4-H has provided to their family over the generations; we are also grateful to the Bauer-Hileman Families for their loyal service, support, and friendship to our 4-H youth development program.”
The Illinois 4-H Foundation raises private funds that are invested in Illinois 4-H programs, which provide meaningful positive development experiences for Illinois youth to develop leadership, citizenship, and life skills.
