George Daigh

Major 4-H Accomplishments:
Illinois 4-H Youth Development for 33 years, including 4-H Youth Development Specialist and President & Director of the Illinois 4-H Foundation. Introduced first public sector direct mail campaign and concept of living wills and financial legacies in 4-H fund development. Developed first 4-H dog care and obedience project, later adopted nationally. Created "Helping You Help Youth" vinyl sound sheets and workbooks for home volunteer learning. Pioneer in computerizing 4-H livestock judging. Charter member of Habitat for Humanity, served on Urbana School Board, held leadership roles in church, and formed an Angel corps helping widows, widowers, and shut-ins with household repairs, transportation, and outside work.

Biography:
As a University of Illinois Extension 4-H Youth Development Specialist, George Daigh put his creativity to work in 4-H that left a mark nationally. He became President and Director of the Illinois 4-H Foundation in the early years and introduced the first direct public sector mail solicitation campaign. It was most successful in Illinois and was quickly adopted by other
states. He launched "$4 Million for 4-H" campaign - an ambitious project in the early 1980s. Daigh has always been a dog lover. He developed the first 4-H dog care and obedience training project in Illinois and spear-headed its nationwide adoption. Nearly 50 years after introducing the 4-H dog project, Daigh remains a loyal donor to it and other 4-H programs.

The need for quality 4-H volunteer training opportunities has been a priority to Daigh. In the 1970s and 80s, he saw the need for training 4-H volunteers in ways other than meetings, so he pioneered a home training concept. He developed "Helping You Help Youth" vinyl sound sheets played on a record player and work books that volunteers completed while
listening to the mini-lectures at home. These were later recorded on cassette tapes. Another cutting edge development was the automating of 4-H livestock judging at the state and national levels. He designed a computerized system and tested it in Illinois in the 1970s. Daigh is active in Habitat for Humanity and in his church, and served two terms on the Urbana School Board.