(1930 – 2024)
Sarah H. McDowell was born in Clay County, Alabama. She was a member of the local 4-H Club in the sixth and seventh grades and was elected to the county 4-H Council. Her interest in sewing and handwork began with 4-H. She placed third in the County Dress Revue.
She received a B.S. degree in Vocational Home Economics from Alabama College (now the University of Montevallo). She worked three and half years with the Department of Pensions and Security (now the Department of Human Resources) as a pension counselor. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System employed her in Fayette County in 1967.
Sarah transferred to Chilton County working for 23 years with 4-H and adult home economics. She organized a 4-H Club for special education students and community clubs at the housing projects in Clanton. She taught sewing classes at the junior high. Sarah led after school projects in clothing, foods, and gardening. She recruited junior leaders to assist clubs and retain the older 4-H members.
Adult home economics sessions were centered around clothing, with health and exercise as an important part of daily life. She organized a support group for caretakers of family members.
Sarah was a member of the Alabama Association of Extension 4-H Agents and the National Association of Extension Family and Consumer Science – Alabama Chapter. She served on committees and assisted with state meetings for both associations. She was a Charter Member of ALAE4-HA and served as District Director. When the NAE4-HA was held in Mobile in 1989, she served as co-chair of the registration process.
She retired from Alabama Cooperative Extension System in 1990. In retirement, she built a house, traveled to historic sites, and read books as a past time. She continued to keep up with the 4-H members and homemakers that she had worked with in Chilton County.
Sarah was honored in 2009 as a member of the Alabama 4-H Wall of Fame.
In recognition of her years of service, the name Sarah H. McDowell is inscribed on the dedicatory plaque of the Extension Memorial Chapel.
Chapel Plaque Inscription Number 680
