Pike County Extension Coordinator (retired)
and 4-H Alumna
Inducted March 19, 2013
Tammy Powell’s love of 4-H began as a 10-year old Houston County 4-H’er. “One of my earliest 4-H memories was having my father sit me down on a bale of hay while he and my mother worked on a 4-H exhibit at the Peanut Festival in Dothan with some members from my mother’s 4-H club. I couldn’t have been more than 3 at the time, but the memory is still vividly stamped in my brain!”
Powell began her Extension career in Jackson County where she worked for more than 7 years before transferring to Pike County. She retired as county Extension coordinator with 34 years in Extension.
“When l started work in Pike County, we had 16 4-H clubs with 618 members,” she says. “When I retired, we had more than 55 4-H clubs with more than 1,700 members.”
Competition Day was established to allow youth to compete in as many competitions as they felt they could do well. 4-H’ers also had the opportunity to watch others and learn good techniques. Volunteers and parents assisted the County 4-H Council in planning, setting up, and conducting the program.
“Working with local volunteers was another perk for me,” she says. “Developing a personal friendship with those volunteers made the 4-H program stronger too.”
Glenda Kelly, a 4-H volunteer, says, “Mrs. Powell is always encouraging and motivating. She helped students to set high goals and to show enthusiasm and pride; to make every single day productive.”
Powell sites as highlights of her career: the State 4-H Council officers, Community Service activities planned by 4-H’ers including cemetery clean-up, counselors at Alabama 4-H Center and the National 4-H Conference Center, and chaperoning Citizenship Washington Focus, National 4-H Conference, National 4-H Poultry Conference, National 4-H Engineering event and National 4-H Conversation in D.C.
Powell has been a member and officer in ALAE4-HA, AACAAS, NEAFCS, and ESP. She has received many awards including Outstanding Business Woman of Pike County. She is active in community organizations including Pike County Cattlewomen, Brundidge United Methodist Church, and Pike County United Way.
“As a 4-H’er, I saw what an impact my 4-H agents had on my life, how they seemed to take a personal interest, and I knew that I wanted to do that same thing for 4-H’ers,” says Powell. “I only hope that during my career, 1 made a difference in the lives of some 4-H’ers!”
Nominated by Glenda Kelly, Pike County 4-H Volunteer
