Spotlight on: Carol Kuhns
4-H Coordinator
Pueblo County
I was born in Pueblo Colorado and have lived here all my life. I
grew up and attended Pueblo schools and Southern Colorado State College
(presently CSU-Pueblo). My degree was in Business Office Management. I worked
many places before being hired by CSU Extension. Some of the more interesting
jobs included working in a nursing home, for a life insurance company, a claim
adjuster who was from Texas that I could not understand on the Dictaphone, and
in an attorney's office.
I was hired as a program assistant for the
EFNEP Program in October, 1969 in the Pueblo County CSU Extension Office. I had
never heard of Extension or what Extension offered until I walked through the
door of the office. Our office has made many moves - we started on the third
floor of the Courthouse in Pueblo, moved to a second floor temporary office
while the building was being renovated, then another move across the hall to
another old courtroom and then a move across the street to the building we are
in now! Another move is being planned in the near future. Enough with the
moves!!!
After working with EFNEP for many years, I was offered the job
as 4-H Program Assistant which I held for many years. When Shirley Welborn
retired as Office Manager, I was offered that position which I held for eight
years. I loved the 4-H program and the leaders and the kids. They were all
special to me. When budget cuts hit a few years ago, Bernie Elliott took an
early retirement leaving Louise Welsby as Extension Agent in Pueblo County.
Shortly after Bernie's retirement, Louise fell in our office and broke her hip.
She also ended up taking an early retirement. There was no one left to do 4-H,
so I retired from the Office Manager position and contracted with Pueblo County
to work the 4-H program which I did for about 1-1/2 years. We then hired
Vanessa Tranel as Extension Agent and I continue to currently work as the 4-H
Coordinator with the dog and horse programs and 4-H camp being my primary
responsibilities.
For years, I have been involved in the dog program and
work at a state level with the 4-H Dog Show at the Colorado State Fair as
either superintendent or assistant superintendent. Along with Robert Mathis, we
formed a State Dog Advisory Committee that has revamped the 4-H Dog Showmanship
book and are presently looking at a new obedience manual for 2010. The dog
program has continued to grow with the addition of the Rally contest two years
ago. The future of the program, I feel, is to keep up with changes in the dog
world and offer the youth as many opportunities to be successful as possible.
I am also in charge of the 4-H Horse program in Pueblo County -
something new and different when I first took the job, but have grown to love
the program and the people in the horse program. We have offered a levels
training for leaders and will once again be offering it in the spring of 2009.
The 4-H program is an important part of my life. My daughter was a very
successful 11-year member and is currently a 4-H leader herself. Hopefully
retirement is somewhere on the horizon, but for now, I enjoy the challenges of
the job and working with the youth and leaders in the 4-H program.