Agricultural Hall of Fame - IRA OBED SCHAUB

IRA OBED SCHAUB
September 28, 1888 - September 13, 1970

The Dean, as he was affectionately called by his friends, was born in Stokes County, North Carolina. He graduated in the Class of 1900 at old A & M College, now North Carolina State University. Except for a brief period, his total life was dedicated to programs of the University and to the people of his native state.

In 1909, North Carolina A & M College became the first land-grant school in the nation to sign an agreement stating that the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the college would cooperate in the sponsorship of "Boys Corn Clubs." Schaub was hired to head the program. Thus, he became North Carolina's first 4-H leader, and the following year (1910) he began organizing clubs for girls, too. Schaub lived to see the North Carolina 4-H Club grow to 183,000 members, the largest youth organization of its type in the world. The agricultural and home economics programs which he later developed flourished in a similar manner.

Schaub served as director of the N.C. Agricultural Extension Service from 1924 to 1950, as dean of the School of Agriculture from 1926 to 1945 and as director of the N.C. Agricultural Experiment Station from 1931 to 1940. He served in each of these positions with distinction, always striving to enrich the lives of people who derived their livelihood from the soil.

The Dean's life of nearly 91 years spanned many troublesome tides. But he never despaired. He was a calm and thoughtful leader, always accessible to those who sought his guidance. He believed in people; he saw good in every face. His was a life of service above self and a life that is still an inspiration to all who knew him.

Elected to the North Carolina
AGRICULTURAL HALL OF FAME
1974