2008 4-H Fair Dedication
The 2008 Fairbook Committee is please to announce that this year's fair book has been dedicated to the memory of a very special 4-H'er who passed away last November, Austin Roderick Hammer. Austin, 16, the son of Bert and Missy Hammer of Gowen, was a member of Gower Hi-Lighters 4-H Club and a student at Greenville High School, as well as a dear member of the Greenville-area community.
Austin died from leukemia on Nov. 2, 2007. The news of his death hit the community hard, as the teenager held a warm spot in the many a heart across Montcalm County, and especially the 4-H community.
"He was always happy and positive about everything," said Barb Altizer, who got to know Austin through 4-H and the Greenville High School (GHS) equestrian team. "He was fun to be around, fun to joke around with." And it was those memories of a joking cheerful friend that 4-H friend Kayla Burke will cherish for the rest of her life.
"He loved everybody," Burke said. "He was a great friend to everyone. If you met him just once, he considered you his friend." Austin's love of people and animals and his adventurous spirit inspired those within the 4-H community, reminding them of the real reason 4-H exists.
"He was a real role model," Altizer said. "He would never give excuses if you asked him to do something."Austin's "get 'er done" spirit quickly caught on throughout Montcalm County as news spread of Austin's diagnosis in September of 2006. The community banded together to support Austin and his family as they struggled finacially and emotionally through his illness. Austin's 4-H friends brought his family meals, visited him in the hospital and helped out however they could to help out the family.
When word spread that Austin had lost his battle to leukemia a little more than a year a year after his diagnosis, the community reeled from the news.
"Because he never gave up, it was hard for us to give up and realize he was gone," Altizer said. "What an impact he had on us in short time." Burke said Austin's memory will continue to live on, especially as fair week approaches.
"He made every feel good about themselves and have confidence," Burke said. "He said 'don't believe in what other people tell you-believe in yourself.'"
She said that Austin will be missed from his familiar place in the swine building and down by the horse arena. "He will never be forgotten and will always be in our hearts," she said.
Lisa Johnson, a member of the 2008 Fairbook Committee said Austin's story is an inspirational one, reminding the community how 4-H is more like an extended family instead of just a club.
"Austin can't be at fair this year, but I think that it is appropriate that we dedicate the fair book to him as a reminder to others what a gift it is to be able to participate in the fair and our 4-H clubs, something Austin realized and appreciated."
