May 21, 2020
By: Leigh Fuson
The 2020 recipient of DeKalb County 4-H scholarship is Clayton Crook. The $500 scholarship is given in memory of Ms. Jo Ellen Huffman, former administrative assistant at UT Extension, and Mr. Ron Rogers, former 4-H agent. The scholarship was established in 2017 through donations and is awarded to an active 4-H member attending college or technical school.
Clayton is the son of Patrick and Jana Crook of Alexandria. Clayton has been an active 4-H member since the 4th grade, starting with the poultry project and school contests. He later participated in horse judging, livestock judging, outdoor meat cookery, and poultry judging. Clayton has the rare honor of saying he was a state winner in two contests: outdoor meat cookery and poultry judging. After winning the state poultry judging contest, he and the team went on to compete at the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference in Louisville, KY. The team earned 1st place in the market egg division, becoming a big part of DeKalb County 4-H history.
Clayton has also been an active Honor Club and All-Star member. He has served as the Honor Club Service Chair and the Vice President. He has attended regional All-Star Conferences and State 4-H Round Up where he competes in the Beef project. Clayton also attend State 4-H Congress in 2018. In 2019, he received the highest level of recognition for a Tennessee 4-H member: Vol State.
Clayton is planning to attend Tennessee Tech University to major in Agriculture Engineering. DeKalb County 4-H and UT/TSU Extension wishes him the best of luck and is proud of all his accomplishments. For more information about 4-H or the scholarship fund, please call 615-597-4945.