"For me, the 4‑H Program was a mission of love. My most important job as County 4‑H Agent was to maintain contact with the volunteer 4‑H leaders, to motivate and support them, and keep up their morale. This job must be done morning, noon and night, by phone, by letter, and when you see them on the street. I also advocated open communication at all levels of 4‑H, so the boys and girls in the program would be motivated and grow.”.
Biography: David C. Wood was born June 27, 1921 in the small town of Hurfville, NJ. He graduated from the Rutgers University College of Agriculture in 1944. Following 2 years in the U.S. Army, he taught 2 years of vocational agriculture in Paterson, NJ, before receiving an appointment as County 4‑H Agent in Atlantic County in 1948. He was a Rutgers faculty member, receiving tenure as an Assistant Professor in 1951. In succeeding years, he was promoted to Associate Professor, then receiving his full Professor appointment in 1968. Throughout his career Wood worked tirelessly to develop and sustain a county-wide 4‑H program which met the diverse needs of all of his clientele and had a major impact in the lives of youth. He retired in 1978, following 30 outstanding and successful years of service to youth.