"I believe in the 4‑H program with all my heart. During my career, I worked hard to mentor 4‑H members to set and work towards goals, to be leaders in their communities, to be respectful and to make good decisions. My most important job as a County 4‑H Agent was to maintain contact with the volunteer 4‑H leaders, to motivate and support them, and keep up their morale”.
Biography: Francis Mansue received his BS Degree in Agriculture from Rutgers University in 1942. After serving in the U.S. Army for 4 years, Mansue started his 4‑H Cooperative Extension career in 1946 as the Passaic County 4‑H Agent for 6 years and then worked as the 4‑H Agent in Ocean County for 12 years before becoming the Associate 4‑H Extension Leader for the College of Agriculture & Environmental Science in 1964. It was the experience Fran had “working in the trenches as a county 4‑H agent” which made him an effective Chair for the New Jersey 4‑H Youth Development Department. His practical application of that experience and vision for the future allowed him to position the New Jersey 4‑H Program towards doing more work in an increasingly urban environment. He obtained a $150,000 grant to establish a first of its kind, inner-city 4‑H program in Newark, NJ. In 1973, he accepted the role of 4‑H Department Chair for Rutgers Cooperative Extension until he retired five years later. Mansue completed over 32 years of professional service in the New Jersey 4‑H Youth Development Program. After his retirement in 1978, Mr. Mansue continued his 4‑H involvement by establishing the New Jersey 4‑H Development Fund and serving on a part-time basis as Acting Executive Director.