Giving Back

You join 4-H as a young, curious 9-year-old who desires nothing more than to succeed in something of your very own.

You close your eyes and imagine. One day, in the far away future, you could have your very own 4-H corduroy jacket that truly defines all the blood, sweat and tears you have put into the project you began in your first year of 4-H.

Finally, the end of the year banquet arrives. All the time and hard work you have put into your project is about to pay off. Your name gets called, soon you can feel the thick, but soft, ribbed fabric upon your shoulders.

This joyous moment is what dozens of 4-H members have felt since Kent and Barbara Houck began donating two 4-H corduroy jackets each year to present to outstanding first year 4-H members in Payne County.

Barbara Houck’s love for 4-H began in Pauls Valley in Garvin County. She involved herself in everything she possibly could in her nine-year membership, she said.

“The first [project] we had were Hampshire pigs,” Barbara Houck said. “And so, we showed the Hampshire pigs. And then later, daddy sold the pigs, and we got into registered Angus and showed black Angus.”

As she began to reminisce on her times in the show ring, tears gleamed in her eyes. She remembered her days in 4-H as if they happened yesterday, she said.

Throughout her years in 4-H, Barbara Houck won many awards for her projects and activities, including top 10 dress revue at 4-H Roundup, 4-H Congress in Kansas City, Garvin County Hall of Fame winner and State 4-H Hall of Fame winner. As an adult, she was inducted into the Oklahoma 4-H Alumni Hall of Fame.

 When Kent Houck married into the Butler 1960 Farm Bureau Farm Family of the Year, he needed to “buckle his seat belt” he said, for he was in for an agriculture-and 4-H-filled ride like he had never experienced before.

“Barbara was in 4-H all her life,” he said. “I worked my way through high school. So, I was in athletics. I played baseball and basketball. 4-H in Stillwater was a big deal but not for my family.

“And so, she and her five sisters raised hogs, cattle, and they were rodeo queens,” he said. “Their family was all involved in, 4-H and obviously I with them when we got married.”

The couple has received the Oklahoma 4-H Partner award as well as being recognized with a state award at 4-H Round-up for outstanding service in 4-H.

The Houck’s stay involved in 4-H Round-up. They have emceed at the 4-H Round-up awards assembly, judged contests and often assist with the Key Club.

Kent Houck plays in the Clover Classic Golf Tournament each year, a tournament the 4-H Foundation hosts to raise money for 4-H youth.

Every year, the Houcks donate towards scholarship programs in addition to the two 4-H jackets they give to Payne County 4-H.

Dea Rash became a Payne County 4-H educator in 1991. Soon after she needed a sponsor for the annual outstanding first-year 4-H member corduroy jackets. She reached out to the Houcks. Without hesitation, they said “yes,” Rash said.

“They are very faithful and committed to the kids,” Rash said. “They will sit with the kids at our banquet and learn and find out about their projects.”

Along with giving back to 4-H, Kent and Barbara Houck give back to the Stillwater community in many ways, Kent Houck said.

Together, they own Houck Agency LLC, specializing in insurance and real estate. The business began with Kent Houck’s dad, he said.

“We've actually been on this street corner since 1951, one of the oldest insurance agencies [in the area],” Kent Houck said. “Dad started across the street, and Barb and I moved over here.”

Being long-time members of the community has allowed them to plant their roots and grow into every part of the community.

They have been inducted into the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame and awarded Stillwater’s Outstanding Small Business.

Their successes have allowed them to sponsor not only 4-H but also Little League teams and Boy Scouts. These organizations challenge individuals to another level, Kent Houck said.

“With all of these you learn character and life skills,” Kent Houck said. “One of the reasons we sponsor 4-H and Boy Scouts and athletics [is] because [in] those three organizations, if done right, you learn integrity. You just learn how to be a [good] person.”

Kent and Barbara Houck are a staple in Oklahoma, who have left a lasting impact on all who have had the privilege to know them. Their names will live on for generations to come.