EIF-B_Where We Come From

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‘He inspired so many students’ Irv Meier was a dedicated teacher, coach and mentor BY NANCY MAYFIELD EASTERN IOWA FARMER When Louisa County’s 4-H livestock judging team went to Denver for nationals in January 2023, they each had a small stone cross in their pockets in memory of a very special mentor. Irv Meier, the coach who had started the club, died unexpectedly at age 72 the previous Dec. 12 in the midst of planning for the high school students’ trip, leaving them keenly feeling his absence. “It really meant something to them to have that remembrance,” said Joyce Stover, an assistant coach who handles travel and logistics. While Meier had retired as an ag teacher and FFA leader at Wapello High School a few years prior, he continued helping kids grow through 4-H and FFA, said Steve Bohlen, Wapello High School principal and Meier’s long-time colleague. “He inspired so many students,” Bohlen said, noting that many went on to ag careers. “The program was very successful. I’ve never seen a guy spend so much time working on contests and seeing the success that he did. He was dedicated,” Bohlen said. And his students found success, earning many awards. “It was nice for the kids to win all those trophies, and he was happy for them, but he was more interested in what type of people they became,” he said. Meier was inducted into the 2022 Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame from Louisa County. In her nomination, Kathy Jolly Vance recounted how Meier grew up in the 1950s and ’60s in Wright County. “He was living just outside of a town there, and he was a perfect candidate for a 4-H club, so his parents signed him up – and he loved it,” she said. An Iowa State University graduate, he taught in the Dysert School District before Wapello. He worked with hundreds of students through the FFA program, inspiring students to work hard and succeed. A big project was staging the annual Wapello ProRodeo, which FFA students plan and manage. Proceeds go toward the program and for scholarships. The arena at the rodeo grounds was named in Meier’s honor last year. Once he retired from teaching, “the siren call of 4-H caught up with him,” Vance said. Meier approached Vance, the sinceretired extension director at the time, with the idea of a club for meats and livestock judging. He tackled that plan with the enthusiasm that was the hallmark of his career, she said. What started as a small special interest club in 2018 morphed into a team that has seen national success, Vance said. Stover said Meier had a way of motivating people and supporting them. “He was tough, but the students also had great respect for him,” Stover said. Her oldest son, Justin, was the FFA chapter president while in high school. After he was in college, Meier approached him about applying for his American Degree. “That would have never happened without Mr. Meier,” Stover said. It was the first American Degree for Wapello FFA. “He had the kids’ respect.” Both Bohlen and Stover laughed as they recounted Meier’s hands-on approach, evident from the state of the classroom. “His room looked like a tornado sometimes. If they were doing something for plant identification, he had all the plants laid out. If they were preparing for a soil competition, the soil was there. If they were doing dairy contest, you might go to the refrigerator and see old cheese and spoiled milk,” Bohlen said. His passion for providing hands-on learning opportunities morphed into such projects as the school’s greenhouse built with help from the Grimm Brothers, students and other volunteers. People recounted all the behind-thescenes tasks he did that flew under the radar, such as creating a software program to tabulate scores for judging contests for FFA, as well as one for wrestling scoring. The Louisa County Livestock Judging Team he founded placed 4th in the nation in Louisville for North American International Livestock Expo Livestock Judging contest in November, under the direction of Wyatt Orr, who took over coaching duties. Team member Drew Totemeier placed 4th overall and earned All-American Status. “These were Irv’s boys,” Stover said. “Irv set the base, and Wyatt did an excellent job preparing them with their workouts locally and in Kentucky.” When they returned from their Louisville trip at 6 p.m. on a <strong>We</strong>dnesday night, the team’s first stop was the Louisa County Fairgrounds to visit the tree they had planted in his honor. n 98 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | SPRING 2024 eifarmer.com
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