Beatrice”Bee”Gladwell of Buckeye, Pocahontas County, recently received the National 4-H Alumni award for her service as a 4-H member and leader for more than three-quarters of a century.

Gladwell joined the Buckeye Winners 4-H Club when she was 10 years old and became the groups leader when she was 16. Now 88, Gladwell has been the leader of that club for 72 consecutive years.

Last month, she and several family members and friends traveled to Washington, D.C., where she along with eight others received the alumni award from the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman. Other recipients of the award included the speaker of the House of Representatives; the U.S. secretaries of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Education; a retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and the editor of Successful Farming.

The Buckeye Winners 4-H Club meets monthly in Gladwells home. At one time, she was leader of three 4-H clubs, including two in Marlinton.

In 1935, Gladwell was one of four West Virginia representatives attending the National 4-H Camp in Washington, D.C. Her other 4-H highlights include winning the State 4-H Alumni Award in 1961 and the Pocahontas County Outstanding All Star Award in 2001.

A teacher in the public schools for 65 years, Gladwell was named West Virginia Teacher of the Year in 1970.

In West Virginia, 4-H is sponsored by the West Virginia University Extension Service, county governments and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Shirley Wilkins, WVU Extension agent in Pocahontas County, nominated Gladwell for the national award.