4-H leaders honor Clementa Pinckney

High school sophomores and juniors across South Carolina are at Clemson University this week for a leadership conference named for the late Sen. Clementa Pinckney. The 4-H Clementa Pinckney Leadership Conference began yesterday, a little more than a year after Pinckney and eight fellow churchgoers were killed June 17, 2015, during a Bible study group meeting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. “Rev. Pinckney was a role model, a mentor, a positive force for children to emulate then and still today,” said South Carolina 4-H program leader Pamela Ardern. “A 4-H alumnus himself, Rev. Pinckney often spoke eloquently of the impact 4-H had on his life. We wanted to honor that with the creation of a conference that will prepare some of our state’s brightest young people to be leaders in their communities.” Pinckney was a strong advocate of the 4-H program and in April was recipient of the 4-H Distinguished Alumni Medallion from the National 4-H Council. The award was presented to his wife, Jennifer, during a ceremony in Washington, D.C.  South Carolina 4-H selected 25 students to attend the conference. To apply, students had to write an essay on leadership and receive a letter of recommendation from their high school principals.