Growing up Bo Ryles knew that he wanted to work with 4-H. He figured he’d be a county agent and work with local 4-H’ers on poultry judging and musicals. However, after serving almost every staff position in 4-H from camp counselor to district agent, Ryles became the state 4-H leader 16 years ago. And after decades of promoting “head, heart, hands and health,” Ryles is hanging up his green clover tie and retiring.
“I have a whole lot of fun and get paid for it,” Ryles said.
Doctorate, Adult Education, UGA, 1996
At UGA: 28 years
Every year, he oversees the 165,000-180,000 members of Georgia 4-H from fifth graders to high school state officers. He travels to the five 4-H centers and to all the state’s 159 counties, and admits to having driven 1,000 miles a week for his job in the past. He’s since cut down on mileage, but still treks to Atlanta and Rock Eagle on a regular basis.
He’s been involved in 4-H since he was a fifth grader playing the piano and planting tomatoes in 1966. He was on 4-H teams judging poultry and land. He can still recount exactly how to judge a chicken-look at the chicken’s coloring, the size of the beak and even eggs. Every summer he helps put together and direct Clovers and Company, the Georgia 4-H performing arts group that he’s been involved with since day one.
Ryles, who many youngsters call “Dr. Bo,” said that he’s worked for UGA and 4-H since he was 18, except for the one school year he took off. The week after he graduated high school, Ryles went to work as a 4-H program assistant. He worked as a 4-H camp counselor every summer, which he said was the most fun he ever had.
“I laughed harder and cried longer than ever before in life because of experiences had and memories built,” he said of camp. “What stands out are memories of kids who so often rewarded you with great big smiles because they learned to swim, hit a softball, made it through their first week away from home.”
He went on to a 4-H internship under the late Sen. Herman Talmadge. In 1980, Ryles graduated from UGA and went to work as a county agent in Thomson before transferring to Clarke County. After seven years in Athens, he joined the state 4-H staff as a specialist for animal projects. He then became a district agent, working in different districts for seven years. These positions all led to his current job, which he calls “the greatest thing that happened in my education.”
Ryles had planned on retiring in two years, but because of state budget cuts is taking an early-retirement plan option offered to 35 faculty in the college.
“It’s a win-win-win,” he said. “I’m in administration and numbers-wise, we’ve got to have these people retire and I can step forward and do it myself and it will help the organization.
It’s great for me and my family,” he added.
Ryles, who officially retired Aug. 1, will work with the 4-H Foundation in a part-time capacity until February. He’ll be working on special 4-H projects and initiatives, particularly endowments, on youth and adult partnerships in community affairs and projects involving youth in prisons.
Leading up to his retirement, he spent much of his summer right back where he started, working with young 4-H’ers and even supervising a cabin of boys at Camp Wahsega.
