Martha Van Rensselaer (1864-1932), co-founder of the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University, will be inducted posthumously into the National 4-H Hall of Fame during the National 4-H Conference ceremonies March 22-23 in Chevy Chase, Md.

Van Rensselaer is being honored as a significant early contributor to 4-H programs in New York state. She was the first state club leader in 1915 and was influential in the development of literature on nutrition and other home economics-related areas used in early 4-H programming for girls. Her support was critical in expanding 4-H throughout New York state, says Patsy Brannon, dean of the College of Human Ecology.

"We at Cornell are proud of the pioneering work of Martha Van Rensselaer in bringing new research findings to the daily lives of rural women and their families through extension programs," Brannon said. "Her induction into the National 4-H Hall of Fame recognizes the long-lasting impact this work has had."

Van Rensselaer began her career at Cornell by organizing an extension program for New York state's rural women and headed the Department of Home Economics from its inception in 1908. Her duties expanded when the Cornell Board of Trustees established a School of Home Economics in 1919; in 1925 the New York State College of Home Economics, now the College of Human Ecology, was established. Much of the college is now housed in Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, a building for which she helped secure funding. Van Rensselaer died in 1932.

The National 4-H Hall of Fame was unveiled in 2002 as a 4-H centennial project of the National 4-H Association of Extension 4-H Agents in partnership with the National 4-H Council and National 4-H Headquarters, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.