IOWA COUNTY
Starting in the early 1930s, the Driscoll family became involved in Iowa County 4-H.
At that time, the Troy Tip Toppers, girls’ 4-H club, was led by Pearl Driscoll. The boys clubs were known as “project clubs,” meaning each type of livestock had its own club: beef club, dairy club, swine club and so forth. These clubs were county-wide clubs. John V. Driscoll was the leader of the beef club. Jack Driscoll and his sister Virginia were members of these clubs.
Sometime in the late 1930s or early 1940s, township clubs came into being. The Driscolls belonged to the Troy York Hawkeyes club. Girls and boys clubs were segregated at that time.
It wasn't until the 1970s that a girl could show livestock and belong only to the girls club. Prior to this time, a girl would have to belong to both a girls’ club and a boys’ club if she wanted to have home economic projects in addition to livestock projects.
In the mid 1950s, C. Elliott Driscoll joined 4-H, and by the late part of the decade, Jack Driscoll and Orville Von Ahsen were the leaders of the Troy York Hawkeyes. Around this same time, Jack Driscoll became the beef superintendent for the Iowa County Fair and held this position for approximately 30 years.
In mid-1950, the 4-H Shamrocks club started in Parnell. Rita (Leahy) Driscoll was a charter member of that club and her mother, Helen Leahy, was one of the inaugural leaders for the club.
In the early 1960s, Doc Garringer replaced Von Ahsen as a leader of the Troy York Hawkeyes.
By 1964, Elliott graduated and he began mentoring younger brother Erle Driscoll, who was in 4-H until 1972.
In the early 1970s, the idea of project clubs came back into being and Elliott became the leader of the Swine Club. Around the same time, the Rodney Clubb family, who lived at the Driscoll farm, known as Walridge Farms, showed Walridge livestock in the Iowa County Fair.
Erle’s wife, Renee, an Iowa County 4-Her herself, was the leader of the Troy Tip Toppers for several years. In the early 1980s Elliott's oldest daughters, Veronica (Driscoll) Heitman and Theresa (Driscoll) Wendhausen joined the Troy Tip Toppers 4-H club. In the mid-80s, the Troy Tip Toppers club combined with the Troy York Hawkeyes and brothers, John and Joe Driscoll joined the club while mother, Rita, was the leader with Ken Trimpe and Dick Schwarting. Rita continued on as the leader for approximately 25 years while the other four Elliott Driscoll children, Jim Driscoll, Mary Ann (Driscoll) Keenen, Jerry Driscoll and Eileen Driscoll as well as the Erle Driscoll children, Patrick and Bridget (Driscoll) Mahoney, competed in Iowa County 4-H. This fourth generation of Driscoll involvement ended when Elliott’s youngest daughter, Eileen, graduated from high school.
In 2007, the fifth generation of Driscoll involvement began when Veronica (Driscoll) Heitman’s oldest child, Cassy, joined the Pilot 4-Hers club. Currently, she is joined in the club by her siblings Ivan, Megan and Audrey Heitman; Carson and Caleb Wendhausen (Theresa’s sons), and Jack and Katie Driscoll (John’s children). Joe Driscoll’s three kids, Andy, Erin and Erica also participate in IA County 4-H as members of the Parnell Peppers club.
Stay tuned for continued Driscoll participation in Iowa County 4-H!