Karyn Hamilton has been a proud member of Lewis and Clark County 4-H since her elementary school days growing up near Hauser Dam. She still has her record book from those days and noted that while getting to meetings might have been hard, she did it, and has been at 4-H meetings for more than 56 years.

In 1969, Hamilton was in 4-H as an adult volunteer advising her son’s citizenship team. Add another few decades, growing children, and grandchildren, a dog grooming business, and a lot of square-dancing, yet she shows no sign of slowing down. Throughout the years, Hamilton continued weaving her life with the green thread of 4-H.

Hamilton holds the Goat Project in high esteem and is proud that she expanded the program for Montana 4-H members. She has remained connected to the Dairy Goat project as it has evolved over the years that she’s been with 4-H. She had a hand in the expansion of the 4-H Goat Project: at a state meeting she campaigned for a meat classification so that dairy goat members with wethers (which are castrated males) would have a way to use goat offspring. Today, there is both a Dairy Goat project and a Market Goat project.

Hamilton has been the Lewis and Clark County 4-H Goat Superintendent for many years and most recentlysponsored an Independent Study on Best Practices of Goat Breeding, ensuring members can continue to grow the project and grow personally with the support of her leadership. Her youngest son’s three daughters all did the Goat Project, and yes, Hamilton still has goats of her own. “I have two does and 14 Nigerians, but the goats are mostly self-sufficient. I do still go to the feed store. We also have ducks, geese, and chickens.” She shares the acres she lives on with one of her sons and granddaughters. She noted that the family is close; her other son lives just two miles away as the crow flies. And they share in chores when they’re needed.

Karyn at a 4-H banquet

Photo: E. Brush Photography

Hamilton raised two boys, and the oldest was still in 4-H when the youngest started. She advocated for a multi-use building at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds that was named in honor of her late husband Bill (and has supported fundraising for building maintenance and upgrades over the years). The building hosts hundreds of workshops, speakers, events — including the fair — and dozens of planning meetings throughout the year.

Practical and plain-spoken, Hamilton’s reason for spending a lifetime with 4-H: “I keep doing it because 4-H shows kids what they can achieve. The opportunities and encouragement are there to help them get started.”

She noted the element of success that she’s seen in 4-H members over time, mentioning Marc King, a quiet kid in her club back in the day in Helena, who has been an MSU Extension agent in Sweet Grass County for more than 30 years. It’s unsurprising to learn that King is also well-known for raising livestock, mentoring 4-H members, and setting a standard of success.

"I keep doing it because 4-H shows kids what they can achieve. The opportunities and encouragement are there to help them get started.”

Hamilton keeps up with the needs of today’s 4-H youth by staying involved in various 4-H programs as a leadership member of the Outdoor Livestock Committee and coordinating educational displays to share with the public during the Lewis and Clark County Last
Chance Stampede and Rodeo, where more than 50,000 Montanans visit the fairgrounds and learn about 4-H. She is currently the President of the 4-H Foundation in Lewis and Clark County.

Saying she’d like to eventually retire some of her ties with 4-H, she also conceded, “I still want to help with the Goat Program. I feel called to care for it after my time investment.” Hamilton also serves as a member of the Lewis and Clark County 4-H Building Committee, Council, and Foundation. “I’m not a sit-around type of person. I enjoy the 4-H work, and between that and square dancing, I had a dog grooming shop and just finished a merchandising job two years ago. I’m the square dance secretary of the club and state, and a representative for the West.”

“I still want to help with the goat program. I feel called to care for it after my time investment.”

Hamilton has given to 4-H over the long span of years for the simple satisfaction of being able to help kids and see them achieve if they want to. She likened it to her experience of endurance horse rides, “There’s satisfaction in having a sound horse after 50 or 100 miles of riding, where the goal is not about a win, but about what you’ve put into the horse and doing your best over time.”

She had easy advice for encouraging volunteers, “Just ask. Most of the time, asking is all it takes.”

Hamilton’s work has been celebrated in recent years. In 2023, she was inducted into the Montana 4-H Foundation Hall of Fame. This summer, she attended the 2025 Last Chance Stampede 4-H Appreciation Night along with her son, David Hamilton, who received the Spirit of the West Award, recognizing his commitment to Montana, Lewis and Clark County, and the spirit of giving and honoring a Western way of life. He’s spent time volunteering with 4-H Livestock shows since 1995 and has been the 4-H Outdoor Livestock Chairman for the Stampede for 10 years. Combined, Karyn and David have volunteered for Lewis and Clark County 4-H for more than 80 years.

One of the 4-H mottos was ‘Learn by Doing,’ and Karyn has learned a lot and keeps on learning. She recently turned 83, but said about 4-H, “As long I’m healthy, I’ll stay with it.”

Hamilton continues to voice her goals for 4-H. She said, “I can’t get out of 4-H yet. It’s just nice to see that we’re helping kids from families that may need financial support, even for some in-state events and travel, so that kids can attend events where they continue learning and meeting people. That support makes worthwhile opportunities.”

the Bill Hamilton multi-use building

The Bill Hamilton Building, a multi-purpose building at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds, is named in honor of Karyn’s late husband Bill Hamilton.

Sara Adlington is the MSU Extension Editor and Publications Coordinator.