SIDNEY — The way Gwen Battles sees it, when someone has been involved with an organization for 60 years, it’s only right to recognize him or her.
Battles, 85, of Sidney, has been recognized by the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service for her 60-year membership and service to the Sharp County Extension Homemakers Club. The Extension Homemakers Club, which is through the Cooperative Extension Service, teaches members various homemaking skills and uses them to give back to the community.
“I’ve been in the club all these years, and I know what they do, and if somebody says they’ve been in there 60 years, you naturally are going to recognize them,” said Battles, who is originally from Cave City. “That’s just part of it.”
The Sharp County Extension Homemakers Club has local clubs in Sidney, Cherokee Village and Hardy.
Battles said she first joined the Sidney club after some encouragement from a family member.
“I was real young, and I took home ec in high school, but I never joined a club like that of women,” she said.
The club took part in a lot of quilting, which at the time was something Battles did not know how to do but learned through the club.
“I went and quilted about 6 inches that first time,” she said. “I thought, ‘They’ll take it out when I leave because it’s not as good as theirs was.’ They didn’t, and it encouraged me, and I love to quilt now.”
Battles said the club held demonstrations on quilting, preparing meals and other skills. Because she was raised on a farm, she said, there were many skills she had learned, such as how to bake a turkey, but it was still important for those who didn’t know how.
“Some people want to learn one thing, and the others want to learn another, and if there is something that you’re interested in, we usually bring it up, and we try to do it,” she said. “And that’s how we do.”
Battles said she has been president of the Sidney club many times and was once president of the countywide club.
“It was just a little bigger than being president of your [local] club,” she said. “It was the whole county, but it was no different than being president of the [local] club, except I had to go to Ash Flat for the meetings. You hold the meeting. You are the one that stands in front, and you have the meeting planned, and different ones who have different demonstrations.”
Battles, who was a stay-at-home mother, was also the mayor of Sidney from 1991 to 2007.
“I tried to do the best for the town,” she said. “I finally told them, ‘I’m not going to do this anymore. I’m not running because that was enough.’”
One of the Sidney club’s projects is overseeing the maintenance of the local cemetery to keep it free of weeds. Battles said it’s one of the best projects the club has had.
“I like [the cemetery] to look like somebody cares, even if they’re gone. … We have somebody that keeps it clean. If it rains a lot, it just grows up, and that, I think, is so sad,” Battles said.
The club also makes sure families that are grieving have a meal, Battles said.
“When someone dies, they take food to a place where the family is going to be or at the church, if they have a kitchen, and I think that’s a wonderful thing,” she said.
Chelsea Maguffee, Sharp County family and consumer sciences agent, has been in her role for two years but said she’s heard many stories of Battles’ years with the club.
“Since I’ve been here, she has always been willing to hold meetings at her house and help others and invite others,” Maguffee said.
Maguffee said the club and its projects, such as the cemetery maintenance, help the county.
“It’s important because with all of their volunteer work that they do, that all goes back to the county where they’re volunteering their time, and it’s money that the county is not having to spend,” Maguffee said. “They’re always willing to help.”
Last year, among the three Sharp County Extension Homemakers Clubs, 4,538 hours of service were volunteered.
Battles said her family is a blessing and that she’s thankful that she’s still active. She enjoys reading and traveling and has been to Israel, Canada and all over the U.S., she said.
She said the Extension Homemakers Club is a worthwhile experience.
“You have friendships that you probably wouldn’t have had if you didn’t belong to it,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed it all these years, or I wouldn’t have stayed with it.”
Staff writer Syd Hayman can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or shayman@arkansasonline.com.