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Cape May Court House – The Cape May County Board of Agriculture recently purchased a new bench for the 4-H Fairgrounds in memory of longtime Board of Agriculture and 4-H supporters Leslie C. Rea and Jeannette Rea-Keywood. The bench honoring the Reas can be found in the front of the 4-H Fairgrounds where they spent much time at the Board of Agriculture’s Chicken BBQ during the annual 4-H Fair.
Leslie C. Rea of West Cape May passed away January 2022. He was a proud farmer his entire life, owning and working the land that had been in his family for over 100 years. Les had many leadership roles in Cape May County including serving as president of the CMC Board of Ag and the Beach Plum Association. He served as a delegate to State Ag Convention and NJ Farm Bureau. He was also a strong supporter of the 4-H Youth Development Program and served as chairman of the Advisory Council for Rutgers Cooperative Extension of CMC.
Les’ daughter Jeannette Rea-Keywood passed away December 2021. From her beginnings as a Cape May County 4-H youth at the age of seven, through her many years dedicated to her education, many years as a 4-H agent in Cumberland County, to her decade as a state 4-H agent for the New Jersey 4-H Youth Development Program at Rutgers University, Jeannette was a true 4-Her and one of our Cape May County 4-H own.
Linda Horner, Cape May County 4-H Program Coordinator, said, “The Rea Family has contributed so much to Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County through the years. This bench is just a small token to honor and remember all they did for Agriculture in Cape May County, the 4-H Youth Development Program and the RCE of Cape May County community.”
If you would like to purchase a bench in honor of a loved one and place it on the 4-H Fairgrounds, forms are available at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office, 355 Courthouse-South Dennis Road, CMCH, NJ 08210. For more information, call 609-465-5115, ext. 3605.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County educational programs are offered to all without regard to race, religion, color, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
