This would be an accomplishment for any 4-H agent. But for this woman, her ability to walk to the podium where she will receive the honor is an accomplishment in itself.

Almost 10 years ago, Mrs. Beckham was involved in an accident that left her unable to walk and faced with a diagnosis that she would never walk again. Slowly, Mrs. Beckham proved her doctors wrong.

And now, all the hard work that she gave of herself to help members of 4-H before she was injured is being rewarded.

Mrs. Beckham, 48, joined the 4-H organization when she was a 9-year-old growing up on an Angus beef ranch in Cooke County.

“You never had to grow up,” Mrs. Beckham said of her involvement in the organization. “You could always be a kid.”

The experience had such an impact on her that after college she began an 18-year-long career as one of the first professional extension agents in Texas.

She began in Grayson County, then on to Lubbock before finally ending up in Bell County. In all, she worked with about 1,700 clubs throughout her career, she said. Mrs. Beckham’s duties involved organizing programs and helping children prepare for livestock, fashion, craft and other types of shows.

She met her husband, Guy Beckham, 61, in the summer of 1989 during a livestock show.

According to those who knew and worked with her, she was well liked by the children she mentored.

“She was really personal with everybody she knew,” said Kelly Brown, now 24, who was a member of the Bartlett 4-H club. “She was always very, very helpful.”

Her husband noted her dedication for the job while she worked for the organization.

“From the very first time I met her, it never changed,” Guy said. “She spent many, many evenings away from home at 4-H clubs around the county. She dedicated much of her time to the kids and the program.”

From 1997 to 1998, she also served as president of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents.

But unforeseen circumstances forced Mrs. Beckham into early retirement.

On Dec. 18, 1998, she was severely injured in a car accident when her Ford truck ran off FM 439 near Nolan Estates and hit a tree.

“The doctors for 17 days came to me and just didn’t give me any hope at all,” Guy said. “But she lived.”

Though she survived the accident, injuries to her brain stem left her unable to speak and walk. Doctors told the couple that Mrs. Beckham probably wouldn’t recover those abilities.

But after four years of rehabilitation, she regained the ability to walk. Mrs. Beckham is now able to work out and do household chores. She walks with the assistance of Tracy Miller, a care facilitator the Beckhams hired in 2002. Mrs. Beckham also has recovered some of her speaking ability.

“We’re still in the recovery progress. It’s been very difficult for everybody because so many things were taken away,” Guy said. “She’s been a trooper through it all, though. She never lost her intensity. She never lost her will.”

Progress did not come quickly, though.

“I think my journey’s been much slower than I wanted it to be,” she said. “But it’s because of God. It’s his time, not my time.”

The induction is reserved for agents who are deceased or who have been retired for at least 10 years.

Every year 15-20 inductees are honored, said Preston Sides, assistant director emeritus of the Texas cooperative.

The Department of Agriculture as well as each state can nominate one person each year through the state’s 4-H office, Sides said.

Agents are nominated based on the impact they made on the organization, regionally and nationally.

“I’m really proud of her,” Ms. Brown said. “But it’s something that I would expect for her to accomplish because of all the wonderful things she’s done over the years.”