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CORVALLIS - Heather Turner of Salem is the 1997 recipient of the $5,500 Leo G. Spitzbart Memorial Scholarship for her work in 4-H and participation in the Oregon State Fair.

The Spitzbart scholarship honors the late Leo Spitzbart, manager of the Oregon State Fair from 1935 to 1957, according to Duane Johnson, Oregon State University Extension 4-H youth development specialist. The award is given to an outstanding 4-H member who has participated in State Fair and who plans to attend OSU.

Turner, daughter of Dale and Janice Turner, is a senior at Western Mennonite High School in Salem. A 4-H member since 1987, she was in charge of the 4-H food exhibits at the State Fair, a responsibility that included the safekeeping and display of hundreds of entries from around the state. In addition, she served as a staff member of the 4-H dormitory.

Among her many community service activities, Turner taught a class on English as a foreign language, established a program for 4-H members to sew baby clothes for the Healthy Start program and served as a volunteer at Salem Hospital.

In addition to her 4-H project work, Turner has been a junior 4-H leader and a team leader at OSU's 4-H Summer Days. She served as a 4-H Ambassador in 1995 and 1996, and attended the National 4-H Congress in Tennessee in 1996.

Turner carries a 4.0 grade point average at Western Mennonite High School and is ranked first in her senior class.