Barry Dunn became the fourth alumnus to be president of South Dakota State University in 2016. Dunn received his B.S degree in biology in 1975, M.S. in animal science in 1977, and Ph.D. in animal science in 2000 from South Dakota State University. Between 1979 and 1996 he ran his family’s ranch near Mission, S.D. From 1997 to 2004, he was an Extension livestock specialist and an assistant professor at South Dakota State in the Department of Animal and Range Science. In 2004, he joined the faculty at Texas A&M University-Kingsville as executive director of the King Ranch Institute for Range Management. In 2010, Dunn returned to SDSU to become the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council endowed dean of the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences. In addition, he was also the director of SDSU Extension and a professor of animal science.

Reed “Rocky” G. Hart, Jr. was born to Reed Sr. and Marie (Johannsen) Hart on August 4, 1926, in Pipestone, Minnesota. He grew up in Pipestone and graduated from high school in 1944. After graduating from high school, he entered the United States Army and served until the end of World War II. Hart started at the University of Minnesota in 1947, where he was part of the freshman football team. He was recalled into the service of the United States Army during the Korean conflict. He returned to the University of Minnesota and graduated with a B.S. in 1955. / Hart worked on government contracts around the world, including Greenland, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He also lived in Washington, D.C.; San Diego, California; and New Orleans, Louisiana. / While employed in Kwajalein (part of the Marshall Islands) and again in Saudi Arabia, he established jogging leagues. The scrapbook “1975 Kwajalein Jogging Program” states, “October 8 [1975] Kwajalein loses Rocky Hart, bachelor status with Global Associates, [who] will be leaving for South Dakota. Rocky has been a Kwaj resident for 8½ years and during that time organized the [jogging] club in 1968 and in the last five years has organized jogs, special events for the club and he even makes all the awards and trophies himself at the Special Services Hobby Shop.” / Once he retired, Hart returned to Pipestone, Minnesota, to be near his family and later moved Egan, Minnesota. While retired, he formed the All-Star Jogging League for runners in southwestern Minnesota and southeastern South Dakota. At its peak, the club had nearly 150 joggers; it has since been disbanded. / Reed Hart died July 14, 2014, at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

John Heston came to South Dakota State in 1896. Previously, he was the president of Washington State College. Under Heston’s guidance, the college saw an increase in enrollment and the construction of new campus buildings such as Solberg Hall. He also introduced electives, majors and minors, and specialized Bachelor's degrees including the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Agriculture, and Bachelor of Engineering. Heston oversaw the formation of new departments such as music and foreign languages in the liberal arts, and mechanical, agricultural and electrical divisions in engineering. He also emphasized the necessity for teaching sciences such as biology, chemistry, and physics in the study of agriculture. Heston had an uneasy relationship with the regents. In 1903, the regents dismissed him as president of South Dakota State, and installed him as the president of Dakota State University in 1905.

Emil Jacobsen was born August 8, 1903 to Armus and Elvina Jacobsen. Armus immigrated to America in 1881 and met Elvina in Iowa and they later wed. Emil had two sisters, Hilda and Lucile. The Jacobsen family remained near Rock Valley, Iowa for the majority of their lives. Emil went to South Dakota State Agricultural College for two years, 1922 to 1923. Emil married Ruby Ingebord. Together they had six children: Russel, David, Marilyn, Roy, James and Stanley. Emil passed away August 4, 1998.

Lyman Jackson became president of South Dakota State in 1940. He received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Wisconsin, and Ph. D. from the University of Minnesota. Jackson was junior dean of agriculture at the Ohio State University prior to arriving at South Dakota State. He became president just before the United States entered World War II. The impact of the war on the college was great, with decreased enrollment, the use of college buildings as barracks, and rationing. During his tenure, Jackson established the Junior College Division. This plan separated the freshman and sophomore students from the upper-class students, instituted student advising, and established rules and regulations for overseeing the student body. Jackson also made changes to the School of Agriculture to help it run more efficiently. One of the most daunting tasks during his term was in preparing the college for the return of the veterans and the many students who had left to aid in the war efforts, and administering the GI Bill. He resigned his position as president in 1946 to become dean of agriculture at Pennsylvania State University.

Delmar R. Johnson was born July 17, 1947 in Mitchell, South Dakota. He received his BS in Mathematics from South Dakota State University in 1969. He received a Master of Education from the same institution in 1991. / Johnson started his career at South Dakota State University in 1969 as a programmer. He taught mathematics and computer programming from 1969-1974. In 1982, he accepted a position as Co-director of the Computing Center. He eventually, became the director of University Computing Services. He continued in this capacity until 2003. He then became the director of Administrative and Research Computing. / Del Johnson retired from the university in 2012.

John P. (Johan Peter) Johnson was born July 5, 1854 in Snostorp, Sweden and died January 27, 1934 in Sioux Falls. He married on March 25, 1879.

Dr. W. Carter Johnson is Distinguished Professor of Ecology at South Dakota State University in Brookings. He received a B.S. in Biology from Augustana College in 1968 and a Ph. D. in Botany (Plant Ecology) from North Dakota State University in 1971. Johnson began his professional career as Research Associate and Research Staff Member at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (1971-77), followed by 12 years in the Department of Biology at Virginia Tech. In 1989 he became Head of the Department of Horticulture, Forestry, Landscape, and Parks at South Dakota State University, a position held until 1995. / His research interests include river regulation and riparian forest ecology, climate change and prairie wetlands, seed dispersal in fragmented landscapes, paleoecology (climate reconstruction using tree rings; Holocene seed dispersal and plant migration) and multifunctional agriculture and agroecological restoration. His research program is strongly multi-disciplinary and inter-institutional. Dr. Johnson has published approximately 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, books and book chapters.

Willis E. Johnson came to South Dakota State College as president in 1919. He received degrees from St. Cloud State University, Illinois Wesleyan University, and the University of Minnesota. Prior to coming to South Dakota State he was president of Northern State University. Johnson was the first president to enjoy a formal inauguration. During his term, there were enormous problems with the college infrastructure and many financial difficulties resulting from World War I. Johnson was in office when many extra-curricular activities began. During his term, many student organizations were formally recognized, and intercollegiate athletics became a regular part of college life. He succeeded in opening the student bookstore and placing the post office on campus. The Printing Department also began during his term. One of his most important contributions was the creation of five divisions of study, which were precursors of today's academic colleges. The Board of Regents recognized Johnson for these contributions by naming him South Dakota State’s first president emeritus in 1923.

Inez O. Erickson Johnson was born to Martin and Julia Erickson on October 31, 1911 in Lake County, South Dakota. At the age of eight she moved with her parents to a farm near Baltic, South Dakota. She attended rural school and Baltic Grade School. She was baptized at St. Peter Lutheran Church and confirmed at East Nidaros Lutheran Church. On March 14, 1931 Inez married Henry Johnson at East Nidaros Lutheran Church. They lived and farmed on the farm of Henry' parents until they retired and moved into the town of Baltic in 1987. Henry and Inez had four children. Odel, Ivan, Dean, and Jerome. Inez became a resident of Terrace Manor Nursing Home in Dell Rapids on April 28, 1995 and died May 19, 1995 at Dell Rapids Community Hospital.

Wilma (Jean) Walters Lothrop was born July 19, 1919 in Brookings, South Dakota to William Hayes and Grace (Durland) Walters. Jean Walters graduated from Brookings High School in 1937, from South Dakota State College in 1941, and from Denver University with a Masters in Library Science. She also attended the University of Minnesota. In 1941-1942, she taught home economics and science at Langford, South Dakota, High School. On December 20, 1942 she married Eugene “Gene” Henry Lothrop of Huron, South Dakota. She was a librarian. They had two daughters Helen and Martha; and one son Robert. Jean died November 20, 2013 in Prescott, Arizona.

George Lilley became the first president of Dakota Agricultural College in 1884 when he was only 30 years old. At this time the college building was only partially complete and seeing how he would not be able to open the college without a building, Lilley gave a third of his $1,500 salary to finish three rooms of the building. On September 23, 1884, 35 students had enrolled in the preparatory course of the college. Over the next two years, the enrollment grew to 252. The first person to receive their degree from South Dakota State graduated on June 24, 1886. The regents felt Lilley was not able to maintain discipline among the students. They had also learned that Lilley had overstated his qualifications. He had not received a college degree and his title of “doctor” was honorary. Lilley submitted his resignation in 1886.

Ethel Austin was born July 14, 1893, in Storm Lake, Iowa to George and Evaline Austin. Her family moved to Brookings, South Dakota in 1902. She attended grade school and high school in Brookings. She graduated from South Dakota State College in Brookings ... »

Vera Way Marghab was co-founder and president of Emile Marghab Inc., New York, and Marghab, Ltd., Madeira. This business produced linens designed by Mrs. Marghab and embroidered by skilled artisans in Madeira. She was born to Stitzel X. Way and Kathryn Bacon Way on August 21, 1900 in Wesley, Iowa. / Begun in 1934 by Mrs. Marghab and her husband, Emile, the business sold linens exclusively in fine shops around the world. After Mr. Marghab's death in 1947, Mrs. Marghab managed the business alone until the political situation in Madeira forced her to close in 1984. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Watertown, S.D. where she expanded her childhood home "Wayland" on Lake Kampeska, and settled into the community. / In 1921, Emile Mogabgab, a British subject and native of Cyprus, began to manage the L. Tweel Importing Co. House, a manufacturer and importer of hand embroideries in Funchal, Madeira. After a brief stint with this company, Emile moved to F. M. Jabara and Bros., another embroidery firm in Funchal. Eventually, Emile and a friend, Gabriel Farra, organized a new business called Farra and Mogabgab Ltd., manufacturers of fine embroidery. The business operated in connection with the Jabara Company. In 1930, they leased the factory from Jabara and began to operate the business independently. By this time, they had buyers in England and in New York with Syrian-run firms and other importers. After Vera Way and Emile Marghab (Emile changed his name from Mogabgab at the insistence of Vera) were married in 1931, Emile's business began a period of healthy growth. The newly married couple began to live part of the year in Madeira. Vera began to show interest in Emile's business with ideas for management and production. By 1933, Gabriel Farra decided to sell his interest in the business. Emile took Vera on as a partner, and Vera and Emile immediately undertook a wide range of improvements. / The new company, now called Marghab Ltd., began to expand and improve its business. Emile and Vera attempted to raise the standard of the linens by purchasing the finest quality linen possible. Irish weavers provided linens that lived up to Marghab quality. Fine linen was not enough, however, so Vera and Emile also embarked on a quest to find a new fabric that would work well. The result was Margandie, a fabric patented by the Marghab Company. It was designed by Swiss weavers and made of the finest Egyptian cotton. / Vera Marghab was interested not only in the fabric, but also in the designs on the linens. Madeira embroiderers were held to exacting standards while embroidering designs created by Vera. Designs were repeated year after year to form a collection, an innovation of which Marghab, Ltd. was very proud. This was unheard of in the industry at the time, and helped set Marghab apart from other linen companies. / Another important improvement of the new company was the opening of a U.S. branch in 1934. Located in New York City, Emile Marghab Inc. began to work extensively on marketing the products produced in Madeira. The marketing of Marghab linens was the most distinctive feature of the business. Instead of offering the linens for sale in any shop that wished them, Vera devised a plan of creating Marghab Shops within certain larger stores. Stores chosen to house Marghab Shops had to adhere to strict standards, and agreed not to alter the very precise policy of the Marghab Shops. Among a number of strict guidelines, this policy included plans for shop layout and rules governing the display of linens. All shops were under the direction of a shop manager, personally trained by Vera Marghab. / The special plan for marketing the linens did not end with the establishment of the shops. All advertising was strictly limited as well. Shops could not advertise without prior approval of Vera. Standards for all aspects of the marketing were extremely high and under the iron hand of Vera. / The strict monitoring of the business maintained the high quality of the Marghab product and somewhat improved the business by 1947, when Emile Marghab passed away. At that time, the Board of Directors, with Vera Marghab at the helm, decided to continue the businesses. Vera continued to exercise utter control over all aspects of the business, especially the design and marketing of materials. / The Marghab business peaked around the time of Emile's death in 1947. After his death, the business started a gradual decline and the number of shops carrying Marghab linens slowly dropped off. Attitudes toward formal linens were changing, and the strict adherence to Marghab rules led to a decline in the shops. In addition, the Madeira embroidery guild, the (Gremio) made increasing demands that Vera found difficult to accept. Finally, by the late 1970's, these changes, coupled with political events in Portugal and Madeira, forced Vera to close the business and leave Madeira. Both businesses were fully dissolved by 1984. / Marghab linens, unsurpassed in quality, were world-famous. Many of the designs were used in palaces and embassies. Several are in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. A complete collection, 1,918 pieces and 282 designs, is in the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings, S.D.

Nellermoe was born in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota and graduated from Watertown High School (1944). He served in the Unites States Navy (1944-1946), and received a BA (1950) and an MA (1952) from the University of South Dakota. He also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, and the Internationale Musik Akademies in Salzburg, Austria. Nellermoe worked as a translator at various entities including the United Nations. He also taught foreign languages at Colorado State University. Nellermoe purchased the leaves from Ferdinand Roten Galleries in Baltimore.

Bill Nibbelink received his journalism degree from South Dakota State University in 1975 and then worked for the Moody County Enterprise newspaper. He met Daschle through the SDSU Democrats and worked for him during Daschle’s first two campaigns for the ... »

Roberta K. Olson was named dean of the College of Nursing at South Dakota State University in 1994. During her tenure, she increased the number of entering students each year from 136 to 304. The number of graduate students more than doubled. She established an online master’s degree program in 2002 and started a Ph.D. program in nursing in 2005, and a doctor or nursing practice degree program in 2009. / Dean Olson holds bachelors and master’s degrees in nursing from South Dakota State University. She earned a doctorate in organization and administration of higher education from Saint Louis University. She received the Sr. Bernadette Armiger Award from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. / Dean Olson conducted research in Nursing Science, Allied Health Science and Medical Science Nursing.

Kathleen Norris was born July 27, 1947 to John Heyword Norris and Lois Totten Norris. She graduated from Punahou Preparatory School, Hawaii in 1965, and from Bennington College in Vermont in 1969. After college Norris worked as arts administrator for Betty Kray, Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets, who became her good friend and mentor. / “Falling Off,” Kathleen Norris’ first book of poetry, was published in 1971 and won the Big Table Younger Poets Award that same year. Soon after, she settled down in her maternal grandparents' home in Lemmon, South Dakota, where she lived with her husband, the poet David Dwyer, for over twenty-five years. Since the death of her husband in 2003, she has transferred her place of residence to Hawaii. / The move to Lemmon was the inspiration for the first of her nonfiction books, the award-winning bestseller "Dakota: A Spiritual Geography." It was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and was selected as one of the best books of the year by Library Journal. / In 1986 Norris became an oblate, or associate, of a Benedictine monastery, Assumption Abbey in North Dakota and spent extended periods at Saint John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota. / For many years Kathleen Norris was the poetry editor of Spirituality & Health magazine. She continues to make numerous appearances, including lectures, symposia, workshops, and retreats. Norris was the Randall Distinguished Professor of Christian Culture at Providence, Rhode Island from 2014 to 2015, and is currently the nonfiction editor of the Saint Katherine Review. She also serves as an editorial advisor to Give Us This Day.

Ellwood C. Perisho was named president of South Dakota State in 1914. He had most recently been dean of arts and sciences at the University of South Dakota. Perisho received his degrees from Earlham College and the University of Chicago. During his term as president, South Dakota State became accredited by the North Central Association and started the Cooperative Extension Service. New subjects were introduced and many new buildings were built, including the stock judging pavilion, a hog plant, a poultry plant, Wecota Hall, and the Administration Building. World War I had affected the work of the college. Between 1917 and 1918, military trainees were housed on campus and given instruction for skills needed in the armed forces. Special courses in agriculture, engineering, and home economics were introduced as part of the war effort. Perisho took a leave of absence in 1918 and resigned in 1919.

Born May 5, 1927 in Westville, Illinois to John and Elsie (DeBarba) Plumart, Phillip “Phil” Edmond Plumart was “the proud son of a long line of coal miners descending from Belgium” who went on to serve SDSU for 28 years, where he was “Teacher of the Year” multiple times and recipient of its Outstanding Service Award in 1986 for service to students. After serving in the US Army (1944-1947), Phillip Plumart received his B.S. in Agriculture from the University of Illinois in 1950 and is M.S. in Poultry Science from Kansas State College/University in 1952. He continued his post-graduate work at Purdue and the University of Minnesota. / On August 4, 1956, he married Darlene Rieck of Sheboygan, WI. They had three children: Perry (Mary) Plumart, Larry (Donna) Plumart, and Rene (Phil Salisbury) Plumart. / From 1961-1974, Phil Plumart was an Assistant Professor at SDSU, and from 1975-1989, he was Associate Professor, retiring in 1989 as Professor Emeritus and Extension Poultry Specialist. During his tenure, he taught poultry management, advised animal science students and worked in extension services with both poultry and computers. In addition to the awards mentioned above, he received in 1983 the Distinguished Service Award from the SD Future Farmers of America for his involvement in poultry judging, as well as his automating of FFA rules and regulations. He also developed the computer program used in recording and tracking the thousands of 4-H entries at the SD State Fair. In addition, he was awarded “Poultryman of the Year” and the “Gip Nolan Award for Outstanding Community Service.” Among his many community activities, he was 13 years of the Brookings City Planning Commission and later served as a Brookings City Commissioner, where he oversaw the finances for the Swiftel Center and the expansion of the Brookings Public Library. His colleagues called him “peppy, not only because of his initials, but because of his boundless energy and enthusiasm.” / He died November 27, 2014 in Brookings, SD (Thanksgiving Day).

Charles William Pugsley was named president of South Dakota State in 1923 after holding the position of assistant secretary of the United States Department Agriculture under Henry C. Wallace during the Harding administration. He received his education from the University of Nebraska, where he eventually became head of the agronomy and farm management department. He reorganized the administration into a system of deans with separate administration for financial affairs. During his term, the nursing program was established, as was the Civil Aeronautics program. In addition, enrollment went from 698 to 1,376. Several buildings were constructed including the Coughlin Campanile, the Coolidge Sylvan Theatre, and the Lincoln Memorial Library, which was dedicated in 1927 by President Calvin Coolidge. Pugsley also broke ground for the first student union, which eventually was named after him. Upon his retirement in 1940, Pugsley became president emeritus.

David Richards grew up on a ranch on the Belle Fourche River about 20 east of Sturgis, South Dakota in the 1930's. He attended a one room rural school. In 1946, Richards enrolled at South Dakota State College and graduated in 1950. / During his career as a student at South Dakota State College, Richards worked on a research project with Ames, Iowa and the University of Minnesota to discover the best chemical to dwarf lawn grass. And during his senior years, he completed a research project on budding and grafting evergreens. He was on the Rifle Team, president on the Presbyterian Student group, and ROTC. / A rancher in Meade County, South Dakota, Richards has been active in the Meade County Farm Bureau for over 60 years, president of the Meade County Stockgrowers, and helped form Ag Unity. In 1958, Richards was presented with the Outstanding Young Farmer awards by the Sturgis Jaycees.

Theodore William Schultz was born in Arlington, South Dakota, April 30, 1902. He was the oldest of eight children. During World War I, with labor scarce, he worked on the family farm instead of going to high school. The agricultural depression that blighted farms during the 1920s prompted him to go to college to study the underlying causes of what had happened. He studied economics at South Dakota State University and received his bachelor's degree in 1926. He then went on to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin where he received his master's and doctoral degrees in 1930. / After graduation, Schultz began his teaching career in agricultural economics at Iowa State University. Four years later he became head of the Department of Economic Sociology. During World War II, scholars at the school collaborated with outside specialists on reports demonstrating how government policy could promote the national interest by influencing agricultural production. One report recommended that margarine be substituted for butter. The Iowa Dairy Industry and the college administration tried to prevent publication. While Dr. Schultz successfully led the charge against censorship, he and several others resigned in protest in 1943. / Dr. Schultz went on to the University of Chicago. He soon became department chairman, and his leadership was credited with helping Chicago become an academic center for innovative theory. He became a Charles L. Hutchinson Distinguished Service Professor in 1952 and gained emeritus status in 1972 upon his retirement. / Schultz popularized the idea of "human capital"--the idea of treating educational spending as an investment. He was also known for his view of agriculture as a contributor to a nation's economic development, not simply a way to feed the work force in other areas of the economy. For this he war presented with the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1979, a prize he shared with Arthur Lewis. / Schultz authored several books and edited others during his long career, and he gained worldwide recognition for his investigations into investment in human resources as a means toward economic progress. He won the Francis A. Walker Medal in 1972, which is given only once every five years by the American Economics Association. He received five honorary doctoral degrees during his career from various universities, including one from South Dakota State University. His long and varied career has included serving as adviser and consultant to some of the nation's largest foundations, numerous federal agencies, the White House, and branches of the military. / Theodore married Esther Werth, a native of Frankfort, South Dakota and a graduate of South Dakota State University. They had two daughters; Elaine and Margaret and one son; T. Paul. / Theodore W. Schultz formally retired in 1972 but remained an active researcher until he fractured his hip in 1990 and became bedridden. He died February 26, 1998 in an Evanston, Illinois nursing home after suffering from pneumonia.

Alice Margaret Bakken was born in McGregor, North Dakota on January 4th, 1918, to Elmer and Inga Marie (Sand) Bakken. She grew up in rural northeastern South Dakota’s Day County. On June 11, 1938, Alice married Oscar Simonson on June 11, 1938. Oscar and Alice had two children, Linda born in 1940, and Robert born in 1944. Oscar and Alice Simonson made their home and farmed in Day County for forty years. Alice was on the board of Sun Dial Manor in Bristol, when it was being organized and built.

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve (s-navy) was born on February 21, 1933 and raised on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. She is enrolled as a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. She attended Bureau of Indian Affairs day schools on the reservation and graduated from St. Mary's Episcopal High School for Indian Girls in Springfield, South Dakota in 1950. / Driving Hawk Sneve attended South Dakota State University and graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science degree. After graduation, Driving Hawk Sneve taught for a year in White, SD, teaching English and music. The next school year she taught for only one semester at Pierre Junior High School in Pierre, SD. From 1956 to 1964, Virginia made the decision to be a full-time homemaker and stayed at home to raise her three children. In 1965, Virginia resumed teaching at Flandreau Indian School teaching English, speech and drama. She eventually became a guidance counselor at the Flandreau Indian School. During this time, she also worked to receive her Master in Education degree from South Dakota State University, which she received in 1969. / In 1971, Driving Hawk Sneve made her first attempt at writing a juvenile fiction book. Her first book was titled, "Jimmy Yellow Hawk." She entered the manuscript for this work in a contest held by the Council on Interracial Books and was the 1971 winner. After winning the award, publishing houses began to contact her about publishing "Jimmy Yellow Hawk." She worked out her own contract with Holiday House, which has handled most of her books of juvenile fiction. In 1972, her first book, "Jimmy Yellow Hawk" and her second book "High Elk's Treasure" were published by Holiday House. / In 1973, Driving Hawk Sneve expanded her writings to include non-fiction. In that year, Brevet Press of Sioux Falls, SD published "South Dakota Geographic Names", which she edited, and "The Dakota's Heritage." She has published more non-fiction, including her history of the Episcopal Church in South Dakota. / Among the numerous awards and honors that Sneve has received for her writing are the South Dakota Governor’s Award in the Arts for Distinction in Creative Achievement, the South Dakota Humanities Council Distinguished Achievement in the Humanities Award, and honorary doctorates from South Dakota State University and Dakota Wesleyan University. The National Education Association awarded her the Author/Illustrator award in 1996. She was the first South Dakotan to be awarded the National Humanities Medal, presented on December 20, 2000 by President Bill Clinton. / Sneve’s numerous appearances include speaking at literary festivals and conferences and a number of International Reading Association events. She also participated in the National Book Festival in 2002 and the Native Writers Series at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in 2005, both held in Washington D.C. / Driving Hawk Sneve has continued to write to the present time. Her impressive portfolio includes adult fiction, non-fiction, short stories, articles, editorials, and book introductions, in addition to her many works for children. Among these works are the 1995 "Completing the Circle", and "The First Americans Series" on native peoples of North America.

Oscar and Alice Simonson were married on June 11, 1938. They made their home and farmed in Day County for forty years. They planted their first crops in the spring of 1939. Over those forty years, the Simonson’s witnessed many advancements in agriculture and technology of rural America including the switch from horses to tractors, crop hybridization, the introduction of electricity in the home, and indoor plumbing. The Simonson’s rotated crops, planted tree belts, practiced diversified farming, and saved seed from the previous year’s crops to plant the next year. Alice kept the books for the family farm. / In 1957, they purchased from Alice’s father, Elmer Bakken, the 1890 homestead of Lars A. Sand in Union Township, Day County, South Dakota. Oscar and Alice lived on the Sand homestead until they sold the farm in 1978 and moved to Webster, South Dakota. Oscar and Alice also acquired his parent’s Union County farm, which his parents had acquired from his grandfather, Ole Simonson, which had been originally homesteaded by Alma Smoots. / Oscar and Alice thoroughly enjoyed traveling by plane and bus. They traveled to Norway to visit Oscar’s mother’s birthplace.

In 1906, Robert L. Slagle left his position as president of the South Dakota School of Mines to become president of South Dakota Agricultural College. He had received a Ph. D. from Johns Hopkins University and had previously been on the faculty at South Dakota State. Slagle oversaw the increase in standards for admission, the reorganization of agricultural courses, and the establishment of summer school and correspondence courses. He also started the School of Agriculture, which offered high school courses during the winter months, making secondary education a possibility for a large number of rural students. During his presidency, the college changed its name to South Dakota State College of Agricultural and Mechanical Arts, which reflected not only the general coursework and agricultural classes taught, but also the study of engineering. In 1914, Slagle moved on to become president at the University of South Dakota.

Rhea Beryl DeHaven Stewart was born on September 2, 1899 in Linden, Iowa, to Albert and Eva DeHaven. The first years of Beryl's life were spent in Iowa, after which she homesteaded with her parents near Capa, South Dakota in 1907. In 1915, she and her family moved to Wessington, SD, which remained her home for most of her life. / In the fall of 1915, Beryl started teaching when she was drafted from high school to teach a group of 26 pupils in a rural school. In 1926, she completed her high school work at Northern States Teachers' college in Aberdeen, SD. She later took a teacher's course there and she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education. She was a student assistant in various departments while she attended college. She was a member of Kappa Delta Phi and Pi Kappa Delta, national societies, Beaux Arts Club and the Pasque Board. She also participated in forensics, dramatics and stagecraft activities. / In 1927, she accepted a position at Roosevelt Junior High in Aberdeen, SD. In the spring of that year, she took over the English and artwork in the new Simmons Junior High School. In 1930, she was made Director of the English Department at Central High School in Aberdeen. She taught English and dramatic courses and was adviser to the Drama Club and Word Craft, a publication initiated by Stewart and produced by students of the high school. / In 1932, Beryl was granted a Master of Arts degree from the State University of Iowa. Her major field of study was English literature. / On January 24, 1943, she married Chase David Stewart. She gave up her career as a teacher to become a farm homemaker. They resided near Wessington, SD. / Beryl Stewart was a long-time contributor of poetry and prose to many publications. She was a member of the South Dakota Press Women and the National League of American Pen Women, serving the latter as state president. Her writings were awarded prizes in national competitions, poetry magazines and in South Dakota State Fair Literature contests. Her name appears in Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who in South Dakota and International Who's Who in Poetry. / Although Mrs. Stewart left her career as a teacher to become a farm homemaker, she retained her interest in education by serving on the South Dakota Board of Education from 1947 to 1959. She was also a member of President Eisenhower's Conference on Education in 1955. After her husband's death in February 1960, Mrs. Stewart returned to teaching English at Sioux Falls College. / Beryl DeHaven Stewart died on September 20, 1961.

Ora Blanche Fryer Swenning was born February 23, 1882 in Michigan to John H. and Imogen Swenehart. On February 5, 1972, Ora Fryer Swenning died in Pipestone, Minnesota.

Valerian Three Irons, was an American Indian Studies professor and Diversity Association at South Dakota State University from 1997 to 2011.

Born August 22, 1888 to John E and Mary M. (McLees) Underwood in Bryant, South Dakota, Loto Rollinstahl Underwood was the one of four daughters, (in birth order) Ethel, Genevieve, Loto, and Beatrice, the latter three of whom attended South Dakota State College. In 1882, her parents emigrated from Canada and lived in Garfield township, Hamlin County, SD, where John was in the hardware business. Lotto attended South Dakota State College where she was a member of the Athenian Society. On July 28, 1913, Loto married Orland Emilie White. On April 21, 1968, Loto Underwood White died in Charlottesville, Virginia nursing home.

Born April 26, 1906, Verl Thomson was a South Dakota broadcaster who worked for the first broadcast radio station in Sioux Falls in 1924 and later went on to be an announcer and program director for KSOO, KELO, and an announcer for NBC in Chicago. He began KSID in 1948 and sold the station in 1966. From 1962 to 1987 he was the executive director for the South Dakota Broadcasters Association. Thomson passed away July 7, 1989.

Hugh Warren was born December 3, 1922 in Huron, SD, to Charles Parker and Angie Warren. Hugh attended South Dakota State College in Brookings, and the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, where he majored in History. His college years were interrupted by four years of service in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during WW II. While serving in the Army, Hugh went to Radio Repair School with overseas service to England, France and Germany. After the war Hugh attended library school at the University of California at Berkeley.Hugh married his wife Lois married on August 11, 1951. After working in Chicago at the Chicago Public Library and in Midland, Michigan, at the Dow Memorial Library, Hugh was employed at the St. Joseph County Public Library as Personnel Services Administrator from 1963 until his retirement in 1988. He and Lois lived in South Bend for more than 40 years. Hugh was very active in the South Bend Lions Club and served as its president for a term. On April 11, 2015, Hugh Parker Warren (92) died in South Bend, Indiana.

Robert Todd Wagner was born October 30, 1932. He earned a degree in philosophy from Augustana College in 1954. He and Mary Mumford, a native of Howard, married that same year before moving to Evanston, Ill., where he was a student at the Seabury Western Theological Seminary. The couple eventually moved back to South Dakota, where Robert earned his Ph.D. at South Dakota State University, and Mary a master’s degree in social sciences in 1974 and a Ph. D. in sociology in 1978. / Wagner first joined the university in 1971 as an assistant professor of rural sociology, and he earned “legendary” status through his Marriage 250 class. The class enrolled almost 1,200 students a year in three sections, filling every seat in Rotunda D, the largest classroom on campus. / Wagner served two years as an assistant to the vice president for academic affairs and spent a year as vice president and chief administrator at Dakota State University in Madison before he was called back to SDSU to assume the university presidency. A position he held from 1985-1997. / Wagner led SDSU from a controversial era into a decidedly more tranquil time. His quiet attention to the internal workings of the college, rather than external politics, worked well and resulted in a great deal of growth. Despite constant budget problems under his administration, the campus expanded by more than 380,000 square feet. Twenty-two faculty were added, and technology became a major factor in the university. The College of Education and Counseling was formed, and many buildings were built, including Berg and Bailey Apartments, the Animal Disease Research, and the Northern Plains Biostress Laboratory. / His wife, Mary, was also an SDSU staffer as well as a member of the Brookings school board and a Republican legislator for 12 years. She died in 2004. / In 2010, SDSU renamed its Nursing, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Arts and Sciences building in honor of the Wagner’s. The South Dakota Board of Regents approved the name change. / A scholar as well as a popular teacher, Wagner was the author of 64 publications and chaired numerous academic committees.

Born July 7, 1895 in Sully County (SD) to Benton and Harriette L. (Hunt) Doner, David “Dave” Benton Doner became known as “Mr. State College” because he spent almost his entire life (42 years) in association with SDSU, dedicating his efforts to its furtherance. / He had four brothers (Ralph D., John C, Harold H, and Howard M) and one sister, Ruth L. (John) Evans. On April 24, 1918, he married Edna Pearl Beals, with whom he had three children: Valeria (Paul) Marcil, Dean Doner, and Keith Doner. Edna Doner died in 1975. / In 1913, David Doner arrived at SDSC, a member of the first four-year class to be graduated from its School of Agriculture (for high school age students). In 1918, his freshman college year was interrupted by WWI. In 1919 and 1920, he taught agriculture to returning soldiers at SDSC. In 1920, he became assistant secretary of the College, while working on his B.S. degree, which he received in 1928. From 1922 to 1953, he was the SDSC Registrar; in 1953, he became director of Admissions and Records. In 1932, he became the Dean of Men. From 1936 to 1961, he was Secretary of the alumni council, where he was editor of the Alumnus. From its inception in 1945 until 1964, he was the Treasurer of the SDSC Alumni Foundation, which awarded him “Distinguished Alumnus” in 1964. He retired in 1964 and lived Apache Junction, AZ. In 1973, SDSU awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Humanities. / David Doner was also active in the community: supervisor of the Boy Scouts training program; member and President of the Brookings (SD) School Board; Sec-Treasurer of the SD State Associated School Boards; District Governor and International Trustee of Kiwanis; and Chair of the finance committee to raise funds to build the Crippled Children’s Hospital and School in Sioux Falls. / David Doner died in September of 1978. / During his career, he served nine SDSU Presidents and signed 12,693 of the diplomas awarded by SDSU. At his final commencement in this role on June 7, 1964, the last diploma he signed was the honorary Doctor of Humanities degree awarded by SDSC to Ray C. Cunningham of Ames, IA. Ray Cunningham (then of Conde, SD) had met David Doner at “the train depot, got me a room and a job and took me under his fatherly wing,” when David first arrived at SDSU from his family’s Potter County farm in November, 1913.

Amy Dunkle worked for nearly two decades in community newspapers as a reporter, news editor, and managing editor. She spent another dozen years as a freelance writer for newspapers, magazines, and trade journals, and authored the book, The College on the Hill, an anecdotal history about South Dakota State University. / She is the former communications coordinator for Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR, and has written about scientific research and training supported by the National Science Foundation grant.

Edwin C. Graber is from Freeman, Hutchinson County, South Dakota. Publications include a number of self-published poetry collections and chapbooks.

Charles F. "Fritz" Gritzner was born June 6, 1936 in Fremont, Michigan. He graduated from Mesa, Arizona, High School in 1954. He received in Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from Arizona State University in 1958. He received his graduate degrees in geography and cultural anthropology at Louisiana State University. He began college teaching at East Carolina University in 1960, and has taught at Louisiana State University, the University of Montana, Oregon College of Education, and the University of Houston prior to joining the South Dakota State University faculty in 1980. Gritzner taught many undergraduate and graduate courses in geography at South Dakota State University. He has served as thesis or research paper advisor to many successful Master's degree recipients. Throughout his career he has pursued many interests in geographic education. He has conducted several hundred workshops, short courses and institute for in-service educators. He also served as coordinator of the South Dakota Geographic Alliance and the State Geographic Bee. Additionally, he has served as the Geography Consultant, author, and editor for the Core Knowledge Foundation and as Consulting Editor and Frequent author for the Chelsea House Publishers book series on Modern World Nations. Gritzner's research interests include a variety of themes in folk and popular culture and geographic education. He has authored or co-authored several books, and many of his works have appeared as chapters in edited volumes, as well as many refereed publications appearing in numerous professional journals. He also was contributing editor to the "Panorama" feature in the Journal of Geography. Gritzner has served as both Executive Director (1977-1980) and President (1986) of the National Council for Geographic Education, in 1997, he received their highest honor, the George J. Miller Award for Distinguished Service. He also is a recipient of the National Council for Geographic Education Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award and the Council's Distinguished Mentor Award for his work with students at the graduate level. Gritzner also received the 2004 Distinguished Teaching Honors Award from the Association of American Geographers. At South Dakota State University, Gritzner has received both the University and F.O. Butler awards for Excellence in Teaching, and in 1993 he became the South Dakota State University's sixth faculty member to be recognized as a Distinguished Professor by the South Dakota Board of Regents.

John P. Hendrickson was born February 17, 1923 in Valley City, North Dakota to Rev. Alfred and Karen (Skorpen) Hendrickson. He graduated from Bismarck High School in 1940. He served in the U.S. Army from 1943-1946 in the United States and Europe. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa in 1947, his master's degree in international relations from the University of Minnesota in 1949, and his doctorate in political science from the University of Iowa in 1952. IN 1951, he married Arlene "Susie" Brogla in Iowa City, Iowa. Before coming to South Dakota State University in 1954, he taught at the University of Iowa and the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. He also performed post-doctoral study at the University of Nebraska and the University of Manitoba. His work at the University of Manitoba resulted in the development of courses on Canadian politics and government at South Dakota State University. / Dr. Hendrickson was noted for a long and distinguished career as a professor of political science at SDSU (1954-1988) and head of the political science department (1967-1988). He also worked with the South Dakota Constitutional Revision Commission (1969-1975), the Local Government Study Commission, and the State Supreme Court Blue Ribbon Committee. In 1967, he was selected to confer an Honorary Doctor of Science on Vice President Hubert Humphrey. In 1969, he was selected as the Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the SDSU students, faculty, and alumnae. In 1986, he was recognized by the South Dakota Supreme Court for his service on the Blue-Ribbon Citizen Committee, he received the SDSU Alumni Association's non-alumnus award in 1988 for service to South Dakota and was named Professor Emeritus. He received the Liberty Bell Award from the Brookings County Bar Association in 1989. Dr. Hendrickson was also featured in South Dakota 99, a collection of profiles of 99 distinguished people who were influential in the first 99 years of South Dakota's history. / Following his retirement from SDSU, Dr. Hendrickson was involved in local government. He wrote the Home Rule Charter for Brookings in 1996 and was a member of the Argus Leader Editorial Board. He was also a member of Golden K and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

Lawrence Alvin Hunt was born July 22, 1918 in Verdel, Nebraska to Warren and Elizabeth Hunt. Lawrence was a carpenter and cabinet maker. He married E. Jeanne McCartney in 1946. They had three children.

Henry M. Johnson was born to Ole and Beret Johnson on October 5, 1903, on a farm near Baltic, South Dakota. He was baptized at the Old Nidaros Lutheran Church where he was a member. He enjoyed hunting and fishing all of his life. On March 14, 1931 Henry married Inez Ericksonat East Nidaros Lutheran Church. They lived and farmed on the farm of Henry' parents until they retired and moved into the town of Baltic in 1987. Henry and Inez had four children. Odel, Ivan, Dean, and Jerome. Henry died June 4, 1993, at the Dell Rapids Community Hospital.

J.A. Johnson graduated from Brookings High School in 1923 and from South Dakota State College in 1927. He then taught at high schools in Redfield (South Dakota) and Howard (South Dakota) until he joined the United States Army Air Forces in 1941. After World War II, Johnson became the equipment manager for the South Dakota State University Athletic Department, a position he held from 1943 to 1968. He passed away on March 17, 1989.

Gladys Pyle (October 4, 1890 – March 14, 1989) was a South Dakota politician and the first woman elected to the United States Senate without having previously been appointed to her position; she was also the first female senator to serve as a Republican and the first female senator from South Dakota. She was also the first female senator never to marry. / She was born to John and Mamie (Shields) Pyle and graduated from Huron College in 1911. She taught in the public high schools at Miller, Wessington, and Huron from 1912-1918. In 1923 she became first woman member of the State House of Representatives, serving from 1923-1927. Pyle then served as Secretary of State of South Dakota from 1927–1931 and ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for governor in 1930, garnering nearly a third of the vote in the primary but losing after seven recounts of the votes. She was a member of the State securities commission from 1931-1933. She engaged in the life insurance business in private life. / Gladys, her mother Mamie, and two sisters were very involved in the Women's Suffrage movement and frequently hosted meetings of the local chapter in their house. / On November 8, 1938 she was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Peter Norbeck. She defeated Tom Berry, a former Democratic Governor of South Dakota. She served from November 9, 1938, to January 3, 1939. / In 1981, Jeanette Kinyon and Jean Walz began to gather research for a biography of Gladys Pyle, a prominent woman in South Dakota politics. They interviewed Miss Pyle and researched books, manuscripts, letters, news stories, editorials, and other interviews. This collection is a small representation of the research gathered for this project.

Oscar E. Simonson was born on August 14, 1913, at Bristol, South Dakota to Simon and Annie (Skudal) Simonson. He attended country school in Union Township, Day County and Bristol High School. After his education, he farmed with his family near Bristol. In the 1930’s, Oscar worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. On June 11, 1938 Oscar married Alice Margaret Bakken. Oscar and Alice Simonson made their home and farmed in Day County for forty years. While living in Webster, Oscar worked at the Farmers Elevator in Holmquist, South Dakota for ten years. Oscar also servie on the board of Sun Dial Manor in Bristol, South Dakota in 1980’s. Oscar Simonson died on March 5, 2014 at Bethesda Home in Webster.

Richard Wahlstrom graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1948 with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Husbandry. Wahlstrom then attended the University of Illinois where he earned a Master’s degree in animal nutrition followed two years later by a Ph.D. in animal nutrition. While at the University of Illinois, Wahlstrom served as a graduate assistant mainly in research. From 1951 to 1952, he pursued research with the Merck Institute of Therapeutic Research. After Merck, Wahlstrom came to South Dakota State College, hired on for researching and teaching Animal husbandry from 1952 to 1959. Wahlstrom became the Head Professor of Animal husbandry in 1959, followed by becoming Head of the Department in 1960 to 1967. Wahlstrom returned once more as the head of the department for the academic year of 1987. / Wahlstrom served in many organizations including Rotary International, First United Methodist Church, and an American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) Fellow. / Wahlstrom has received many awards over the years, including being named Teacher of the Year, three times. Other awards and honors include the ASAS Animal Management Award (1976), the SDSU Gamma Signa Delta Award for Research (1980), the F.O. Butler Award for Outstanding Research (1986), the ASAS Animal Industry Service Award (1989), and the title of Distinguished Professor Emeritus from SDSU (1988).

Dr. Marcus Stanley Zuber was born January 10, 1912 in Gettysburg, South Dakota to John and Mary Maas Zuber. He received a bachelor's degree in agriculture from South Dakota State University in Brookings and a master's degree and doctorate, both in agronomy, both from Iowa State University in Ames. He was professor emeritus of agronomy at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He was employed as a research agronomist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture form 1946-1970 and was stationed at MU. / Dr. Zuber was well known for his contributions to corn breeding. His development of tools and techniques and genetically improved populations or inbreds resulting from his research was released to hybrid corn breeders for utilization and improvement of hybrids grown by farmers. Corn inbred lines released from his USDA-ARS project at the University of Missouri, especially Mo17, contributed to the rapid adoption of single-cross corn hybrids having wide adaptability. His development of techniques for measurement or root and stalk strength provide more effective selection tools for hybrid and population improvement, and are now applied in public and private breeding programs. / Marcus S. Zuber was Beta Sigma Psi, Iota Chapter's first faculty advisor at the University of Missouri and served as advisor from 1963-1979. In addition to Beta Sigma Psi, Dr. Zuber was a member of the University of Missouri's Campus Lutheran Church, Golden K Kiwanis Club, the Association of Retired Agricultural Professors and many professional organizations. He received many honors including the MU Faculty Alumni Award in 1972 and Outstanding Educator of America in 1973. In 1983, South Dakota State University conferred an honorary Doctor of Science degree upon Dr. Zuber.

Norman Paul Gambill was born April 3, 1941 in Dade City, FL, to George Washington Gambill IV and Dorcas (Darling) Gambill. He grew up in Florida and Georgia. / He was a scholar in art history and film studies with degrees from Emory University, the University of Iowa and Syracuse University. His also graduated from Emory at Oxford prep school in Atlanta. / He was an art history professor at the University of Illinois and South Dakota State University where he headed the Visual Arts Department for 26 years, retiring in 2010. / During his 48-year career, he taught thousands of undergraduate students to love art and understand its importance in world history. He also worked with graduate students on courses in Asian art, film art and design, women artists, and international films. / He was an ardent fan of Oscar Wilde and Orson Welles. His lectures and writings about Welles’s groundbreaking film “Citizen Kane” inspired many to take up film studies. His work as a scholar took him around the country giving lectures and around the world sharing his expertise with academics, particularly those who attended the Oxford Roundtable in 2010. / He published articles in scholarly journals and respected film magazines. His work on 1930s films and their importance in the cultural history of the United States is being published in his book, “Ritz and American Mediocrity.” He was initiated into Phi Kappa Phi, the national honor society for those with notable academic accomplishments, in 2006. / His innovative fund-raising events raised money for his department and the Brookings community. With the help of the Visual Arts Group of local volunteers, he founded the annual Evening for the Arts dinner and art auction. The yearly Chocolate Auction held on or around Valentine’s Day raised funds by with an auction of chocolate desserts donated by restaurants and local bakers. Proceeds provided scholarships for art students. / He also co-founded the annual DVAGI, Design and Visual Arts Group Inc., fundraiser in collaboration with the SDSU departments of Visual Arts, Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design, and Horticulture, Forestry and Landscape Design. Money from an auction of designers’ services raised money for students to travel to art and design events across the country. / His reputation for lavish parties carried over to his private life where he served abundant food and wine to friends from Brookings and across the country in his 19th Century house, a showplace for his extensive art collection. / He is survived by his brother Stephen, Palmetto FL; his sister, Janine Dover, Camilla, GA.; two nieces and a nephew. Hundreds of friends also survive and will miss his quick wit and impeccable sense of style. / Dr. Norman P. Gambill, died from heart failure on July 12, 2016, at the Neighborhoods at Brookview in Brookings.

Born July 13, 1941 in Evanston, Illinois, Geoffrey W. Grant began teaching in South Dakota State University’s Rural Sociology Department in 1977, becoming an Assistant Professor there in 1980. / In 1964, he received his B.S. in Sociology from Carroll College. From the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he received his M.A in Sociology in 1969 and his Ph.D. in Sociology in 1980. / On June 29, 1964, he married Sue S. Grant; later Sue worked for South Dakota State University. They had one child, Jeremy Grant, born November 12, 1971. In 1985, Jeremy was living in Fairfield, Iowa. / Prior to teaching at SDSU, Dr. Grant was an instructor at University of Nebraska-Lincoln (1968-1970), an Assistant Professor at Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa (1970-1972), and an Instructor at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa (1972-1975). / During his time at SDSU, Dr. Grant’s responsibilities were 100% in teaching, including these areas of interest: social organization, social change, the family, juvenile delinquency, urban sociology, and sociology of work. / He made at least three extensive trips to China. First in 1979, as a member of a delegation of scholars, researchers and writers assembled by the Eisenhower Foundation for the Prevention of Violence, he was a guest of the Chinese Ministry of Justice for five weeks, touring criminal justice facilities and meeting with Judges, lawyers, etc., in five major Chinese cities. / The second trip in 1987, again with the Eisenhower Foundation, they visited five Chinese cities and met with criminal justice professional, except in Lhasa, Tibet, where they spent five days but with no professional meetings. / In the spring of 2001, Professor Grant was the SDSU faculty exchange professor to Yunnan Normal University in Kunming, China, the “City of Eternal Spring.” He taught two classes of junior composition and one senior class in tourism for the English Department. His wife, Sue Grant, taught three classes of English in a neighboring campus of YNU. The semester lasted from February to mid-July. / In 2003, as project of the Brookings Human Rights Committee, Dr. Grant conducted and reported on the “Brookings Human Rights Committee Survey of Discrimination, 2003,” which was to serve as a baseline for measuring trends, change, etc.

Born in Bradley, South Dakota, on March 28, 1917, Barbara Bates Gunderson was the second of the four daughters and two sons of South Dakota newspaper editor Carmon L. Bates and his wife Helen E. (Lyman) Bates. The 1920 US Census lists them in Onida, South Dakota; the 1930 US Census lists them in Redfield, South Dakota, where he owned the Journal Observer Co, until his death there on May 13, 1942. In December 1954, Helen married Charles Whiting Gardner of Hand County, SD; she died August 21, 1978 in Gettysburg, South Dakota. / Barbara Bates worked her way through Yankton College with kitchen, sales girl and newspaper jobs. After graduation, she was the Continuity Director for Yankton’s WNAX radio and also occasionally was “Ma Brown” with the “Neighbor Lady” in the Flying Arrow Ranch Show. She was chief copywriter for the R.J. Potters Advertising Agency, Kansas City, Missouri, when on October 25, 1941, she married Robert W. Gunderson in Jackson, Missouri just prior to his departure in the US Army for the European theater during World War II. Robert “Bob” was born January 10, 1915 in Centerville, SD. The Gunderson’s lived in Omaha before moving to Rapid City in 1947, where Robert established his law practice and Barbara continued free-lancing, radio-script and magazine writing. / In 1952, her political experience began as the Pennington County, South Dakota Vice-Chair with Citizens for Eisenhower and later as the South Dakota state Vice Chair, where she headed up the state-wide volunteer effort to nominate Dwight D. Eisenhower for President. She became a Republican National Committee woman. In 1954, she was the national Co-Chair of the Citizens for Eisenhower Congressional Committee. / In August, 1958, President Eisenhower appointed her to be the fifth ever women Commissioner on the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, where she served as the Vice-Chair of the three-member governing board of this federal agency charged with all aspects of the federal personnel system. As Commissioner, she originated the Federal Woman’s Award Program, the first award in Washington, DC, recognizing women in government. While Commissioner, Mrs. Gunderson traveled extensively, visiting federal offices and addressing many audiences. She spoke at the University of California, Los Angeles Symposium on Women and, after her term ended in March, 1961, consulted with federal departments on the Equal Opportunity Act. She was vice-chairman of the President's Advisory on Personnel under President Johnson, and the public member of the Retirement Board of USIA which determined the career advancement of these State Department employees. / In 1973-1974, she ran for the U.S. Senate in the South Dakota Republican Primary. / In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, Barbara was a columnist for the Rapid City Journal. She published two romance novels: in 1979, “Love’s Bold Embrace” under the pseudonym Brynn Gilbert, and, in 1981, “Seasoned to Taste” under the pseudonym Benna Gray. / In Rapid City, she served on the Board which united the two hospitals and was Trustee during the building and first operations of Rapid City Regional Hospital. She was President of the Rapid City Library Board at the time of the building of the new library. She was President of the Rapid City branch of AAUW, the Women's Fellowship of First Congregational Church, receiving Honor's Day award from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology for conspicuous community service and a "Woman of Worth" award from AAUW. She also served on the YMCA Building Committee, and was a member of the National Board of Pennsylvania Medical College and the Corporate Board of Yankton College. / In 1994, Barbara Bates Gunderson was the only woman participant in an Eisenhower biographical program, "The Contentious Years of The Presidency" televised on the A&E Channel with narrator-host John Chancellor. / Barbara Bates Gunderson died aged 90 on July 29, 2007 in Rapid City, South Dakota. Her husband Robert died on January 23, 1994.

H. Ray Hoops accepted the position as president of South Dakota State University in 1984. He received his B.S. in speech correction from Eastern Illinois and M.S. and Ph. D. in audiology and speech science from the Purdue University. Before coming to SDSU, Hoops was the vice president for academic affairs at North Dakota State University. Soon after his arrival, he encountered difficulties with the Board of Regents. He became entangled in a situation that involved a faculty member testifying before the South Dakota State Senate. Hoops claimed he was told to fire the individual and he refused. Hoops resigned in 1985.