Edwin C. Graber was a poet from Freeman, South Dakota. Active primarily between the late 1930s and late 1940s, he produced a series of chapbooks featuring original poetry that explored themes of nature, solitude, time, and spirituality. His works, including Stars Are My Parade and Nature the Peerless Colorist, reflect a lyrical and reflective style rooted in the landscape and sensibilities of the Great Plains. Graber’s chapbooks are preserved in the Edwin C. Graber Poetry Collection at South Dakota State University, which documents his creative output and contribution to regional literature.

Rhea Beryl DeHaven Stewart (1899– ) was an educator, writer, and active member of South Dakota’s literary and educational communities. Born on September 2, 1899, in Linden, Iowa, she moved with her family to homestead near Capa, South Dakota, in 1907 and later to Wessington, South Dakota, in 1915.

Stewart began teaching at a rural school while still in high school. She completed her high school education at Northern States Teachers’ College in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Education, followed by a Master of Arts in English Literature from the State University of Iowa in 1932. She held teaching positions at Roosevelt and Simmons Junior High Schools and became Director of the English Department at Central High School in Aberdeen, where she also advised the Drama Club and initiated the student publication Word Craft.

On January 24, 1943, she married Chase David Stewart and became a farm homemaker near Wessington. Stewart was a prolific poet and writer, contributing to numerous publications and receiving awards in national competitions and state literature contests. She was a member of the South Dakota Press Women and the National League of American Pen Women, serving as state president of the latter.

Stewart remained active in education through service on the South Dakota Board of Education (1947–1959) and participation in President Eisenhower’s Conference on Education in 1955. Her achievements are recognized in Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in South Dakota, and International Who’s Who in Poetry.