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The Ruth Ann Alexander Papers document the professional career, research, and public service of Dr. Ruth Ann Alexander, professor of English at South Dakota State University and the first woman to chair its English Department. The collection contains correspondence, course materials, speeches, manuscripts, grant files, and research notes reflecting her work as a teacher, scholar, and advocate for women’s rights. Included are files related to her service on the Brookings School Board, her leadership in developing women’s studies at SDSU, and her involvement in Chautauqua programs where she portrayed Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

The papers also include Alexander’s writings and public lectures on South Dakota women writers, pioneer women, feminism, sexism, and the history of women in the Episcopal Church. Draft manuscripts and published articles illustrate her research on figures such as Elaine Goodale Eastman and Kate Boyles Bingham. Records of her participation in the South Dakota Humanities Council, the South Dakota History Conference, and the Speakers Bureau highlight her contributions to public humanities programming.

Her service on the South Dakota Commission on the Status of Women is well documented through correspondence, reports, task force materials, policy statements, and legislative files, including those related to the Equal Rights Amendment and displaced homemakers legislation. Additional materials reflect her Episcopal Church history work, her writings on parenting and education, and her role as a public intellectual in South Dakota.

This collection is a ressource for understanding the development of women’s studies and feminist scholarship at South Dakota State University, the history of women’s rights and activism in South Dakota, and the broader cultural role of women in education, literature, and the Episcopal Church. It provides researchers with insight into Alexander’s pioneering work in introducing courses on women writers and multicultural literature, her leadership in the women’s movement at both local and statewide levels, and her engagement with public scholarship through Chautauqua, the South Dakota Humanities Council, and community service organizations.

The Robert V. Burns Papers document his professional service, teaching, and involvement in state and national commissions between the late 1960s and early 2000s. The collection includes material from the 2000 NAFTA Conference on Canadian–United States agricultural trade issues organized by Burns, with correspondence, government official communications, publicity, talking points, publications, proceedings, and Governor William Janklow’s keynote speech.

Extensive records relate to the South Dakota Executive Branch Reorganization (1968–1973), including correspondence, staff documents, legislation, reports, research files, and recommendations from the Citizen’s Commission on Executive Reorganization. Burns’s work with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) is represented through agenda books, publications, and policy studies.

Additional materials reflect his participation in the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education, the Constitutional Revision Commission, and the Governor’s Task Forces on education and wages. Files also include material on judicial elections, Brookings railroad safety, higher education assessment, civic service, and Burns’s 1980 State Representative campaign. The papers preserve a record of Burns’s role in shaping higher education policy, state governance, and civic engagement in South Dakota and beyond.

This collection is a resource for understanding South Dakota’s political, educational, and policy development during the late 20th century. It provides insight into Burns’s leadership in higher education reform, state reorganization efforts, agricultural trade policy, and public service. His involvement with regional and national commissions underscores South Dakota’s participation in broader discussions on governance, education, and economic policy.

The Robert F. Kerr Papers represent a compilation of Kerr’s personal and professional materials, primarily dating from the 1880s to the 1930s. The collection is composed predominantly of correspondence, both personal and related to Kerr’s role at South Dakota State University (then Dakota Agricultural College). Notable within this correspondence are letters documenting Kerr’s dismissal from the university, offering insight into early administrative and academic tensions at the institution.

In addition to correspondence, the collection includes class records (1885–1892), diaries (1886–1888), and writings by Kerr on a variety of topics including Brookings County history, college history, and Jewish advocacy. A unique item is Kerr’s contribution to the History of SDSC: 1881–1931, which includes marginalia in Chapter 1 authored by Kerr. Additional materials include a certificate of public instruction, scrapbook, notes, ledger, traveling papers, and maps/manuals of South Dakota. A Christmas greeting composed by Kerr and multiple drafts of personal reflections, including an autobiographical sketch, further illustrate his personal beliefs and public engagement.

The collection documents Kerr’s broad intellectual interests, educational work, and his role in shaping the early academic life at South Dakota State University. The presence of early class materials and student-related documents adds to the understanding of instructional methods during the foundational years of the institution.

Robert F. Kerr was a foundational figure in the academic development of Dakota Agricultural College. His personal files provide critical documentation of institutional history, early university governance, and student instruction practices. The correspondence surrounding his departure adds to the narrative of university leadership and faculty relations in the institution’s formative years. His historical writings on South Dakota and Brookings County contribute to regional history.