David F. Pearson received his law degree from the University of South Dakota and joined South Dakota State University in 1957 as an Assistant Professor of Economics. In 1959, President Briggs appointed him Special Assistant to the President, a role he held concurrently with his faculty appointment. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1961 and to Professor in 1965. Throughout this period, Pearson assumed significant administrative responsibilities that were later formalized when he was named Vice President for Administration in 1973, a newly created position. In July 1973, he resigned his role as Special Assistant to the President but continued as Vice President while retaining his professorship. In addition to his administrative duties, Pearson directed the Greater State Fund, which later developed into the South Dakota State University Foundation. He served in these capacities until his retirement in August 1980, at which time he was granted emeritus status. Pearson died on July 10, 1990.
William Sigurd Opdahl was born on April 19, 1894, in South Dakota to Hogen and Mathilda Opdahl. He married Goldie Clare Burgeson on February 28, 1920, in Watertown, South Dakota. The couple initially farmed the Opdahl homestead before relocating to the Byron Sour farm near Hayti. In 1929, they moved into the town of Hayti. Sigurd farmed in Hayti and Opdahl Townships, worked as a school bus driver, briefly worked for the railroad, was employed at a California factory during World War II, and later worked for the Hamlin County Co-op Oil until retirement. He died on May 10, 1975.
Goldie Clare Burgeson, born October 20, 1901, taught in rural schools near Bryant and Hayti, drove a school bus, and worked at the Hayti Post Office and local grocery stores. The couple had two daughters: Lou Ellen (Mrs. Floyd Johnson) and Nona (Mrs. James Amerson). Goldie died on May 6, 1996.
Mary Elaine DeVries O’Neill was born on June 13, 1950, in Armour, South Dakota, to Ray and Ruby DeVries. She graduated from Corsica High School in 1968 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 1972 and a Master of Science in Geography in 1994, both from South Dakota State University. In 1993, she married Douglas O’Neill.
O’Neill devoted more than four decades to South Dakota State University, building a distinguished career in remote sensing and geospatial science. She began her professional work in 1972 with the Remote Sensing Institute at SDSU, holding various positions until 1989. She subsequently served as Manager of the Office of Remote Sensing in the Engineering Resource Center (1989–2010) and as Program Manager for Remote Sensing at the Water Resources Institute (2010–2013). From 2014 until her retirement in 2013, she was SDView Coordinator with the Water Resources Institute, where she advanced statewide access to geospatial data and satellite imagery.
In addition to her administrative and research leadership, O’Neill was a dedicated educator, serving as an adjunct instructor in geography, engineering technology and management, mathematics, and computer science at SDSU over several decades. She was also a visiting scientist at the USGS EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls in 1993.
O’Neill served as principal investigator for the USGS-funded AmericaView project in South Dakota from 2002 to 2014, strengthening partnerships and infrastructure to support the distribution and use of remote sensing and geospatial technologies. Her work extended internationally and nationally through projects with NASA, the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium, USAID’s Feed the Future Program in Uganda, and collaborative research initiatives in Poland and Israel. She also coordinated South Dakota’s Education Public Access Resource Center (EdPARC) and organized numerous geospatial technology workshops for K–12 educators across the state.
An active participant in international scientific exchange, O’Neill contributed to remote sensing workshops in Nepal, Sudan, Senegal, India, and Bangladesh between 1978 and 1985. Beyond her technical and academic accomplishments, she was instrumental in organizing the Professional Staff Advisory Council at SDSU, establishing representation for non-faculty exempt staff members.
Mary Elaine DeVries O’Neill retired in 2013, leaving a lasting legacy in the advancement of remote sensing, geospatial education, and professional staff leadership at South Dakota State University and beyond.
Roberta K. Olson served as dean of the College of Nursing at South Dakota State University from 1994 to 2013. During her tenure, the college experienced significant growth in enrollment and academic programming. The number of entering undergraduate students increased from 136 to 304, and graduate student enrollment more than doubled. Under her leadership, the College of Nursing expanded its degree offerings to include an online master’s degree program in 2002, a Ph.D. program in nursing in 2005, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program in 2009, reflecting broader changes in nursing education and professional practice.
Olson earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from South Dakota State University and completed a doctorate in organization and administration of higher education at Saint Louis University. Prior to her appointment as dean at SDSU, she held faculty and administrative positions at the University of Kansas and the University of Texas–Houston schools of nursing. In recognition of her contributions to nursing education, she received the Sr. Bernadette Armiger Award from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and was inducted into the South Dakota Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 2017. Following her retirement as dean, she returned to the university to serve as interim dean in 2018.