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.
Janet Cressman Stofferan graduated from South Dakota State University in 1966 with a degree in fashion merchandising. While a student, she participated in Little International, the Home Economics Club, and the Episcopal Church Youth Group. She earned a Master of Science degree in apparel and textiles with a focus on cooperative extension education from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 1972.
Following her graduation from South Dakota State University, Stofferan worked for the Simplicity Pattern Company. In 1994, she became the museum curator of the Snellman Hsia Collection at South Dakota State University, where she was responsible for managing a historical costume collection. She retired from this position in 2008.
Ora Blanche Fryer Swenning was born on February 23, 1882, in Michigan to John H. and Imogen Swenehart. As an infant, she moved with her family to a homestead near Clark, South Dakota, where she spent her early childhood. Her recollections of pioneer life and survival during the blizzard of 1888 were later preserved in a personal memoir. Ora spent her later years in Minnesota and passed away on February 5, 1972, in Pipestone.
Joseph and Winifred (Catlett) Swering married in 1918. They began their newlywed life in Brookings, South Dakota, before moving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Joseph worked for Westinghouse. They later relocated to Buffalo, New York. The Catlett family had built a large home in Brookings in 1902. While living there, both Winifred and her sister, Margaruite, held their weddings in the family home. The Catlett house also hosted many social events during the family's residence. Eventually, the home was converted into student housing for South Dakota State College.
Clark S. Thomas was born on December 8, 1917, in rural Springfield, South Dakota. He attended South Dakota State College from 1937 to 1941, earning a degree in agriculture. From 1941 to 1945, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, stationed at military posts in Texas and California, and overseas in Guatemala and India. Following his military service, he farmed near Springfield, South Dakota, until his retirement in 1980.
Verl Thomson was a pioneering South Dakota broadcaster. Born on April 26, 1906, he began his career at Sioux Falls' first broadcast radio station in 1924. He later served as an announcer and program director for KSOO and KELO, and worked as an announcer for NBC in Chicago. In 1948, he established radio station KSID, which he operated until its sale in 1966. From 1962 to 1987, Thomson served as executive director of the South Dakota Broadcasters Association. He passed away on July 7, 1989.
Valerian Three Irons is a Native American educator, oral historian, and advocate for Indigenous language preservation. He served as a professor of American Indian Studies and Associate for Diversity at South Dakota State University from 1997 to 2011. After leaving SDSU, Three Irons joined the faculty of Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College in New Town, North Dakota, where he has been actively involved in teaching Native American Studies and supporting Mandan language revitalization efforts. In 2018, he received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to create a publicly accessible archive of Mandan language resources. Throughout his career, he has contributed to tribal education, cultural preservation, and service-learning initiatives.
Alfred “Al” George Trump Jr. was born on April 23, 1907, in Kahoka, Missouri, to Alfred G. Trump Sr. and Elizabeth Bonnett Trump. At the age of eleven, he moved with his family to Chicago, where he graduated from Hyde Park High School in 1924. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Germanics from the University of Chicago in 1929. He later completed an A.B.M.S. in 1933 and an A.M.L.S. in 1938 at the University of Michigan.
Before coming to South Dakota State College, Trump worked in several academic and public libraries, including the Chicago Public Library, University of Chicago Library, University of Michigan Library, Michigan State Law Library, and Virginia Junior College Library in Minnesota. He also served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946 with the rank of lieutenant and was stationed in the continental United States and Hawaii, where he performed intelligence work.
Trump joined South Dakota State College in Brookings in 1948 as a librarian and was the sole faculty member in the library at that time. The library held approximately 90,000 volumes and occupied only the second floor of Lincoln Library, which had been constructed to serve a student population of 900. In 1959, he was appointed director of the college libraries, a position he held until his retirement in 1972. By that time, the library occupied the entire Lincoln Library building, served approximately 6,500 students, held 270,000 volumes, and subscribed to about 3,000 journals. Additional materials were housed in Hanson Hall with 35,000 volumes, East Men’s Hall with 10,000 volumes, Shepherd Hall’s chemistry library with 15,000 volumes, and nursing facilities in St. Paul, Minnesota, with approximately 2,000 volumes. Trump attributed much of this growth to the establishment of doctoral programs beginning in 1954, noting that expanded research needs led to significant growth in scientific journal subscriptions and the development of one of the strongest research libraries in the state.
Following his retirement, Trump continued his association with South Dakota State University as archivist emeritus. He played a key role in addressing the logistical challenges of moving the library collections from Lincoln Library to the Hilton M. Briggs Library in 1977, after which he fully retired.
Trump was active in professional library organizations at the state, regional, and national levels. He served as president of the South Dakota Library Association from 1958 to 1959, represented South Dakota in the Mountain Plains Library Association, and served as South Dakota’s representative to the American Library Association, including membership on its governing council. In Brookings, he was active in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the Retired Teachers Association, and the South Dakota State University Retired Faculty Association.
On August 22, 1935, Trump married Anne Harris Arnold, daughter of Jacob H. Arnold and Bertha Harris Arnold, who was born on February 16, 1908, in Wilmington, North Carolina. She grew up in Washington, D.C., and Northfield, Minnesota, and attended Oberlin College, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1929 with degrees in history and Latin. She earned a master’s degree in history from Case Western Reserve University and worked at the Johns Hopkins University Library from 1932 to 1935 and the Michigan State Library in 1936. In 1960, she returned to librarianship as assistant librarian at the Brookings Public Library, where she worked until 1986. Together, Alfred and Anne Trump had four children: Michael, Peter, Jeane Gautier, and Andrew.
Alfred G. Trump Jr. died on November 26, 1994. Anne Arnold Trump died on January 11, 2004.
Andrew Benjamin Trump was born on November 28, 1950, in Brookings, South Dakota, to Alfred G. Trump Jr. and Anne A. Trump. His father served as librarian and archivist at South Dakota State University, and his mother worked at the Brookings Public Library. He later resided in Fargo, North Dakota, and passed away unexpectedly in Sioux Falls on October 27, 2021, at the age of 70.
TV Productions Inc. is a locally owned video production company based in Brookings, South Dakota. The company provides full-service media production, including filming, editing, and post-production services, primarily for clients in the Brookings area. It has been involved in the creation of a wide range of audiovisual content, including promotional materials, event documentation, and institutional recordings, particularly for South Dakota State University. The company is owned and operated by Jay Vanduch, who has also served in operations at the SDSU Performing Arts Center. TV Productions Inc. has contributed to the preservation and dissemination of local and institutional history through its media work.
Loto Rollinstahl Underwood was born on August 22, 1888, in Bryant, South Dakota, to John E. and Mary M. (McLees) Underwood. She was one of four daughters—Ethel, Genevieve, Loto, and Beatrice—the latter three of whom attended South Dakota State College. Her parents emigrated from Canada in 1882 and settled in Garfield Township, Hamlin County, South Dakota, where John Underwood worked in the hardware business. While attending South Dakota State College, Loto was a member of the Athenian Society. She married Orland Emilie White on July 28, 1913. Loto Underwood White died on April 21, 1968, in a nursing home in Charlottesville, Virginia.
"The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) was established in 1824 within the War Department by Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, though it was not formally authorized by Congress until 1832. Initially created to manage the U.S. government's relations with Native American tribes, the BIA played a central role in implementing federal Indian policy, including treaty enforcement, land management, and the administration of annuities and trade.
In 1849, the BIA was transferred to the newly created Department of the Interior, where it remains today. Throughout the 19th century, the agency was deeply involved in westward expansion policies, including the forced relocation of tribes, the reservation system, and assimilation efforts such as boarding schools and allotment under the Dawes Act of 1887.
In the 20th century, the BIA’s role shifted significantly. The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 reversed allotment and promoted tribal self-governance. The mid-20th century saw a return to termination policies, which were again reversed during the Indian self-determination movement of the 1970s. The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 marked a major turning point, allowing tribes to administer their own programs.
The BIA supports tribal governments through services such as law enforcement, infrastructure, education, and natural resource management. It operates under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is committed to promoting tribal sovereignty and self-governance."