The Milwaukee Road, officially known as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMSP&P RR), was a Class I railroad that operated across the Midwest and northwestern United States from its founding in 1847 until its merger with the Soo Line Railroad in 1985–1986. Over its history, the company underwent several name changes and periods of bankruptcy. Although it no longer exists as a separate entity, its legacy is preserved through landmarks such as the historic Milwaukee Road Depot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and through preserved equipment like the Milwaukee Road 261 steam locomotive.
Originally incorporated as the Milwaukee and Waukesha Railroad in 1847, the company soon changed its name to the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad. Its first rail line, connecting Milwaukee and Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, opened in 1850, with passenger service beginning on February 25, 1851. The name was changed in 1874 to the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, and by 1887, it had expanded lines through Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Matthew Cecil received his B.S. in History from South Dakota State University in 1995. He earned an M.A. in History from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and completed a Ph.D. in Mass Communication at the University of Iowa in 2000, specializing in public relations.
Cecil’s career includes work as a political reporter and columnist, as well as a media relations practitioner in South Dakota and North Dakota. His teaching career began as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Iowa. From 2000 to 2002, he served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Purdue University. He then joined the University of Oklahoma before returning in 2005 to his hometown of Brookings, South Dakota, to teach at South Dakota State University. At SDSU, he is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Media Production Emphasis in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. He teaches a variety of courses, including Introduction to Mass Communication, basic video production, new media, and public relations skills.
Cecil’s areas of expertise include new media and media history, with a particular focus on FBI public relations during the J. Edgar Hoover era. His scholarly work has appeared in American Journalism, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, The Journalism Inquiry, and other national and international journals.
Robert (Bob) Burns was born in Flandreau, South Dakota, in 1942, the youngest of six children of Joseph and Marie Burns. While attending Flandreau High School, he developed a strong record of participation and leadership, achievements that earned him a four-year Briggs Scholarship to South Dakota State University in 1960.
Burns graduated from SDSU in June 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army through ROTC later that summer. That same year he married Donna Bozied. He was awarded a three-year National Defense Fellowship from the University of Missouri–Columbia, which provided full support for his doctoral studies in political science. He completed his M.A. in 1966 and Ph.D. in 1973 with the aid of this fellowship and Donna’s support.
In 1968, Burns reported for active duty at Fort Benning, Georgia, serving two years as an Army officer, including one year in Vietnam as a captain. For his service, he received the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service and the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.
While still in Vietnam, Burns was invited by his undergraduate mentor, Professor Hendrickson, to join the SDSU political science faculty on a one-year appointment. That temporary role became a 38-year career. He earned recognition as an outstanding teacher, receiving the College of Arts and Sciences “Teacher of the Year” award seven times, the Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1989, and was named Distinguished Professor of Political Science in 1994 by the South Dakota Board of Regents. In 1995, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named him South Dakota Professor of the Year for his dedication to undergraduate teaching.
Burns also held key leadership roles at SDSU. He served nearly 20 years as head of the Departments of Political Science and Philosophy and Religion, acted as Director of the USD Farber Center in 1998, and in the last decade of his tenure became the first Dean of the SDSU Honors College while continuing his teaching and administrative duties. Beyond campus, he conducted summer policy research for Governors Kneip, Wollman, and Janklow and served as a Humanist-in-Residence for the South Dakota Committee on the Humanities on three occasions.
Upon retiring in 2008, the South Dakota Board of Regents granted him the titles Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Dean Emeritus of the Honors College. That same year, the SDSU Alumni Association honored him as a Distinguished Alumnus for Service to Education.
In retirement, Burns has remained active as a commentator on South Dakota and national politics, government, and legal issues. He has also continued his service in higher education and civic leadership, including membership on the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education (1997–1998) and long-term service as South Dakota’s Commissioner on the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (since 1996). Guided by his belief in the importance of citizen engagement and a strong civil society, he has served on and often led numerous boards, commissions, and councils. He continues this work in retirement, including chairing the South Dakota Budget and Policy Institute and the South Dakota World Affairs Council, as well as teaching courses for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Sioux Falls and Brookings.
George L. Brown was born on January 25, 1869, on a farm in Bates County, Missouri. He attended a rural school before enrolling in a preparatory program at the University of Missouri, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1892. Two years after graduating, Brown joined the faculty of the University of Missouri as an instructor in mathematics while completing his Master of Science degree in mathematics. He later pursued advanced study at the University of Chicago, where he completed a fellowship and earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in mathematics.
In February 1897, Brown was appointed professor of mathematics and astronomy at what was then South Dakota State College. He served the institution for approximately fifty years, holding multiple administrative roles including dean and vice president. During his tenure, he served as acting president on five occasions and was awarded the title of president emeritus in 1944.
Brown married Winifred G. Loucks of Deuel County in 1898. They had three children, one son, Cecil, and two daughters, Elizabeth and Florence. Following Winifred’s death in 1908, Brown married Anna York Loucks of Brookings in 1910. Their marriage produced six children in total, including two sons, George Jr. and Gerald, and four daughters, Winifred and Charlotte among them.
George L. Brown died on August 8, 1950.
Dona Brown was born on May 25, 1909, in Brookings, South Dakota. She graduated from Huron High School in 1927 and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from South Dakota State College in 1931, followed by a master's degree in education in 1937. Brown dedicated 43 years to education as a teacher and counselor in Woonsocket and Huron, South Dakota.
She served on the South Dakota Board of Regents from 1957 to 1969 and held leadership roles including chairman of the board of trustees at Huron College. Brown was active in numerous organizations, including the SDSU Benefactors Club, South Dakota Centennial Commission, South Dakota Personnel and Guidance Association, Salvation Army, Red Cross, and First Federal Savings and Loan of Huron. She was also a member of the American Association of University Women, Huron Chamber of Commerce, and the South Dakota Education Association.
In recognition of her contributions, Brown was awarded an honorary doctorate and Distinguished Alumnus Award by South Dakota State University in 1970. She was inducted into the South Dakota Cowboy and Western Heritage Hall of Fame in 1980.
Dona Brown passed away on May 25, 1996.
The Brookings Veterans Society was composed of discharged and separated members of the United States Armed Forces who were enrolled as students at South Dakota State University. In the preamble to its constitution, the society acknowledged its members’ dual roles as both veterans and students. Recognizing this unique perspective, they believed their primary responsibility was to support the interests and welfare of the broader student body. The society’s purpose, as outlined in its constitution, was to uphold the South Dakota State University Student Code and to support the educational mission of the institution. It sought to create a welcoming environment for new veteran students, offering help and assistance as they transitioned into university life. The organization also aimed to provide information and encourage discussion on legislation, current events, and political issues affecting the university, the state, the nation, and the world. Additionally, the society worked to advocate for the general interests of veterans and other students on campus, to improve classroom and residential facilities, and to encourage veterans to enroll in, remain at, or return to South Dakota State University.
Rotary International is a global organization of business and professional leaders dedicated to humanitarian service, promoting high ethical standards in all vocations, and fostering goodwill and peace. The movement began in 1905 when four Chicago businessmen met to build fellowship within the business community. As membership grew, meetings rotated among members’ places of business, inspiring the name ""Rotary."" Rotary became international in 1910 with the formation of a club in Canada, and by 1921 it had expanded to every continent. The organization formally adopted the name Rotary International in 1922.
The Brookings Rotary Club was established in 1919 through the efforts of local businessmen Ivan Cobel and Clyde Hinkley, who believed a Rotary Club would help strengthen ties among the business community. With support from other local business leaders and sponsorship from the Watertown Rotary Club, the Brookings club received its charter on February 1, 1920. Arthur Stoll served as the first president, and the club began with 21 charter members.
Throughout its history, the Brookings Rotary Club has contributed significantly to local civic and youth initiatives. These include supplying instruments and uniforms to the Brookings High School band, sponsoring Boy Scouts and youth sports teams, and initiating the concept for the Brookings United Retirement Center. The club also helped establish the United Fund, provided equipment for the Brookings Hospital, and developed Rotary Park. Members have contributed to international efforts as well, including book drives for schools in South Africa and the Philippines, financial support for the Polio Plus campaign, and contributions to the Rotary International Foundation.
Brookings Rotarians have played an active role in the broader Rotary organization, with six members serving as District Governors. The club has sponsored young professionals for international group study exchanges and awards a four-year scholarship annually to a local student attending South Dakota State University. It also provides educational awards for students studying abroad.
The Brookings Rotary Club remains active today, supporting local projects and promoting fellowship and service among members from the business, industrial, and educational sectors. Weekly meetings continue to serve as a platform for community engagement and informative programs.
The Brookings Reconciliation Council was a community-based organization established in Brookings, South Dakota, in the early 1990s in response to statewide and local efforts to address historical injustices and improve relations between Native American and non-Native communities. Its formation followed South Dakota’s 1990 “Year of Reconciliation,” which encouraged dialogue, education, and community action around Native history, sovereignty, and civil rights.
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the Council served as a forum for discussion and advocacy on issues affecting Native communities, including education, land and sovereignty, cultural representation, violence, and economic concerns. The organization sponsored and participated in conferences, public events, and reconciliation initiatives, and worked with educators, civic leaders, and community groups to promote awareness and understanding. The Council remained active into the early twenty-first century, leaving a record of sustained local engagement with reconciliation and human rights issues in eastern South Dakota.
In 1958, Hilton M. Briggs was appointed president at South Dakota State. He served in that capacity for 17 years, the longest tenure in the presidential office. He received his B.S. from Iowa State University, M.S. from North Dakota State University, and Ph.D. from Cornell University. He held positions as professor and associate dean of agriculture at Oklahoma State University and dean of agriculture at the University of Wyoming. During his tenure, the South Dakota State College of Agricultural and Mechanical Arts became South Dakota State University, divisions became colleges, and the campus grew to match its increasing status. The number of departments grew, enrollment increased by more than half, and the number of buildings on campus almost doubled. Briggs was also instrumental in beginning the social fraternities and sororities on campus and initiating women's intercollegiate athletics. He also guided the campus through the controversy and activism of the 1960s and 1970s. The Faculty Association became the Academic Senate with decision-making capacity under Briggs’ leadership, and the Student Association also took on more responsibility. Upon his retirement in 1975, he was designated a Distinguished Professor of Agriculture, taught for two years, and was appointed director of International Programs. He was involved in the development of the Botswana Africa Project, a United States Agency for International Development program for teaching, research, and agricultural extension in that country.
Dr. Brandt is an Emeritus Professor of English whose scholarly specialization is English Renaissance literature, with particular emphasis on Shakespearean studies and Renaissance drama, prose, and poetry. He earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1977, following completion of an M.A. in 1971 and a B.A. in 1969 from the University of Denver. After completing his doctoral studies, Brandt joined the faculty of South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota, in the fall of 1979.
During his tenure at SDSU, Brandt taught and conducted research primarily in English Renaissance literature, focusing on Shakespeare and related Renaissance authors and genres. In addition to his teaching and scholarship, he served in various academic leadership and service roles, including participation on university and departmental committees and the mentoring of students and colleagues.
Brandt’s scholarship has been recognized through multiple awards. He received the F.O. Butler Foundation Award for Excellence in Scholarship in 1992 and the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Scholar Award in 2015. His publications include articles, books, and contributions to edited volumes addressing topics such as Shakespearean literature, Renaissance drama, and Marlowe studies, reflecting sustained contributions to the field of English Renaissance scholarship.