Record
Born in Sioux City, Iowa in 1940, David Allan Evans went to college on a football scholarship, and by the time he graduated, he was writing poems and short stories. He has degrees from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, the University of Iowa, and the University of Arkansas, where he got his MFA in creative writing.
He has lived in Brookings, South Dakota since 1968, where he is a professor of English and Writer in Residence at South Dakota State University. He is the author of five books of poetry, and the author or editor of seven other books.
In 1974 he was the first South Dakotan to receive a National Endowment for the Arts grant. He also has writing grants from the Bush Artist foundation in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the South Dakota Arts Council. His poems, short stories, and essays have been published in many magazines and journals and in over 60 anthologies, including Best Poems of 1969 (The Borestone Awards), Heartland II: Poets of the Midwest, The Norton Book of Sports, The Sporting Life, Imaging Home, Poetspeak, Motion: American Sports Poems, and Fathers.
A number of his poems have been re-printed frequently in well-known sports literature anthologies as well as K-12 text books. He has been a Fulbright Scholar to China twice, once in Nanjing, China and once in Guangzhou. He has done residencies for the South Dakota Arts Council, Iowa Arts Council, and Wyoming Arts Council for over 25 years. He is listed in Contemporary Authors, International Authors and Writers Who's Who, and Who's Who in America.
The Forum, originally established as the Ethical Culture Club in Brookings, South Dakota, in January 1906, began as a Sunday gathering offering a liberal theological alternative to traditional church attendance. On October 14, 1910, the organization was renamed The Forum and transitioned into a space for open discussions on a wide range of topics, such as child labor laws, the establishment of a public library, the promotion of a league to enforce peace, and the adoption of metric measures. Several discussions, such as those advocating for a public library, led to actionable outcomes that benefitted the community.
The Forum attracted members from both the town and the college, with most members affiliated with the college. According to historian William Powers, the group included professionals from diverse fields, including clergy. Membership was limited to men, and all members were expected to contribute by presenting a paper.
The organization was governed by an executive committee comprising a president, vice president, and secretary-treasurer, supported by two standing committees for programs and membership. This governance structure facilitated the club’s mission of fostering intellectual engagement and community-driven initiatives.
The South Dakota State University Economics Club is a chapter of “The Student Section of the American Farm Economic Association”, which was founded in 1910. The Club adopted its constitution in 1955. The Club has three goals: to stimulate interest in the profession of Economics and related fields, foster a spirit of cooperation and mutual helpfulness among students in the Social Sciences, and provide an opportunity for wider acquaintances among students and professional workers in the Social Sciences. Membership consists of students actively interested in Economics and allied Social Sciences, as well as Economics graduate students and personnel of the teaching, research, and extension staff of Economics.
Started in 1955, the Eastern South Dakota Science and Engineering Fair is held annually, each spring, at South Dakota State University. Eastern South Dakota Science and Engineering Fair is an affiliated fair for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair put on annually by the Science Service of Washington, D.C. Students in grades 6-12 from area schools are eligible to submit scientific research projects, and each year, several Grand Champion winners receive an all-expense paid trip to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which is hosted by a different city each year. Students are also competing for a wide variety of medals, trophies, and monetary awards.
The Science Fair is operated by a Fair Director and Committee, as well as the SDSU Chapter of Sigma Xi scientific research society. Sponsorship comes from Sigma Xi, South Dakota State University, the Division of Continuing Education (SDSU), The Greater State Fund, and the South Dakota State University Foundation.
Anthony S. Dylla was born December 21, 1924 in Andover, SD to Julius and Lucy Dylla. He grew up on a farm and entered the U.S. Army in 1946 where he served in Japan through 1948. He later entered South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD where he obtained Bachelors and Master’s Degrees in Agricultural Engineering. He was an agricultural engineer with the United States Department of Agriculture from 1959 to 1982 doing irrigation research at Reno, Nevada; Morris, Minnesota; and Columbus, Ohio. He retired to Pueblo, CO in 1982. Dylla married Colette Lathrop of Sioux Falls, SD in 1955. He died January 7, 2006 in Colorado Springs, CO.
Poet David Dwyer grew up just north of New York City and commuted to Manhattan for high school. He later relocated with his wife, writer Kathleen Norris, to Lemmon, South Dakota, where she inherited her maternal grandparents’ farm.
Dwyer’s debut poetry collection, Ariana Olisvos: Her Last Works and Days, received the prestigious Juniper Prize and was published in 1976 by the University of Massachusetts Press. His second collection, Other Men and Other Women, was completed with the support of a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and published in 1988 by Sandhills Press in Ord, Nebraska. In addition to these collections, Dwyer’s poetry appeared in prominent anthologies and literary magazines, including The New York Quarterly, The Agni Review, and The Virginia Quarterly Review.
David Dwyer passed away in 2003 at the age of 57 after a prolonged illness, leaving behind a legacy of vivid and contemplative poetry.
