John P. Hendrickson was born on February 17, 1923, in Valley City, North Dakota, to Rev. Alfred and Karen (Skorpen) Hendrickson. He graduated from Bismarck High School in 1940 and served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946 in the United States and Europe. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1947, a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Minnesota in 1949, and a doctorate in political science from the University of Iowa in 1952. In 1951, he married Arlene “Susie” Brogla in Iowa City, Iowa. Before joining South Dakota State University in 1954, Hendrickson taught at the University of Iowa and the College of Wooster in Ohio. He also pursued post-doctoral study at the University of Nebraska and the University of Manitoba, where his work contributed to the development of courses on Canadian politics and government at South Dakota State University.
Dr. Hendrickson had a long and distinguished career at South Dakota State University, serving as professor of political science from 1954 to 1988 and as head of the political science department from 1967 to 1988. He worked with the South Dakota Constitutional Revision Commission (1969–1975), the Local Government Study Commission, and the State Supreme Court Blue Ribbon Committee. In 1967, he was chosen to confer an Honorary Doctor of Science degree on Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Two years later, he was selected as Outstanding Teacher of the Year by SDSU students, faculty, and alumni. The South Dakota Supreme Court recognized him in 1986 for his service on the Blue Ribbon Citizen Committee. In 1988, he received the SDSU Alumni Association’s non-alumnus award for service to South Dakota and was named Professor Emeritus. He also received the Liberty Bell Award from the Brookings County Bar Association in 1989. Dr. Hendrickson was profiled in South Dakota 99, a collection highlighting 99 influential people from the state’s first 99 years.
After retiring from SDSU, Dr. Hendrickson remained active in public life. He authored the Home Rule Charter for Brookings in 1996 and served on the Argus Leader Editorial Board. He was also a member of Golden K and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
arol Hepper, born in 1953 and raised in McLaughlin, South Dakota, earned a B.S. in 1975 from South Dakota State University. She gained national recognition with her inclusion in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s 1983 exhibition New Perspectives in American Art and relocated to New York City in 1985. Her work has been exhibited at numerous institutions, including the Orlando Art Museum, Worcester Art Museum, Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum, The Phillips Collection, the Walter Art Center, and the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Her artwork is held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Dannheisser Foundation, among others. Hepper has also served as a visiting lecturer at Brandeis University, Princeton University, the Maryland Institute College of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, and the School of Visual Arts
The Library had its beginning in the fall of 1885 when two rooms on the second floor of the Old Central building were assigned as reading rooms. The Library at that time contained approximately 500 reference books. In the early years, the Library was frequently moved from floor to floor in Old Central and back and forth from Old Central to South building. Essentially, it seems to have consisted of two rooms: a reading room and a book room. The office of Librarian was established in 1886 with the appointment of a Mr. Lewis, an arithmetic teacher. He soon left and was succeeded by Nancy L. Van Doren, Preceptress and English grammar and composition teacher. She continued as Librarian until 1889. These succeeding appointments seem to have been largely nominal, with much of the work being done by students. In 1898, Librarian Robert F. Kerr returned to the position he held seven years earlier, and served until he became secretary to Governor H. Elrod in 1904.
The Library grew slowly. The original collection was mainly donated materials. The first book was purchased in 1886. It was a United States government document: The Report of the Secretary of the Interior for 1877. The college catalog for 1887-88 reported that the college library contained over 2,000 volumes. Ten years later, the Library consisted of about 5,000 volumes and as many pamphlets. By 1925, the figure was 35,000 bound volumes and 8,000 pamphlets.
In 1927, the Library moved into its new building, the Lincoln Memorial Library. It was the first building in the state to be financed from funds received from a tax on cigarettes and the first land-grant college library dedicated to President Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln Memorial Library consisted of a large reading room designed to seat 250, a periodical room to accommodate 64, eight classrooms, fourteen seminar rooms, and sufficient unused floor space in the large stack room to accommodate the museum.
A growing institution always needs more space and so the Departments of History, English and Education also moved into the new Library. In 1942, when the Army took over many of the buildings on campus, the Library had to make room in whole or part, for the offices of Agricultural Economics, Rural Sociology and Foreign languages. The end of World War II brought an influx of students. The Library collection began to grow rapidly, tripling in size to about 100,000 volumes in the 20 years after occupying the new facility.
The establishment of a doctoral program in 1954-55 had great significance for the Library. To supplement such studies, Library appropriations were greatly expanded, as was the staff. By the late 1950's, the Lincoln Memorial Library was visibly inadequate. Books were overflowing the shelves, service areas and offices intruded upon the study areas and students found that the crowded and noisy conditions interfered with their studies. One-by-one, the faculty offices found new homes, classrooms were converted to house additional books and storage areas for books were added in East Men's Hall and Hansen Hall. After years of study, a new library was built. Hilton M. Briggs Library was finished in 1977.
"Ben Frank Hofer was born on August 16, 1926, in Milford Township, Beadle County, South Dakota, to Josua and Anna Hofer. He married Elsie Waldner in 1946, and together they farmed grain and livestock in Spink County, South Dakota, raising three children: Lowell, Darla, and Rachel. Following Elsie’s death in 2000, Ben married Agnes Glanzer Waldner in 2002.
In 1961, Hofer was named Outstanding Young Farmer by the Redfield Jaycees. He was actively involved in local agricultural and civic affairs, serving on the Spink County Pest and Weed Board, the Union Township Board, and as chairman of the Yale Board of Directors for the Farmers Elevator Cooperative. He also held a position on the South Dakota Weed and Pest Commission.
In 1995, Ben and Elsie moved to Huron, South Dakota, after their daughter Darla and her husband, Harold Loewen, took over the family farm. In Huron, Ben joined the Huron Area Chamber of Commerce and served on its Agriculture Committee and Consumer Awareness Committee. He ran as the Republican candidate for the South Dakota State Senate in District 21 in 1996 but was defeated by Democrat Charlie Flowers.
Hofer was a dedicated member of the Bethel Mennonite Brethren Church in rural Yale, South Dakota, and served on various church boards, including the Mennonite Aid Property Board, the Central District Conference Board of Trustees, and the Board of Youth and Evangelism. He passed away on May 2, 2018."
Edward Patrick Hogan was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the eldest of five children of Edward W. Hogan and Dorothy Fehrenbach Hogan. He attended St. Gabriel the Archangel Grade School and graduated from Bishop Du Bourg High School. He earned a B.S. in 1961, an M.A. in 1962, and a Ph.D. in 1969, all from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Dr. Hogan joined the faculty of South Dakota State University in 1967 as a member of the Geography Department, where he was responsible for developing South Dakota’s only geography program. Over the course of his career at SDSU, he held several leadership positions, including Head of the Department of Geography from 1973 to 1991, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1977 to 1983, and Coordinator of Student Academic Affairs within the same college from 1983 to 1991. From 1991 to 1999, he served as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs. In December 1999, he was appointed Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Information Technology Officer. He also served as Coordinator of Faculty Development and Articulation, and Director of Summer Term.
Dr. Hogan received numerous honors throughout his career, including the Distinguished Teaching Award from the National Council for Geographic Education and the Distinguished Service Award from the Defense Mapping Agency. He was listed in multiple biographical directories such as Who’s Who in the Midwest, Who’s Who in the World, and International Who’s Who. He was also featured in Leaders in American Geography, a publication profiling seventy-nine individuals who have had a major influence on geographic education in the United States. In 1991, Governor George S. Mickelson named him the State Geographer of South Dakota.
Dr. Hogan is married to Joan Ford Hogan. They have five children: Bridget, Edward Jr., Timothy, Erin, and Molly.
Richard Powell Holm was born on February 1, 1949, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in De Smet, South Dakota. He earned his medical degree from the University of South Dakota and Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1981, he returned to South Dakota, settling in Brookings, where he practiced at Brookings Health System and Avera Medical Group. From 1983 to 2013, he served as Director of Continuing Medical Education at the hospital and was a Full Clinical Professor of Medicine at the USD Sanford School of Medicine.
Dr. Holm held several leadership positions, including Chief of Staff at his local hospital, President of the South Dakota State Medical Association, and Governor of the South Dakota Chapter of the American College of Physicians. A frequent speaker at medical conferences, he was also active in professional associations including the American Medical Association and the Gold Humanism Honor Society.
A prolific writer, Dr. Holm contributed to four medical textbooks and published articles in journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association, New England Journal of Medicine, The Pharos, and South Dakota Journal of Medicine. He also authored The Picture of Health: A View from the Prairie (2008).
He hosted a weekly 30-minute call-in radio show on KBRK and served as host and medical editor of On Call with the Prairie Doc, a one-hour television program on South Dakota Public Broadcasting. In recognition of his service, he was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2016 and received the National Volunteer of the Year Award from the American College of Physicians.
Dr. Holm married Joanie Smith, a registered nurse and certified pediatric nurse practitioner from Jacksonville, Florida. They had four children: Eric, Carter, Preston, and Julia.
Dr. Holm passed away on March 22, 2020."
Andrew G. Hopp is a graduate of South Dakota State University, where he completed a Master of Science degree in Geography in 2007. His thesis, titled “South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Preserves,” reflects a research focus on land use, wildlife conservation, and rural tourism in South Dakota. His academic work integrates geographic information systems (GIS), environmental planning, and cultural geography, with particular attention to recreational land management in the Northern Plains.
Evelyn T. Hubbard was an American artist whose work is represented in the holdings of South Dakota State University through a painting depicting Old Central and Old North, two historic campus buildings. The oil painting, created in the mid 20th century, is preserved by SDSU Archives and Special Collections and is documented as part of the university’s art and artifact holdings. References in South Dakota Memorial Art Center documentation indicate the work was acquired as a gift and reflects Hubbard’s artistic depiction of the SDSU campus rather than a formal institutional role at the university. The art museum transferred the painting to SDSU Archives and Special Collections.
Albert Emil Huber was born in February 1898 in Yankton County, South Dakota, to Frank Huber and Hedwig Rudolph. He grew up on the family farm and was one of nine siblings. On February 20, 1919, he married Marie Kruse in Yankton. Huber spent his life in the Yankton area, likely working in agriculture, as indicated by family and regional context. He is buried at Sigel Church Cemetery in Yankton County.
Hugill, Blatherwick, Fritzel, Kroeger, Griffin & Berg was a prominent South Dakota architectural firm whose evolution spanned much of the 20th century.
The firm began in 1921 when George C. Hugill and Wilfred F. Blatherwick established Hugill & Blatherwick in Sioux Falls. Both men were formally trained architects with experience in civic, educational, and ecclesiastical design. Over the next two decades, the firm became known for designing county courthouses, churches, schools, and public buildings throughout South Dakota, with several projects later listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1946, Wendell C. Fritzel joined as partner, forming Hugill, Blatherwick & Fritzel. Jean R. Kroeger entered in 1956, expanding the firm’s scope and reputation as Hugill, Blatherwick, Fritzel & Kroeger. After the deaths of Hugill and Blatherwick in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Edward L. Griffin and Milton L. Berg joined, and the firm continued under the name Fritzel, Kroeger, Griffin & Berg.
Throughout these transitions, the firm remained influential in shaping South Dakota’s built environment, contributing notable designs for universities, civic centers, schools, religious institutions, and airports. In 1985, the practice transitioned into Holman Beck Associates, which later became Holman & Associates, continuing operations until its closure in 2009.
Over nearly nine decades, the firm and its successors left a ignificant architectural legacy across the region, blending early 20th-century classicism with mid-century modernism in their wide-ranging portfolio.
Lawrence Alvin Hunt was born on July 22, 1918, in Verdel, Nebraska, to Warren and Elizabeth Hunt. He worked as a carpenter and cabinet maker. In 1946, he married E. Jeanne McCartney, and together they had three children.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows began in England in the 18th century and became established in the United States in 1819. The organizations purpose is to unit people in providing aid and support to each other and to their communities.
Emil Jacobsen was born on August 8, 1903, to Armus and Elvina Jacobsen. Armus immigrated to the United States from Europe in 1881 and later met and married Elvina in Iowa. The couple settled near Rock Valley, Iowa, where they raised their family. Emil had two sisters, Hilda and Lucile. He attended South Dakota State Agricultural College from 1922 to 1923. Emil later married Ruby Ingebord, and together they had six children: Russel, David, Marilyn, Roy, James, and Stanley. Emil Jacobsen passed away on August 4, 1998.