On January 20, 1933, a group of women met at the home of Mrs. A.H. Hoppe to organize a music club under the auspices of the American Association of University Women. They adopted the four-year study program of the National Federation of Music Clubs. In 1934, the club became officially affiliated with the Federation. The organization's goals were to promote mutual support among members and to advance music within the community.
The National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights and benefits of retired federal employees and their families at the local, state, and national levels. The Big Sioux Chapter (Chapter 0872), based in Brookings, South Dakota, is part of the South Dakota Federation of NARFE chapters. Although currently inactive, the chapter has previously served members in the region through advocacy, community engagement, and information-sharing.
Alfred Lyman Musson was born on August 31, 1911, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Alfred and Mildred Musson. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Connecticut State College at Storrs in 1933, followed by a master’s degree in 1934 and a doctorate in 1951, both from Iowa State University at Ames. On November 28, 1935, he married Helen Saunders in South Norwalk, Connecticut. They had three children: Alfred L. Jr., Esther, and Merrill, and five grandsons. Helen Musson passed away in November 1987. Alfred later married Hannah Sharp in Brookings on February 18, 1989.
From 1938 to 1941, Alfred and Helen Musson served as house parents at Greer School at Hope Farm in New York. Alfred was called to active duty with the U.S. Army Reserve from 1931 to 1945, serving in the 271st Infantry, 69th Infantry Division. He was a veteran of World War II and retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was employed at Iowa State University for six years and spent three years at the Hope Farm School for Dependent Children.
In October 1952, Musson joined the faculty of South Dakota State College as professor and head of the Animal Science Department. From 1960 until his retirement in 1973, he served in the Office of the Dean of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, ultimately retiring as associate director of the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station.
Following his retirement, Musson pursued genealogical research. He wrote a privately published family history in 1986 and issued a family genealogy newsletter from 1980 to 1982. He was a member of the Brookings Area Genealogy Society, the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, and the Marblehead (Mass.) Historical Society. His affiliations also included the Mystic Seaport, Inc., the 69th Infantry Division Association, the American Society of Animal Science, Gamma Sigma Delta, Sigma Xi, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. He was a former Rotarian and Scoutmaster in Ames, Iowa.
Alfred Musson died on July 21, 1990, at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls. He was buried at Westwood Cemetery in Westwood, New Jersey.
Dr. John E. Miller was born on March 28, 1945, in Beloit, Kansas, to Channing and Mildred Miller. He received his B.A. in history from the University of Missouri, followed by an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. After completing his graduate studies, he spent one year as a visiting professor at the University of Tulsa. He grew up in multiple towns in Missouri and Illinois and served as a court reporter in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War in 1969 and 1970.
Dr. Miller taught recent American history for three decades. After a brief teaching appointment at the University of Tulsa, he joined the faculty at South Dakota State University in Brookings in 1974, where he remained until retirement. During his military service in Vietnam, he also taught classes. In retirement, he continued teaching through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
He authored, edited, and reviewed numerous books and scholarly articles, writing primarily on American history but also addressing politics, literature, creativity, and small-town life. His notable works include Looking for History on Highway 14, Small Town Dreams: Stories of Midwestern Boys Who Shaped America, three books on Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Democracy’s Troubles: Twelve Threats to the American Ideal and How We Can Overcome Them.
Beyond academia, John enjoyed golf, baseball, biking, and cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was a frequent visitor of libraries and bookstores and often combined research trips with family visits and vacations. He was active in church, community, and professional organizations, serving on numerous committees. His scholarship earned several honors, including the South Dakota Board of Regents Research Award in 2000 and the Herbert Schell Governor’s Award for History in 2001.
Dr. John Edward Miller passed away suddenly at his home in Brookings, South Dakota, on May 1, 2020, at the age of 75.
Edgar Sharp McFadden was born on February 3, 1891, in Day County, South Dakota, to James Edgar and Beatrice (Stocking) McFadden. His father had arrived in South Dakota in 1882 to homestead and constructed a combined granary and dwelling on the property. In 1903, James McFadden was seriously injured by a bull, leaving thirteen-year-old Edgar responsible for much of the spring planting in 1904. That year he planted a small experimental plot using seed selected from several beardless wheat plants he had noticed the previous season. Although the crop was later destroyed by black stem rust, the experience began his long interest in developing improved wheat varieties.
During the winter of 1908–1909 the McFadden family relocated to the West Pecos region of Texas, where Edgar worked with his father in the cattle ranching business. In the following years he traveled seasonally along wheat harvesting routes from Texas northward through South Dakota and into the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota. During this work he observed patterns in the spread of wheat rust, noting that infections appeared first in southern regions and progressed northward during the growing season.
In 1911 McFadden enrolled in courses in the School of Agriculture at South Dakota State College and completed the program in 1914. He entered the college as a freshman that fall and worked as an assistant in the agronomy laboratory and in experimental plots operated by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. While a student he began experiments aimed at transferring rust resistance from Yaroslav emmer wheat to the Marquis wheat variety. McFadden received a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture from South Dakota State College on March 1, 1918.
After graduating, McFadden worked for the United States Department of Agriculture as a field assistant at the Agricultural Experiment Station in Highmore, South Dakota, where he continued research on rust-resistant wheat. During World War I he served in the United States Army from May 25, 1918, to February 25, 1919. Following his military service he returned to the Highmore station and later resumed work on his family’s farm near Webster, South Dakota, where he continued wheat breeding experiments while farming from 1920 to 1929. Despite crop losses caused by drought, hail, and rust in successive years, he continued his research and developed the rust-resistant wheat varieties Hope and H44.
In 1929 McFadden returned to federal service as an Associate Agronomist with the United States Department of Agriculture, stationed in Redfield, South Dakota, and later working at University Farm in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1935 he accepted a joint position with the USDA and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. There he continued research on wheat and other small grains, including oats, barley, and flax.
McFadden became widely known for developing Hope wheat, which served as the parent line for numerous disease-resistant wheat varieties used in breeding programs. During his career he received several honors, including the Reader’s Digest award for meritorious contributions to public welfare (1946), the American Agricultural Editors’ Award for service to agriculture (1947), the USDA Distinguished Service Award (1949), and an honorary Doctor of Science degree from South Dakota State College in 1950. In 1955 he received the John Scott Legacy Medal and Premium. A granite memorial to McFadden was later erected in Webster, South Dakota, in 1966.
In 1918 McFadden married Mabel Blakeslee, and the couple had three children: Carol, Phyllis, and James. Edgar S. McFadden died on January 5, 1956, at his home in College Station, Texas.
Jon McNitt was a collegiate wrestler at South Dakota State University during the late 1960s. Competing in the 167-pound weight class, he earned national recognition as a two-time NCAA Division II All-American. McNitt placed second at the national championships in 1967 and fourth in 1968, establishing himself as one of the leading wrestlers in SDSU’s program during that period. His accomplishments contributed to the university’s wrestling program during the tenure of coach Frank Kurtenbach and are documented in university archival records and wrestling media guides from the era.