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The South Dakota Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family, and Community Records document the history and recognition of individuals honored as Eminent Farmers and Homemakers in South Dakota from 1927 through the early 2000s. The collection comprises photographs, citations, scrapbooks, banquet and planning materials, and other administrative documents, reflecting the significance of these awards and their institutional history, particularly at South Dakota State University.

The honoree photographs span 1927–1991 and were formerly displayed on the Wall of Fame in Agricultural Hall at SDSU. These portraits, largely measuring 14.5 x 18 inches, include names, years honored, locations, and occasionally occupation or area of interest for farmers. Homemaker identifications typically follow the convention “Mrs. [Husband's Name],” with given names rarely appearing until the late 1980s. Due to light exposure, many photographs were damaged and later removed for preservation. Accompanying negatives (mostly 4x5") created between 1960–1991 document the original captions.

Citations provide biographical information, household or farm management practices, and details on public service and community leadership. Early entries frequently include homesteading stories and narratives of frontier life. Some citations contain transcripts of banquet acceptance speeches. These are arranged alphabetically by honoree.

Three scrapbooks document different time ranges. Scrapbook I (1928–1969) contains business meeting reports, newsletters, correspondence, and obituary clippings. Scrapbook II, titled Sands of Time, spans 1952–1982 and features photographs, minutes (1965–1982), and necrology reports. Scrapbook III, titled History, 1972–1988, includes honoree biographies, event programs, a mailing list of Master Farm Homemakers, and death listings.

Additional materials include banquet and award planning files, correspondence, application forms, minutes, obituaries, draft programs, event themes, and donation and endowment records. Recognition programs, trees planted in honor of recipients, and a map of honorees' geographic distribution further contextualize the impact of the awards. Printers' blocks of honoree portraits and documentation on portrait frames are also present.

This collection offers a unique lens into South Dakota’s agricultural heritage, community values, and gender norms over much of the 20th century. It preserves the legacy of individuals recognized for their contributions to rural leadership, family life, and agricultural advancement, and reflects the ceremonial and institutional practices surrounding their recognition. As a record of statewide honorific traditions and their evolution, the collection is significant to researchers of agricultural history, gender roles in rural communities, South Dakota social history, and commemorative culture.

The Robert F. Karolevitz Papers document the life and work of a prolific South Dakota journalist, author, public speaker, and historian. Spanning the years 1833 to 2005, with the bulk of the material dating from 1910 to 1999, the collection offers comprehensive insight into Karolevitz’s personal life, professional writing career, civic activities, and historical research.

The collection includes personal files such as education records, family correspondence, financial and legal documents, memorabilia, and ephemera. These materials trace Karolevitz’s academic path through Yankton High School, South Dakota State College, and the University of Oregon, as well as his later roles as a public speaker and educator. Family records highlight several generations of the Karolevitz family, with photographs, commemorative materials, and genealogical documentation reflecting his strong ties to Yankton and Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Professional files encompass manuscripts, published and unpublished writings, newspaper columns, speeches, advertising and political ghostwriting, and correspondence with publishers. Among the most notable works documented are Flight of Eagles, This Was Trucking, With a Shirt Tail Full of Type, and The Prairie is My Garden. Supplementary materials include book layouts, catalogs, and awards from institutions such as South Dakota State University, the South Dakota Newspaper Association, and Toastmasters International.

Karolevitz’s extensive research files span a wide range of historical subjects, including South Dakota and regional history, Catholic institutions, journalism, automotive culture, and American military history. These files contain clippings, correspondence, notes, pamphlets, and illustrations gathered in support of his writing and historical interests.

A major strength of the collection is its substantial photographic holdings, comprising thousands of prints, negatives, slides, and postcards. Subjects include early automobiles, farm equipment, American Indian communities, historic newspaper offices, Catholic parishes, World War I, and South Dakota towns and landscapes. These visual materials significantly enrich the documentation of regional culture and 20th-century American life.

Collectively, the Robert F. Karolevitz Papers form a rich resource for scholars of American regional history, journalism, Catholic heritage, and South Dakota’s cultural identity. The collection offers a deeply personal and professionally expansive view of one of the state’s most dedicated chroniclers.

The John E. Miller Papers document the academic, professional, and scholarly contributions of Dr. John E. Miller, longtime faculty member in the Department of History at South Dakota State University. The collection includes course materials, oral history interviews, public talks and presentations, manuscripts, published works, and extensive research files. The bulk of the collection centers on Miller’s nationally recognized work on Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane, but also reflects his broader research interests in American history, democracy, political culture, and Midwestern small-town life.

The general material series includes correspondence, photographs, awards, articles about Miller, and records of his involvement with organizations such as the South Dakota Humanities Council, South Dakota State Historical Society, Phi Kappa Phi, and the Midwestern History Association. Course materials reflect Miller’s teaching of U.S. history, South Dakota history, American political thought, and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute courses following his retirement. Talks and presentations span decades of academic conferences, workshops, and public panels, including participation in the Dakota History Conference and Laurapalooza.

The interviews series includes oral histories with figures such as George McGovern and John Wooden, as well as SDSU faculty and administrators. Early recordings were created on audiocassette and later on digital media; some are accompanied by transcripts and release forms. The writings series includes manuscripts, book proposals, article drafts, encyclopedia entries, and collaborative works. Sixteen boxes are devoted to Miller’s research and writing on Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family, comprising handwritten notes, research from archival sources, critiques of other Wilder scholars, and drafts of his own publications.

Miller’s research files cover a wide range of historical figures and topics such as democracy, elections, U.S. and South Dakota history, creativity, and popular culture. Subject files include material on Johnny Carson, Walt Disney, Sam Walton, and Lawrence Welk, as well as materials related to his books Looking for History on Highway 14 and South Dakota State University: A Pictorial History, 1881–2006. Also included are Brookings County historical research drawn from the Donald D. Parker Collection; materials related to the Brookings County Democratic Party donated by Ruby Mershon; and artwork and records concerning Hubert B. Mathews and Hubert Jean Mathieu.

Audiovisual and digital content includes 231 audiocassettes, 10 digital recorders, 17 CDs, 1 DVD, 18 USB flash drives, 24 SD cards, and born-digital materials. These recordings document interviews, lectures, and research materials gathered over the course of his career.

This collection is especially valuable for its preservation of the scholarly legacy of one of South Dakota’s foremost historians. Miller’s research on Laura Ingalls Wilder contributed significantly to American literary and cultural history, and his oral histories and writings provide rich documentation of South Dakota’s political, educational, and social landscape. The materials reflect the intellectual and civic life of the region, while also offering insight into the historian’s role as teacher, writer, and public scholar. The breadth and depth of this collection make it an essential resource for the study of Midwestern identity, public history, American democracy, and the institutional history of South Dakota State University.