Raymond Peterson

GENERAL | EDUCATION

RAYMOND PETERSON

Brookings, SD

Mr. South Dakota Performing & Visual Arts

A native of the small Kingsbury county town of Oldham, Ray grew up “behind the counter” of Melvin’s Store, a grocery and general merchandise business that his parents, Melvin and Helen Peterson, ran from 1939 until their retirement in 1972. As a child, Ray displayed his talents in music and art early in life, singing for church, school and community events, decorating store windows, and designing prize-winning floats for Oldham’s annual Field Day parade. Ray graduated from Oldham High School as class valedictorian in 1963 and attended Dakota State University (then General Beadle State College) where his sweepstakes-winning float designs became legendary.

Active in band, choir, theatre and student government while cheerleading for both football and basketball, writing for the school newspaper and editing the Trojan yearbook, Ray was named GBSC’s “Man of the Year” in 1966 and was also listed in the 1966 edition of Who’s Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He graduated Summa Cum Laude and served as General Beadle’s Director of Student Activities prior to entering the United States Army in 1969.

Ray completed his basic training at Fort Lewis, Washington, his schooling in transportation documentation at Fort Eustis, Virginia, and his service as a Transportation Specialist in Long Binh, Vietnam, where on January 18, 1971, he was presented the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Achievement. Ray enrolled as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Speech and Theatre at South Dakota State University in 1971, graduating with a Master of Arts Degree in Speech and Theatre in 1973. He immediately became the full-time Designer/Technical Director for State University Theatre, a position Ray held for 31 years prior to becoming the administrative Director of Theatre in 2003.

During his 40-year tenure at SDSU, Ray designed sets and costumes for over 200 theatre productions, directed countless musicals for both State University Theatre and Prairie Repertory Theatre, and served as the faculty advisor to the Alpha Psi Omega Dramatics Honorary Fraternity, coordinating and leading countless theatre student field trips to Minneapolis, Chicago and New York City – resulting in a cherished collection of over 350 Broadway Playbills from the plays and musicals seen between 1972 and 2011.

In 1976 Ray produced and directed SDSU’s Red, White and Blue Bicentennial Revue, “Traveling with Uncle Sam,” which opened in Brookings before traveling throughout South Dakota and culminating at the annual Sioux Empire Farm Show in Sioux Falls. In 1989, as part of South Dakota’s Centennial observance, Ray once again served as both producer and director for SDSU’s state-wide touring musical, “South Dakota Proud.” The show’s 62 performances played to 29,872 people in 40 different communities before closing with two packed

house amphitheater performances at Mt. Rushmore as part of the Monument’s Fourth of July Centennial Celebration.

Over the past five decades, Ray has also served as a judge for many speech-related activities including the SDHSAA State Oral Interpretation Contest, the One-Act Play Festival, and the state-wide Poetry Out Loud Contest. The numerous awards and honors Ray received for his services to the state and to higher education include several of the following:

• Three-time SDSU “Teacher of the Year” honors in the College of Arts and Sciences in 1981, 1984 and in 2002.

• The 1984 Dakota State University Distinguished Alumnus Award

• The Outstanding Speech Educator in South Dakota Award for the year 2000

• Named Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies and Theatre by the South Dakota Board of Regents

In addition to his contributions in education over the years, Ray has been willing to share his musical and artistic talents through church and communityrelated activities. As an artist, he was instrumental in designing and chairing the Decorations Committee for the annual Brookings Evening for the Arts and, for a number of years, spearheaded the Community Cultural Center Festival of Trees. He regularly shares his talents with the elderly by singing at assisted living centers and nursing facilities throughout the

area, and he is a member of Dr. Rick Holm’s Hopeful Spirit Choral, a group that performs for hospice patients or anyone in need of an uplift.

Perhaps Ray’s favorite involvement and most notable state-wide contribution has come as a direct result of an invitation to serve as a vocalist for the 1966 Miss South Dakota Pageant in Hot Springs – an invitation that has led to a 52-year commitment to the Miss America-franchised organization as Producer and Production Director. It was a challenging position with an annual requirement of picking a new theme, selecting, editing and recording theme-supported music, securing choreographers and entertainers, designing the set and costumes, writing the script, turning a bare gymnasium space into a “theatre,” and then directing the show – year after year. But there have been perks, too, for Ray’s involvement with the Miss America Pageant system has also provided him with an opportunity to travel while judging 43 state pageants, to serve on the National Association of Miss America State Pageant Board of Directors, and in the late 1980s, to serve as Assistant Director to the Miss America Pageant, which he continues to attend annually. In recognition of Ray’s 50-plus years of dedicated volunteer service, in 2016 the Miss America Organization presented Ray with the Miss America Crowning Achievement Award and South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard proclaimed June 18, 2016, as “Ray Peterson Day” – resulting in Ray being affectionately known by all as “Mr. South Dakota.”

NOMINATED BY JAMES JOHNSON & PAUL REYNOLDS

INNOVATORS IN AGRICULTURE

PATRICIA ADRIAN

CHRISTINE HAMILTON

DR. DWAYNE BECK

JEFF BROIN

DR. SAM HOLLAND

RICHARD KJERSTAD

DENNY EVERSON

GIVING TO THE HALL of FAME

Why do our donors support the SD Hall of Fame financially?

Donors support a culture of excellence in South Dakota by inspiring people to connect, learn, and celebrate the achievements of inductees.

Funding enables us to:

Continue our traditional purpose of selecting and honoring new inductees each year. The annual Honors Ceremony raises enough money to cover the cost of the event, but it does not cover other annual expenses.

Support and expand our programs: Legends & Learning Legacy of Achievements Acts of Excellence

Support the centrally-located Visitor and Education Center in Chamberlain. The center serves as a home for inductees, their rotating exhibits and archives, and connects us all at the annual honors weekend.

We have no debt, and to continue to secure our financial future through:

An endowment campaign with targeted earnings that will cover at least a third of annual costs. The plan includes growing the endowment fund through planned giving.

Annual Board of Directors and Staff contributions.

Ongoing relationships with living donors, who financially support and participate in the mission and programming.

Taking these steps will ensure that our annual appeals serve broad-based and long-term goals.

ADDITIONAL BUDGET INFORMATION

The annual budget for the Hall’s programming is approximately $350,000. The South Dakota Hall of Fame is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 corporation, able to accept tax-deductible and tax-advantaged donations.

Programming is funded through the generosity of individual and corporate donors, an annual fundraising campaign with the Honors Ceremony, Exhibits, Legends and Learning Sponsorships, and Endowment Interest. Planned giving and bequests will be an important piece of sustainability for programming costs.