2018 Spring/Summer Newsletter

CHAMPIONING EXCELLENCE One Act at a Time SOUTH DAKOTA HALL OF FAME NEWSLETTER

SPRING/SUMMER 2018

New Board Members Elected 2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Randy Houdek, Chair Highmore, SD

The South Dakota Hall of Fame board chairman, Randy Houdek, announces the appointments of Marci Burdick of Rapid City, Denny Everson of Yankton, Brian Hagg of Rapid City, and Bev Morris of Rapid City to the South Dakota Hall of Fame Board of Directors.

Michelle Lavallee, Vice Chair Sioux Falls, SD

Sarah Richardson Larson, Secretary Sioux Falls, SD

Gailen Meyerink, Treasurer Chamberlain, SD

Dave Olson, Director Emeritus

Marci Burdick

Denny Everson

Brian Hagg

Bev Morris

Sioux Falls, SD

Schurz Communications

First Dakota National Bank / SDARL

Whiting Hagg Hagg Dorsey & Hagg, LLP

Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country

Marci Burdick Rapid City, SD

Denny Everson Yankton, SD

Dick Gowen, Past Chair Rapid City, SD

Brian Hagg Rapid City, SD

Jan Johnson

Save the Date: 2018 Honors Ceremony September 7 and 8 The Board of Directors invites you to join them in honoring the ten members of the 2018 class as representatives of the culture of excellence in South Dakota. The announcement of the 2018 class will be forthcoming in May. Please make plans to join us on Friday, September 7, and Saturday, September 8 at the South Dakota Hall of Fame and the Arrowwood Cedar Shore Resort in ChamberlainOacoma. Tickets will be available on June 1 and can be purchased online at sdexcellence.org, by email at sdhallinfo@gmail.com or by calling 605.234.4216.

Watertown, SD

Bev Morris Rapid City, SD

Mary Olinger

SOUTH DAKOTA HALL OF FAME

Sioux Falls, SD

Duane Sander

ONE ACT AT A TIME

Brookings, SD

Loren Tschetter Sioux Falls, SD

Brg. Gen. Myrna Williamson (USA, Ret.) Sioux Falls, SD

Greta Chapman, CEO/President Rapid City, SD

Lori Platzer, Office Manager Chamberlain, SD

September 7

&

8, 2018

ANNUAL HONORS

CEREMONY

Spring/Summer 2018

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Acts of Excellence Celebration Pierre, SD On Thursday, January 18 in the State Capitol Rotunda, we gathered for an Acts of Excellence Celebration. We recognized eight recipients who represent everyday acts of excellence through their trials, tribulations, and perseverance. These recipients embody our mission of Championing a Culture of Excellence: One Act at a Time, and we are honored to acknowledge their outstanding acts of excellence.

MANSOUR KARIM Mansour Karim has become one of the most generous donors in the central South Dakota area. In 2011, he was honored as Pierre’s Philanthropist of the Year. By that time, he had already given away more than $1.5 million. His son, Jafar, told the Pierre Capital Journal in 2014 that the generous gifts should not be considered surprising “in light of what this country and this community have made possible for him.

A MISSION TO SAVE LIVES Nicole Neugebauer of Armour, the state’s 2015 EMT of the Year, said her goal was simply to improve the health of South Dakotans. One way to do that is to train young people in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. She has trained as many as 200 Douglas County students over the past three years and has been the driving force behind a new law that requires every school in South Dakota to offer the training.

FORT PIERRE

Lt. Gov. Matt Michels, Mansour Karim, & SDHoF Chair Randy Houdek

Planning and carrying out a 200th birthday party for South Dakota’s oldest organized town was a community-wide effort for the people of Fort Pierre as they celebrated their bicentennial in 2017 with concerts, rodeos, parades and historical presentations. The bicentennial was two years in the planning and months in preparation.

Read about the other AOE Recipients at sdexcellence.org/Acts_of_Excellence_Directory.

Jerry Wattier: Honoring Veterans

Triple U Ranch

Historic West River Trails

SD Historical Society Press

Native Hope

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Spring/Summer 2018

New Additions to Legends and Learning RICHARD EKSTRUM | 2003 Richard Ekstrum of Kimball, SD is a prominent agricultural leader and respected spokesman on farm and ranch issues. Ekstrum was born on a Brule County farm in 1932, where he and his wife Agnes still reside. The major enterprise on the Ekstrum farm has been a farrow-to-finish hog operation.

Ekstrum was elected president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau in 1975 and served 10 two year terms – by far the longest reign in the 86-year history of the farm and ranch organization. He also served 10 years on the Board of Directors of the American Farm Bureau Federation and two years on its Executive Committee.

Ekstrum was one of seven founders of the S.D. Pork Producers Council. He was named a S.D. Master Pork Producer in 1962 and Pork All-American in 1972. The Ekstrums have two daughters, Lori and Marcee, and are lifetime members of Immanuel Lutheran Church.

RICHARD ADEE | 2014 Richard Adee was introduced early to beekeeping by his father and four uncles. Adee became intrigued with the bees, and in 1957 Adee and his brother Stanley purchased their first commercial operation in Bruce, South Dakota.

Today, Adee Honey Farms is the largest commercial beekeeping operation in the country, with more than 80,000 bee colonies and nearly one-hundred employees in facilities across five states.

Adee fought for funding for bee research at multiple U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service labs and universities.

He was a founding member of the American Honey Producers Association (AHPA), and worked tirelessly to promote industry issues to lawmakers in Washington. Adee also served on the Executive Board of the American Beekeeping Federation, the South Dakota Beekeepers Advisory Board, Senator Pressler’s Agriculture Advisory Board and the USDA Crop Production Review Board, to name a few.

About the Legends and Learning Statewide Youth Learning Program • 100% free. Due to our generous supporters, this program is free for districts, teachers, and students.

• Multimedia, web-based, and not in any textbook. Students like the interactive biographies, photos, videos, and exercises.

We believe that this program provides students with meaningful role models and inspiration for their own lives.

Learn more online at sdexcellence.org/Legends_Directory.

• A year-long curriculum that meets state standards in several areas. Students learn about history, vocabulary, and other subjects through the lives of outstanding South Dakotans.

• Designed by teachers, the curriculum is geared to 4th grade, but is adaptable for students at any level.

Includes teacher’s section with discussion questions & activities useful for all modules.

Spring/Summer 2018

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Endowment Campaign Vision 2020 PLEASE JOIN US Join our South Dakota Hall of Fame Endowment Campaign.

Our goal is $3 million. Pledges received are close to the tipping point of $2 million from donations of $25,000 to $300,000!

Today, SDHoF employees focus the majority of their me on raising dollars annually versus marketing the successes of the Hall of Fame Inductees or promoting our other programs. By achieving the Endowment Campaign goal, we will put the priorities where they should be.

MAKING A GIFT TO THE ENDOWMENT FUND

CHAMPIONING

•

Give a one-time gift or gifts pledged over a number of years

•

Ask that contributions be directed to the Fund in the name of a deceased loved one in lieu of flowers

•

Designate that a memorial gift in honor of others be placed in the Fund

•

Include a bequest to the Fund in your will

•

Designate the Fund as a beneficiary in a life insurance policy

A CULTURE OF

ONE ACT AT A TIME

2018 ENDOWMENT DONORS Committed, consistent supporters make all the difference in planning and reaching big goals. We are grateful for the help of these partners as we further our mission to champion excellence in South Dakota.

Sanford T. Denny $300,000

Miles & Lisa Beacom $250,000

Sanford Health $250,000

Frank Farrar $200,000

Avera

$125,000

Steve & Julie Vanderboom in Honor of Ilo Vanderboom

$125,000

Jeff Scherschligt $75,000

Dana & LaDawn Dykhouse $50,000

Richard & Nancy Gowen $50,000

Christine & Eddie Hamilton $50,000

First PREMIER Bank / PREMIER Bankcard

Al & Irene Kurtenbach

Dan & Arlene Kirby

John & Linda Lillibridge

$125,000 $125,000

$50,000 $50,000

Norm & Eunabel McKie $50,000

Dave & Kay Olson $50,000

Karl & Eileen Fischer $25,000

Mary Olinger $25,000

Loren & Jean Tschetter $25,000

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Spring/Summer 2018

Treasures Uncovered from Four Generations A Visit to the SD Hall of Fame Visitor & Education Center Ralph and Maxine Jones along with their granddaughter-in-law Breanna and greatgranddaughter Jacey stopped by the Hall recently to acquire a family collection on loan. During the visit Ralph shared about his summer days on his Uncle Baxter Berry and Aunt Lyndall Berry’s Ranch who are both inductees. Breanna and Jacey enjoyed the bank teller in the Excellence in Banking Exhibit. Ralph also noted his grandfather’s signature on the bank note for the Philip Bank.

Baxter and Lyndall Berry were instrumental in the establishment and support for the Hall of Fame.

There is a metal plaque on display at the Hall in commemoration of their commitment. Baxter was born in 1906 and Lyndall in 1909. You can read their stories of Championing a Culture of Excellence: One Act at a Time at sdexcellence.org that continue making a difference.

Spring/Summer 2018

South Dakota Hall of Fame Timeline 1974

Established

1976

Named the Cowboy and Western Heritage Hall of Fame (October 29)

1975 1999

Quarterly magazines – Dakota West to South Dakota Heritage to South Dakota Hall of Fame

1978

The first 120 individuals were inducted during the first annual Honors Ceremony

1986

Established as the South Dakota Hall of Fame (July 25)

1992

Relocation to Chamberlain

1993

$1.5 million building campaign launched

1996

Designated as official State Hall of Fame by Legislature

2000

Grand opening of the new building during the Honors Ceremony

2004

South Dakota Hall of Fame launches Honors Ceremony Commemorative Magazine

2010

Endowment established and 30th Anniversary

2012

Legends and Learning Statewide Youth History Program Launched

2014

Mortgage paid

2015

40th Anniversary, Champions for Excellence Network & Legacy of Achievements

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Gift Shop Treasures for Sale

Our shelves are stocked with various publications by Hall of Fame inductees.

Check out the Gift Shop for a full inventory of books not pictured here.

Acts of Excellence for Everyday Excellence in South Dakota

2016

Launched Vision 2020 Endowment Campaign

2017

Acts of Excellence Celebrations Statewide

Books, posters, pins, and other miscellaneous keepsakes commemorating the statue Dignity are available now for purchase at the Hall of Fame Gift Shop.

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Spring/Summer 2018

Inductee Updates ROGER WOLLMAN | 2002 Judge Roger L. Wollman announced that he intends to step down as an active judge on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Wollman notified President Trump that he will assume senior status as soon as the U.S. Senate can confirm a successor, but not later than Dec. 31. Wollman, who will turn 84 this year, is the longest-serving judge of the 11 active judges on the circuit.

Celebrating 44 Years of Excellence in South Dakota

1974–2018

AL KURTENBACH | 1993 2018 marks 50 years for the company that got its start in a small garage in Brookings, thanks to the vision of two South Dakota State University professors. Co-founder Al Kurtenbach said it was easy to recognize back then that there was a lot of young, local talent that was underutilized, and not all of them wanted to leave to find a good job.

“There are a lot of talented people in South Dakota and a lot of them come to Brookings. We’ve developed a unique system to attract them to work for us,” said Kurtenbach.

JEFF SCHERSCHLIGT | 2017 The love of the outdoors, the environment and giving back led Jeff to join the South Dakota Parks and Wildlife Foundation, of which he served as president in 2010. Scherschligt continues to support the state of South Dakota’s cultural and natural resources through his role on the board of directors.

Using his leadership and fundraising skills, he led the private fundraising effort that resulted in Good Earth State Park, the first new state park in a decade.

LARRY NESS | 2012 Larry Ness was awarded ‘Outstanding Display’ for his native artifact collection at the Dakota Territory Gun Collectors Association show in Sioux Falls, one of the biggest in the Midwest. The show held at the Sioux Falls Convention Center and was one of their biggest years yet with nearly five thousand visitors, 400 dealers, and one thousand table displays.

For 44 years, from 1974 to 2018, the South Dakota Hall of Fame has honored Champions for Excellence from all walks of life who have contributed to the development and heritage of South Dakota.

Over 700 inductee stories illustrate the many paths to excellence. It is our honor to keep a record of the achievements and service these inductees have provided.

Find out more about our inductees by visiting the museum in Chamberlain or online at sdexcellence.org.

Photo by Rick Bohn

SOUTH DAKOTA HALL OF FAME VISITOR AND EDUCATION CENTER 1480 S. Main Street Chamberlain, SD sdhallinfo@gmail.com 605-234-4216

CHAMPIONS FOR EXCELLENCE IN SOUTH DAKOTA The South Dakota Hall of Fame is privileged to have inducted over 700 individuals in recognition of their exceptional achievements.

These inductees are connected with the many others throughout South Dakota committed to be Champions for Excellence, One Act at a Time.

VISIT US IN CHAMBERLAIN Visit the South Dakota Hall of Fame Visitor and Education Center in Chamberlain, just off I–90, Exit 263

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