Alumni News - Black Hills State University

Spring 2006Black Hills State UniversityAlumniMagazinePresidentFlickema retiresAlso inthis issueSchallenkampnamed futureBHSU presidentKamstra createsItalian diningexperienceRodeo clown isserious abouteducationClassnotesPhotos fromalumni gatheringsBlack Hills State University1200 University Unit 9506Spearfish, SD 57799-9506ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTEDNon-Profit OrganizationU.S. POSTAGE PAIDFARGO, NDPermit No. 684

EditorialAlumni NewsFlickema leaves a legacy at BHSU __________________ Page 2Dr. Thomas O. FlickemaBHSU PresidentLarry VavruskaClass of ‘68BHSU Alumni Association PresidentSteve MeekerClass of ‘84Vice President forInstitutional AdvancementJohn KietzmannDirector of DevelopmentJodi NeifferClass of ‘99Director of AlumniCorinne HansenClass of ‘85Director of University CommunicationsEditorLeigh Kamstra builds her dream __________________ Page 4Reichert clowns his way to success__________________ Page 6Research leads to career for Ebbert__________________ Page 7Classnotes ______________________________________ Page 8Creating a LegacyScholarships established ________________________ Page 20Businesses donate scholarship money ____________ Page 21The 12 years I have spent at Black Hills State University have been the most satisfying years of my professional career. Ithank the Board of Regents for extending me the privilege of serving as the president of this vibrant and growing university.In that role I have had the chance to work with remarkably talented faculty and staff. They have proven themselvesto be individuals dedicated to providing our students with the finest possible education, support, and guidance. I have alsohad the pleasure of working with alumni, community members, and friends of BHSU who have done so much to make thisuniversity successful.Indeed, our success at BHSU has been driven by the efforts of countless people who had a vision of what this universitycould become. To all those people I extend my thanks for their dedication and contributions. Judy and I also say thank you tothe university community, to the people of Spearfish and the Black Hills, and to those across the state who have made us feelso much at home. Because of all of you, we have chosen to stay in Spearfish for our retirement and to continue our support forBlack Hills State University.Dr. Thomas FlickemaBHSU PresidentKristen KilmerClass of ‘99Information SpecialistCopy EditorBlack Hills State University,founded in 1883 as a teacherpreparatory institution, has grown tobecome the state's third largest universitywith nearly 3,900 students. BHSUhas expanded its curriculum and nowoffers more than 80 majors and minorsthrough three colleges - the College ofEducation, the College of Business andTechnology and the College of Arts andSciences. To find out more seewww.bhsu.edu.BHSU Alumni MagazineSpring 2006The Alumni Magazine is published twice a year by theBlack Hills State University Alumni Association. 13,700copies were printed at a cost of 48.7 cents each.Send address corrections and alumni news to: BHSU,1200 University, Unit 9506, Spearfish, SD 57799-9506or call 605-642-6446. Your comments are welcome.Please email alumni@bhsu.edu.University NewsBHSU people in the news ________________________ Page 24BHSU in the news ______________________________ Page 27BHSU students in the news ______________________ Page 28Sports ________________________ Page 30-31Looking ahead __________________ Page 33

University NewsPresident Flickema leaves a legacy at BHSUDr. Thomas Flickema, who is retiringfrom his position as president ofBHSU this summer, says his 45-yearcareer in higher education is the result ofsome sound advice from his father manyyears ago."My father said 'whatever you do, have ajob that you want to do. You spend so manyhours at work. Do something that gives youa sense of satisfaction.' I've had the opportunityto earn that sense of satisfaction in mycareer," Flickema says.As a faculty member and administratorin higher education for more than fourdecades, including 12 years as president atBHSU, Flickema has had many opportunitiesto make a positive difference in the livesof students, faculty and staff members aswell as the community as a whole. ForFlickema it all comes down to what the studentsaccomplish."Students. That's what we're all about.When one of them comes back and lets usknow what they have accomplished, that'sthe ultimate satisfaction," Flickema says.Flickema, who has served as BHSU presidentsince 1994, will retire July 1. Flickemaserved as the eighth president at BHSU.Under Flickema's leadership, BHSU hasestablished itself as the third largest universityin South Dakota and a leader in liberalarts education. Flickema believes the universityis poised for unprecedented successin the future.Flickema began his career as a historyprofessor and his tenure at BHSU will godown in history as a time of profoundaccomplishments and great change andimprovement for the university. Thirtyyears ago Flickema was a tenured full professorenjoying teaching and research withno intention of going into administration.He accepted his election as chair of the historydepartment at California StateUniversity, Fullerton, as a temporary assignment,little realizing it would lead to a successfuland influential career in administration.At BHSU, Flickema will be rememberedfor his far-reaching vision for the universityand many accomplishments as he led theuniversity through a number of changesand enhancements. Looking back, Flickemasays his greatest pride is in the improvementof instruction on campus."The driving force in an academic institutionis the faculty, and Black Hills State isfortunate in that our faculty are extremelytalented, dedicated and hardworking,"Flickema says. Faculty research and publications,as well as performance activities,have increased dramatically in the last 10years. Flickema notes that faculty use ofinstructional technology has also seen majorchanges and improvements in that timeperiod.Flickema has always maintained that thecornerstone of academic achievement restsupon the strength of the faculty and thediversity of the curriculum, and he hasworked to ensure that BHSU has the best ofboth. Through the years the number of facultymembers with the highest availabledegrees in their fields has increased from 53percent to more than 77 percent."The greatest strength is the people oncampus. The Black Hills State Universityfaculty and staff provide the best possibleeducation and services to our students andto the community beyond the campus.These years have been the most satisfyingand fulfilling professional experience in mylife and I value the rich associations I havehad with all of you and thank you for allthat you have contributed," Flickema saidduring his state of the university addressthis fall.Under Flickema's watch, outside fundingfor the university has grown exponentially.He noted that the university willreceive more than $4 million in grant fundingthis year, an dramatic increase from the$75,000 received in 1995. He noted thatgrants have brought more than $1 millionworth of equipment to campus whichbrings valuable equipment to our campuswhich provides enhanced learning opportunitiesfor students. Many of these grantshave provided much needed equipment forteaching and training.The university has placed a growingemphasis on research and development.Faculty research has increased dramaticallyContinued on page 32"I'm going to walk out of heremissing a lot of things.I will miss the day-to-dayinteraction with talented,creative, dedicated people.At the same time I'm going towalk out of here feeling goodabout what we've accomplished."Schallenkamp chosen tolead BHSUDr. Kay Schallenkamp, president of Emporia State University at Emporia, Kan., will become the ninthpresident of Black Hills State University, the South Dakota Board of Regents announced this spring.Schallenkamp has served as president at Emporia State since 1997. Prior to that, she was provost andvice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and provost at Chadron(Neb.) State College. She began her higher education experience in South Dakota as an undergraduatestudent at Northern State University. She later returned to Northern to begin her academic career, startingas an instructor of communication disorders in 1973 and ending her tenure there as dean of graduatestudies and research in 1988.Throughout her career, Schallenkamp has been professionally active at the state and national levels.She currently serves on the board of directors for the American Association of State Collegesand Universities, the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, and The RenaissanceGroup. She chairs the board of directors of The National Teachers Hall of Fame and has served aschair of the Presidents Council of the NCAA Division II. Additionally, she has been active in theAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the North Central Association's HigherLearning Commission.Schallenkamp holds three degrees in communication disorders: a B.S. from Northern StateUniversity, a M.A. from the University of South Dakota, and a Ph.D. from the University ofColorado. She and her husband, Ken, have two grown daughters.Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 3

Building adreamFor Spearfish businesswomanandchef LeighKamstra, Classof ‘82, it allstarted whenshe fell inlove with abuilding.And itwasn't muchof a buildingat that.The formerW.B. LownDry Goodsand Mercantilewas a dilapidated building that had been emptyfor 37 years when it caught Leigh's eye. This wassome time during the years 1978 to 1982 while shewas attending college at Black Hills StateUniversity. At the time, Leigh had no clue whatshe might do with the old stone building. All sheknew was that someday, someway, she and thisparticular building would forge a relationship.That relationship eventually became Roma's onthe corner of Fifth Street and Illinois in downtownSpearfish. But what happened between the early80s when Leigh first discovered it - and the year2000 when Roma's opened its doors - is a historywell worth revisiting.The second to youngest of six children, Leighgrew up in Brookings, where her parents wereboth professors at South Dakota State University.With a family cabin on Nemo road and grandmotherin Sturgis, Leigh considered the BlackHills her second home - which is why she choseBHSU for college."I knew onething. I did notwant to go tocollege wheremy parentswere teaching,"Leighrecalls.With ahead fornumbersand naturalbookkeepingabilities,she got herdegree inbusiness with aminor in computer science. After graduation, shespent 10 years in the banking industry - threeyears in California and another seven years inDenver.And then came the fateful day in 1994 whenLeigh was sitting on the couch watching televisionafter a stressful day at the office and saw a commercialfor a culinary arts degree program offeredthrough the Colorado Institute of Art."It was like a light went off in my head," Leighsays. "I had always loved to cook, though I wasnever very good at it. I used cooking and bakingfor stress relief after a long day at work."It may have been slightly out of character forthe shrewd businesswoman to make the spontaneousdecision to chuck her successful businesscareer to become a chef, but once Leigh had sether mind to it, she did not look back.The 18-month culinary arts program wasintense, Leigh says, and out of a class of 125 students,only 42 graduated. But she loved everymoment of it. She also excelled at it -finishing first in her class of 1997. Shegraduated with a 4.0 grade pointaverage, three gold medals and twosilvers.While in school, Leigh honedwhat would become her special culinarymagic sauces. She also secured aspecial wine and spirits certification,which means she pairs differentwines with multi-course meals.Although she didn't know it at thetime, her skill with sauces wouldbecome the impetus behind the nameRoma's (after the tomatoes she uses inher marinara sauces) and the wineand spirits certification wouldbecome the force behind Roma'sWine Dinner (served monthly fromOctober through April), where shetreats lucky patrons to a four-coursedinner of original, not-on-the-menudishes made by Leigh herself andparied with carefully selected wines.After graduation, Leigh startedher cooking career in Colorado. For atime, she was happy working in headchef positions at upscale restaurantsin Boulder and Cherry Creek. Butthen she became frustrated with thetrend she was seeing. "They weredowngrading the quality of the foodwhile they were raising the prices,"she explains. "It was my name on thefood, and I was not happy about it."Back home visiting family atChristmastime in Spearfish, Leighhappened upon her favorite buildingstillthere and still empty. But thistime, there was a "for sale or lease"sign in the window. For Leigh, thiswas another sign."This is going to sound crazy,"Leigh explains, "but I looked in thewindow and I could see my restaurant."Even more interesting was discoveringthat the building's owner wasonly 10 minutes away from her homein Denver. Another sign.Putting her business acumen togood use, Leigh negotiated with theowner a deal that would make herdream a reality-even though shecould not afford to buy the building.She hired local contractors and startedrefurbishing the building inearnest in March 2000. In a threemonthwhirlwind of activity, renovationswere completed and Leighopened Roma's on July 1.Among the multiple challengesthe old building presented, there wasno electricity or water to the building.They stripped paint to reveal beautifulfir woodwork. A good friend andphoto stylist from Denver accompaniedher on snooping tours of upscalerestaurants which eventually resultedin the stunning, eclectic interiordesign that makes up Roma's atmosphere.There is an interesting clash of oldand new at Roma's, where some ofthe original features of the buildinglikestained glass, painted plasterwalls, food bins, counter tops andwooden showcases-are juxtaposedwith modern touches like metalsculpture and plaster busts. The colorsare vivid and inviting.For artwork to adorn Roma'swalls, Leigh momentarily shut off thecreative, culinary side of her brainand let her business brain take over."Spearfish is a big arts community,and I decided to develop a rotatingart gallery on my wall. Local artistsget a place to display their work, andI get top-notch art for my walls thatchanges every month," Leighexplains. She does not charge artists acommission and keeps a pricelist ofartwork discreetly hidden behind thecounter in case a patron is interestedin buying.For the first two years in business,Leigh never left Roma's kitchen. Shenow cooks once a week and spendsthe rest of her time on the multiplemanagement duties associated withthe popular restaurant. She is quick topass herself over when she discussesRoma's success and popularity withpatrons from all over the Black Hills.Roma's fans will tell you the atmosphereis stunning, the food outstanding,and the service is over the top.But Leigh refuses to take the credit."I have to give a lot of credit to mystaff," Leigh insists. "I absolutelywould not be where I amtoday without my staff." Shestill has the first server sheever hired and says heremployees stay with her anaverage of 2 ½ years - not badin an industry known for itshigh turnover rate.Now that Roma's haspassed its five-year mark,how does Leigh feel abouther long-term relationshipshe's had with the buildingshe spotted over 20 yearsago?"I live andbreathe thisplace," Leighsays. "It isboth a blessingand acurse, butmy bloodpressureis thelowest ithas beenin years."She regrets that shetakes no vacations, but plans to remedythat in the future when sheachieves her next dream of buying aHarley. Right now she islearning to ride a borrowedHarley belongingto a friend who refusesto sell her the bike.Given Leigh's historyof getting what shesets her mind to, I suspectwe'll see her cruisingSpearfish Canyonon her Harley sometimesoon.This article reprintedwith permissionfrom Black HillsFaces Magazine, aquarterly publicationthat featuresstories on peoplefrom the BlackHills.Subscriptions areavailable for $20per year. Pleasesend check ormoney order to:BHFM, PO Box9566, Rapid City,SD 57709.

Alumni NewsRodeo clown teaches theimportance of educationEbbert researchesher way to anDuane Reichert, Class of ‘72, getsready for work in the morningssitting on a hay bale in a dirt-floortent.He tugs on pink tights over an agingbody, flops a carrot-top wig over his grayinghair, runs a can of gold spray paintover his cowboy boots andtops the ensemble off witha pink cowboy hat.Reichert is a rodeoclown, cowboy protectorand bull fighter rolled intoa bundle of funny clothes,laughout-Reichertloudschtickand uncommon bravado.The bravado comesfrom being in the bullridingarena on theProfessional RodeoCowboys Associationtour for more than 40years.Throughout theNational Western StockShow & Rodeo (inDenver, Colo.), he's presented"Backstage With aRodeo Clown," a programgeared to toddlers andschool-age kids, three toseven times daily. The programis new to the 100-year-old stock show.In "Backstage," Reichertdescribes the life and dangersof being a clown - he hasbroken his foot and each fingerand once required 25stitches to his face. He throws insome magic, comedy and farmanimals, entertaining up to 300youngsters on bleachers and haybales in the tent.After sharing lemonade from awooden keg with the audience,Reichert puckishly pulled a dogfrom the same keg.Even the shy children in theaudience grimaced.He also incorporates three messages:Education is important. Drugs can killyou. Live your dream.Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 6"Walt Disney said if you can dream it,you can do it, and I can attest to that - I'vebeen living my dream for 40 years,"Reichert said before the 20-minute performance.He won't reveal his age, but he's oldenough to collect Social Security.His "Backstage" show has toured in 22states. He's on the road 279 days a year.His wife of 37 years, Claudette, is aschool-curriculum administrator inSturgis."I'm proud to be"Walt Disney said if you can dream it,you can do it, and I can attest to that -I've been living my dream for 40 years."part of the 100th NationalWestern Stock Show," Reichert said.Clowning has evolved over the years,he said. "It used to be every rodeo clowndid comedy. Now it's more cowboy protection,"distracting the bull while thecowboy picks himself up, he said.A shy and introverted Reichert beganclowning in 1961, two years out of highschool."When I put on the makeup, it transformsme. It's like a split personality," hesaid. "When I walk into the arena, Ibecome a totally different person."He took speech classes in college tohelp overcome his shyness, and he earneda degree in elementary educationfrom Black Hills StateUniversity in Spearfish.He uses a broken sidemirror from a pickup truckto help him dab on colorfulmakeup stored in a videocassettecase.Children pour into thetent, and soon he is introducinghis purple-headedstick horse "that I don'thave to water or feed."He pulls a rabbit not outof his hat but his pants.He pulls a guinea pigfrom a French horn, tothe delight of the children."I thought it wasvery well done, and Iliked the way headdressed the issues ofeducation and notdoing drugs," saidJacquie Brostrom, ofCentennial, who waswith her husband,Dave, and two grandchildren,Quincy, 4,and Jade, 3.At one point inthe show, Reichertpromised to sharecandy but insteadpulled out yetanother small animal.Quincy's eyes grewwide at the surprise.Reprinted with permission from theDenver Post. Written by Dave Curtin.Originally published Jan. 12, 2006, in theDenver Post.outdoor careerWhile growing up in Deadwood,Elaine Ebbert liked being outdoorsas much as possible.Today, Elaine's career as a wildlife biologistkeeps her outdoors. Elaine haddreamed of this type of a career for years,and after several other endeavors, she tookthe first step in making that dream cometrue when she enrolled at BHSU to studybiology."I have always been an outdoors person.I was the kind of kid that my mothercouldn't get to stay in the house. I didn'tknow how to cook like my sister. I couldhave cared less," Elaine says.Like many young people, Elaine wasn'tsure what vocation she wanted to pursue,but she enrolled as a commuter student atBHSU and earned a secretarial degree in1970. She later continued her education inthe secretarial field with coursework inmedical transcription in California.When she moved back to Rapid City,she was hired as a medical transcriptionistin the records department at Rapid CityRegional Hospital. It didn't take her longto discover that this job wasn't her calling.This realization prompted her to transferwithin the hospital to the Cancer Registrydepartment, where she worked nearly 20years. Her work involved research ofpatients, their types of cancer, and whattreatments were most successful. Shefound that she loved doing research.Her job also expanded as she becamea consultant to other cancer registryprograms and helped them preparefor accreditation.Although Elaine enjoyed her jobat the hospital, she was ready for achange and once again enrolled atBHSU. This time she knew whatshe wanted to do and was ready toput her experience in research towork with a degree. Her experiencewith data analysis andresearch gave Elaine the backgroundthat would prove to beuseful as she pursued a biologydegree and a career as a wildlife biologist."I returned to BH because I felt like Ineeded a change. I had always wanted abiology degree. I didn't know that when Iwas younger, but as time went on, I beganto realize that. I have always been an outdoorsperson and have friends who arewildlife biologists. I felt a real desire toachieve this goal," Elaine said.Elaine now works with the NatureConservancy in Rapid City. The mission ofthe Nature Conservancy is to preserve theplants, animals and natural communitiesthat represent the diversity of life on Earthby protecting the lands and waters theyneed to survive. The organization ownsland and works to preserve it in its naturalDr. Audrey Gabel, professor emeritusat BHSU, and Elaine Ebbert (right)collaborated on several researchprojects including one that lead to afield guide to Black Hills mushrooms.The opportunityto spend daysoutdoors doingthis type ofresearch is whatled ElaineEbbert to returnto BHSU to earna biologydegree. Elainenow works forthe NatureConservancy inRapid City.state.Her work with "Idea Wild," agroup that raised money to fund projectsin Central and South America for biologists,introduced her to the NatureConservancy in Rapid City. She begandoing volunteer work for the NatureConservancy, and after she received herdegree she continued on a contract basis.She also coordinates education programsfor schools and other groups.While at BH, Elaine met Audrey andMark Gabel, emeritus professors, whobecame mentors and eventually life-longfriends."Mark and Audrey Gabel have beenone of the best influences in my life. Wehave become close friends.They are the reason that I amable to do this job."Elaine began helping theGabels with research projectsand says it was a meaningfullearning experience for her."I wish that every studentmajoring in science couldexperience having the Gabelsas a professors," Elaine said."They are incredible. Theirenthusiasm is just contagious."Elaine has high praise forall of her science professors atBHSU and says she sometimesencounters people who don'tContinued on page 25

Alumni NewsAlumni NewsKudos & AnnouncementsThe40sGrace Huck,Class of ‘49,Spearfish,recentlypublished her secondbook, “God's AmazingGrace, Stories FromMy Life.” For moreinformation, visitgracepublisher.com.Grace retired as apastor at age 65.The50sRichard“Dick”Ruddell,Class of ‘58,Spearfish, recentlycelebrated his 90thbirthday! An openhouse was held inhis honor at theBHSU RuddellGallery July 31, 2005.The60sJamesDunn, Classof ‘62, Lead,was recentlyinducted into theDeadwood Hall ofFame. James, a longtimesupporter ofDeadwood, served inthe S.D. House ofRepresentatives andas a state senator fornearly 30 years.Connie (Morrissey)Erickson, Class of ‘69,Tucson, Ariz., wasnamed Arizona'sNational DistinguishedElementary Principalof 2004-05. Her school,Mesquite Elementary,was also recognizedas one of the top threeschools in Arizona for“Best Practices.”Richard Greco, Classof ‘64, Eureka, retiredin 2004 after teachingfor 40 years. Some ofthe subjects he coveredwere biology, worldhistory, Spanish, andgeography. He wasalso the yearbookadvisor. In 1983, hewas named the S.D.Conservation Teacherof the Year.Dennis Howell, Classof ‘67, Wheatland,Wyo., was recognizedin the "Who's WhoAmong America'sTeachers" for 2005. Heis an art instructor atWheatland HighSchool.Class of ‘70 football team meets at BHA group of former BHSU football players that were part of the 1970 Yellow Jacket teamwhich holds the record as the most successful football team for 35 years, gathered atBHSU recently. The 1970 Yellow Jacket team had an 8-2 record that captivated the schooland community. Star players from the team, including Mike Savoy, went on to receiveNAIA honors. Those attending the reunion were: front row, left to right, Bob Templeton,Class of '73, Ree Heights; Bill Fleak, Class of '74, Riverton, Wyo.; Kent Waugh, Buffalo,Wyo.; Lanny Swisher, Class of '73, Spearfish; back row, left to right, Bill Hughes, formercoach, Spearfish: Mike Murphy, Class of '78, Watertown; Doug Roseth, Ft. Pierre; JimHolwegner, Ft. Collins, Colo.; Ron Young, Class of '72, Pierre; Paul Georgas, Class of '72,Rapid City; Kent Mauck, Mobridge; Ken Richardt, Winthrop Harbor, Ill.; and GeneSchlekeway, former coach, Spearfish. The group met at the BHSU vs. S.D. Tech footballgame in Spearfish to watch the Yellow Jackets defeat the Hardrockers 34-17.Robert J. Julius, Classof '60, Sturgis, is in his40th year as a sportscasteron both TV andradio. He received the2004-05 S.D. BasketballCoaches Association“Friend of Basketball”Award. He previouslyreceived this award in1993-94.Avonelle Kelsey,Class of ‘65, recentlyopened her own artgallery in Hot Springs.The gallery featuresartwork, poems, andmuch more.Clarence McGirr,Class of ‘65, ArizonaCity, Ariz., recentlyretired after workingfor the Belle FourcheSchool District for 16years and at MaricopaCommunity Collegesin Arizona for 16 years.Roger Merriman,Class of ‘67,Deadwood, works forSeaton Publishing,parent company ofthe Black Hills Pioneer,as publisher of theirnewest paper, RapidCity Weekly News.Dennis Schaar, Classof ‘64, Rapid City, isserving his third termas an elder at theWestminsterPresbyterian Church.Since retiring in 2001from his job as aUnited Airlines captain,Dennis has beentraveling and doingcommunity work.The70sCathy(Birkeland),Class of ‘76,BelleFourche, and herhusband, MelvinEaton, Class of ‘75,recently purchasedKudos & Announcementsthe Real Estate Centerfranchise in BelleFourche and built anew office there.Bob DeMersseman,Class of ‘70, RapidCity, received the2004 S.D. Tech'Outstanding PublicService Award.' Bob isRapid City EconomicDevelopment partnershippresident.Kathleen Dodson-Smith, Class of ‘72,Maple Grove, Minn.,was recently electedto serve a two-yearterm on the board ofdirectors for WAMSO(Minnesota SymphonyOrchestra Association).Elaine Doll-Dunn,Class of ‘79, Spearfish,recently startedLeading LadyEnterprises topromote books andspeaking engagementsabout her life.Robin I. (Vanvactor)Henrikson, Class of‘74, Rapid City, wasnamed the 2005-06"Teacher of the Year"for North MiddleSchool, where she hastaught for 15 years.Robert ‘Bob’ Knapp,Class of ‘77, Spearfish,recently received theSpearfish EconomicDevelopmentCorporation Awardof Excellence for hisstrong communitysupport and dedicationto economicdevelopment.Randall Macy, Classof ‘77, Deadwood,was formally swornin as a 4th CircuitCourt Judge inDeadwood inDecember 2005.Carol (Reinhardt)Meyer, Class of ‘77,Punta Gorda, Fla., hasbeen working as anindependent contractorfor three and ahalf years. Most ofher work has takenher overseas.Ernie Nauman, Classof ‘71, Spearfish,retired in fall 2005after 31 years with theForest Department.He continues to operateE & S CustomCabinets & FurnitureRepair, a business heand his wife, Sandi,started years ago.Thomas Pitlick, Classof ‘75, Pierre, wasrecently chosen to bethe finance managerfor the city of Pierre.Jennifer (Wilson)Silbaugh, Class of ‘71,received an H&BTeacher of Excellenceregional award andwas one of five inTexas to receive alifetime achievementaward. She lives inHarlingen, Texas,with husband MikeSilbaugh, Class of ‘69.Darlene (Davis)Telkamp, Class of ‘74,Spearfish, was named“South Dakota 'sPreserve AmericaHistory Teacher of theYear” for 2005. She isa teacher at SpearfishMiddle School.Martin Waukazoo,Class of ‘72, SanLeandro, Calif., washonored with theChampions of HealthProfessionals DiversityAward in June 2005.Ken Wetz, Class of‘70, Newell, wasnamed the Black HillsVolunteer of the Yearby the Black HillsCommunity EconomicDevelopment. Kenhas served as themayor of Newell andin the state legislature.The80sRichardAnderson,Class of ‘82,Laramie,Wyo., was namedWyoming Sportswriterof the Year by theNational SportswritersAssociation.Nancy (Pulliam)Coker, Class of ‘87,recently completedthe criteria necessaryto become a NationalBoard CertifiedTeacher in the field ofexceptional needs.She lives and teachesin Georgetown, S.C.Joan Conroy, Class of‘87, Rapid City, wasrecently featured inthe Black Hills FacesMagazine for her workin starting the firstNative AmericanLutheran Church inSouth Dakota. Aspastor, Joan leads theWoyatan LutheranChurch in Rapid City.Betty Coon, Class of‘85, Rapid City,received the WindBeneath our WingsAward from the RapidCity Area Chamber ofCommerce Healthand Human ServiceCommittee. Betty hasworked as a socialworker and volunteerfor many years.Dwight E. Cundy,Class of ‘84, Lincoln,Neb., retired as thesenior auditor withthe USDA Office ofInspector General,Great Plains Region,in December 2005after 25 years of dedicatedservice to thefederal government.Robert Dohrer, Classof ‘88, Eden Prairie,Minn., was recentlynamed to the AuditStandards Board bythe American Instituteof Certified PublicAccountants. He is theco-director of auditingfor McGladery andPullen, CPAs.Joe Guttierez, Classof ‘89, Sturgis, wasrecently selected asthe West RiverJuvenile CorrectionsAgent Supervisor bythe S.D. Departmentof Corrections.Josh Hall, Class of ‘89,Sturgis, was namedS.D. TechnologyTeacher of the Yearby the InternationalTechnology EducationAssociation. Josh is ateacher at NorthMiddle School inRapid City.Rosa (Vetter) Herman,Class of ‘88, RapidCity, was namedSocial Worker of theYear for WesternSouth Dakota by theWestern S.D. ChildProtection Council inApril 2005. She hasworked as a casemanager for theDepartment of SocialServices for the lastfour years.Richard J. Martian,Class of ‘86, Whiting,Iowa, has been a CADand constructioninstructor at SiouxCity West High Schoolfor seven years.Armond “Red”Olson, Class of ‘81,Ft. Thompson, is actingsuperintendentfor the Lower BruleAgency. He has 10grandchildren.Susan (Rosencranz)Proefrock, Class of‘87, Belle Fourche, isserving as presidentelectof the S.D.Association of SchoolBusiness Officials for2005-06. Next yearshe will assume therole of president.Jeanette Scarborough,Class of ‘86, Aberdeen,was inducted into theDakota MusiciansAssociation Hall ofFame for North andSouth Dakota.Darin Schiller, Classof ‘89, Belle Fourche,is assistant pipelinesuperintendent forBelle Fourche Pipelineand Bridger PipelineLLC. His wife, JoLynn (Christensen),Class of ‘88, works inthe Campbell CountySchool System.Deanna Streeter,Class of ‘87, SiouxFalls, is teachingBlack Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 9

Alumni NewsAlumni NewsKudos & AnnouncementsEnglish as a secondlanguage to refugeeswith Lutheran SocialServices.The90sChristopherAndre,Class of ‘98,Mission, isin his eighth year ofteaching for the ToddCounty SchoolDistrict. He and wifeJessie (Bordeaux),Class of ‘97, havethree daughters.Dadra (Morris) Avery,Class of ‘97, Sturgis,was recently hired asa guidance counselorat Sturgis BrownHigh School.Vanessa Bernstein,Class of ‘92, Suches,Ga., completed hermaster’s degree inlandscape architecturein 2005.Kimberly (Burr)Bynote, Class of ‘98,Omaha, Neb., isstudying the effects ofestrogen on breastcancer, thymus, andpituitary tissues at theUniversity ofNebraska MedicalCenter. She has alsodone some cloning.Michele Carlin, Classof ‘95, was honored asa Beta Sigma PhiWoman of the Year forher chapter. Michelelives in Rapid Citywith husband JosephCarlin Jr., Class of ‘91.Billy Carrillo, Classof ‘95, Spearfish, is aspecial educationteacher at SouthwestMiddle School inRapid City. He previouslytaught physicaleducation/health inBelle Fourche for nineyears.Wendi (French) Coop,Class of ‘98, Thornton,Colo., received hermaster’s in educationadministration fromSDSU via the WestRiver GraduateCenter in April 2005.In June 2005, she wasmarried. She teachesmusic at WestminsterElementary.David Curington,Class of ‘98, RapidCity, graduated fromthe USD School ofLaw in May 2005. Heaccepted a position inthe Pennington CountyPublic Defender'sOffice in October.Doug Custis, Class of‘91, Spearfish, wasAlumni milers raise scholarship fundsApproximately 25 runners from across the U.S. participated in the 14th annual Black HillsState University Alumni Mile in January. The group gathered on Friday evening for a socialfollowing the Yellow Jacket men's and women's basketball games. The alumni then participatedin a mile run during the David Little Invitational Track at the Young Center onSaturday. After the meet, participants enjoyed food and beverages at the Stadium SportsGrill. The winner of the alumni mile was Tim Bishop, who now serves as the assistant coachfor the BHSU cross country and track and field teams. This year, more $1,000 was raised,bringing the Alumni Mile endowment to over $17,000. Crystal Hostetter, a senior fromThermopolis, Wyo., and Luke Watkins, a junior from Rapid City, were awarded the annualAlumni Mile scholarships.Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 10elected the SpearfishFire Chief. Doug hasserved as a biologyteacher at SpearfishHigh School for manyyears.Angela King, Class of‘97, Spearfish, wasrecently hired as thedrug-free schoolscoordinator for theMeade County SchoolDistrict.Lori Linco, Class of‘99, Belle Fourche,recently passed hernational certifiedrehabilitation counselorexam. Lori hasbeen employed withthe state of SouthDakota for six years.Sean McGary, Classof ‘93, Billings, Mont.,was named interimhead softball coach atMSU (Montana StateUniversity) in August2005. Sean has workedwith the MSU softballprogram since it wasstarted five years ago.Robin (Overweg)Meyerink, Class of‘91, recently joinedthe Spearfish officeof Ketel Thorstenson,LLP. Robin and herhusband, RickMeyerink, Class of‘01, live in Spearfish.Justin O'Neill,Class of ‘99, HotSprings, openedhis own privatelaw practice inHot Springs. Heplans to focus onproperty, estateplanning, andcorporate law.Kudos & AnnouncementsDorthy Quaal, Classof ‘95, Sturgis, worksfor the Black HillsVeterans Administration(VA) in the VAHeath Care System atFort Meade.Lycynda (Creighton)Sanders, Class of ‘97,Spearfish, was recentlypromoted to directorof the Artemis House,a shelter for batteredwomen and childrenand victims of sexualassault. She has beenworking with the programfor seven years.Troy Stende, Class of‘97, Acworth, Ga., wasonce again named the"Best Campus Speaker"by the Association forthe Promotion ofCampus Activities(APCA). This is Troy'sthird award, makinghim the APCA's onlymulti-year winner,previously winning in‘02 and ‘04. He workswith his wife, Karin(Malkowski) Stende,Class of ‘99, whorecently graduatedfrom Kennesaw StateUniversity with amaster of science inconflict management(MSCM) and wasnamed OutstandingGraduate Student forthe MSCM program.Troy and Karinrecently adopted ason, Elijah Umoja, whowas born Jan. 10, 2005.Randy Vetch, Class of‘98, Rapid City, hasbeen nominated twicefor Teacher of theYear and has receivedthe Golden AppleAward for his workas a literacy teacher.Donald Weiand,Class of ‘96, Custer,Debi and Ric Caskey, and their children,Ian and Halley, enjoy living in Dubai,United Arab Emirates.was promoted to FirstSergeant in the 842ndEngineer Companyof the South DakotaNational GuardSept. 15, 2005.Janet Wendt, Class of‘91, Fort Collins, Colo.,has been working asan assistant archivistfor the RedemptoristsReligious Order sinceOctober 2004.Julie (Bode) Wenger,Class of ‘91, Lancaster,Ohio, recently receivedher master of socialwork from Ohio StateUniversity. Previously,she received a master’sin counseling andhuman resource developmentfrom SDSU.Lanette (Cole) Zubrod,Class of ‘91, Spearfish,recently purchasedCandy Creations, specializingin bouquetsand centerpiecesmade with candy.The00sMitchAdams,Class of ‘01,Spearfish,was recently hired asa physical scienceteacher at SturgisBrown High School.Heidi Baltezore,Class of ‘01, Beresford,was hired as a pharmaceuticalrepresentativewith Pfizer.Burke Binning, Classof ‘01, Burke, Va., wasnamed the assistantwomen's track andfield/cross countrycoach at the NCAADivision I GeorgeMason University.BHSU pride in DubaiRic and Debi Caskey live with their family in Dubai,United Arab Emirates. Ric, Class of ‘99, and Debi,Class of ‘90, both teach at the American School ofDubai. The couple and their children, Ian and Halley, havelived in Dubai for more than six years. Although, that areaof the world is quite "exotic, unusal" to most of us, Ric sayshis family feels right at home there and plans to stay forsome time."We have lived here for over six years now so we findthis part of the world pretty common by now. The photowas taken on Palace Road in front of the newly builtMadinat and the world famous Burj Al Arab," Ric said. "It isan extremely safe place to raise our children. We plan to stayat least until Halley graduates and most likely until Iangraduates."Ric notes that they have found several South Dakota connectionsin Dubai."We are not the only people over here who have leftSouth Dakota for this sandier, hotter part of the world," Ricsaid. According to Ric, one of the college presidents is fromRapid City. Also, one of their closest friends in Dubai was aclassmate of Ric's in the late 70s when they both were inenrolled at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.LaNaya (Durland)Elliott, Class of ‘05,was recently hiredas a part-time vocalmusic teacher atSturgis WilliamsMiddle School.Matthew Fox, Classof ‘03, Norman, Okla.,is attending graduateschool at the Universityof Oklahoma. He willreceive his masters insocial work in May2006. He and his wife,Lindsey, have a twoyear-olddaughter.Nicholas Horning,Class of ‘05, Reno,Nev., is working on hisPh.D. in interdisciplinarysocial psychologyat the University ofNevada.Jeremy Hoven, Classof ‘05, Spearfish, hasbeen named a WellsFargo business bankingrelationship manager.Jeremy providesfinancial servicessupport to areabusiness customers.Melanie Hurley,Class of ‘00, RapidCity, was namedthe Rapid CitySchool DistrictTeacher of the Year.Melanie is aliteracy teacherat KnollwoodHeightsElementarySchool.WendellJohnson, Classof ‘01, BelleFourche, washired as aninformationtechnologyinstructor atBlack Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 11

Alumni NewsAlumni NewsKudos & AnnouncementsMake plans now to attendthe baseball reunionat BHSUSturgis WilliamsMiddle School.Michael Jones, Classof ‘05, Spearfish, wasrecently hired as afifth-grade teacherat WhitewoodElementary School.Justin Kopp, Class of‘01, Billings, Mont.,will receive his masterof science in mentalhealth and rehabilitationfrom MontanaState University inMay 2006. He is alsopursuing a Ph.D. ininterdisciplinarystudies with anemphasis on multiculturalissues.KennethKrzyzanowski,Class of ‘00, RapidCity, was recentlyJune 23-24SpearfishEvents include:Campus tour, social and picnicas well as a golf tournament.Call 642-6446 or email JodiNeiffer@bhsu.edu for details.elected president ofthe South DakotaTechnologyEducation Associationand was a nomineefor Teacher of theYear award from theWest Region S.D.Technology EducationAssociation.Pat Moriarty, Class of‘03, joined the Lead-Deadwood HighSchool faculty inAugust 2005. Heteaches social studies.Michael R. Odle,Class of ‘02, Redding,Calif., was named thepublic affairs officerof the 2.1-million-acreSTNF (Shasta TrinityNational Forest).Michael joined theSTNF staff in June2003 after receivingBlack Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 12his master's degreefrom the University ofSydney, Australia.Anya Olverson-Linn,Class of ‘02, Sturgis,was named a TenOutstanding YoungAward recipient bythe S.D. Jaycees. Anyaand husband DerrickLinn, Class of ‘02,own and operate theSturgis Dance Studio.Dan Patterson, Classof ‘02, Spearfish, coordinateshundreds ofaudio blogs, managestwo bands from SanFrancisco, and producesthree podcasts.Shaun Reinhart, Classof ‘00, Casper, Wyo.,graduated in May2005 with a degree inlaw. He was admittedto practice in Coloradoand Wyoming inOctober 2005.Kyle Smith, Classof ‘02, Rapid City,recently joined theFirst WesternBank team as aloan officer.Mikayla(Tetrault) Graslie,Class of ‘02,Spearfish, joinedthe Lead-Deadwood HighSchool teachingstaff in August2005.Norma Walks,Class of ‘00,Tucson, Ariz.,recentlygraduatedfromMinnesotaMedical School. She isnow in general surgeryresidency at theUniversity of Arizona.Mark Watson, Classof ‘03, Spearfish, wasrecently named cityeditor for the BlackHills Pioneer.Jennifer (Wagner)Williams, Class of‘02, Pierre, is workingas a law clerk for theSouth DakotaSupreme Court. Sherecently moved toPierre with husbandWilliam Williams Jr.David Worthington,Class of ‘05, Littleton,Colo., has joined theDepartment ofDefense ContractAudit Agency as aGS-9 auditor at theirLakewood, Colo.,branch.Stacey Yost, Class of‘05, Gann Valley, hasreceived an earlychildhood specialeducation teachingjob in the ChamberlainSchool District.Christina Haines,attended ‘80-’83, wasrecently named theNJCAA 2005Administrator of theYear by the NationalAssociation ofCollegiate WomenAthletics Administrators.She is the athleticdirector for SouthMountain CommunityCollege in Chandler,Ariz.FormerFaculty& StaffMerlyn and ShirleyAman celebratedtheir 50th anniversaryJuly 23, 2005.Jan Golliher, retiredassistant professorand outdoor educationcoordinator atBHSU, was namedthe South DakotaOutstandingEnvironmentalEducator for 2004 bythe EnvironmentalEducation Council.She was alsopresented withan honorablemention awardfor the NationalEnvironmentalEducator in Juneof 2005.Engagements & MarriagesThe70sClaireJohnson-LeDuc,Class of ‘73,Spearfish, marriedDanny O'Neill,May 14, 2005.The80sTinaFarmer,Class of ‘89,Midlothian,Va., married BillClarke in August 2005.She is an elementaryteacher with theChesterfield CountySchool District.Kelly Trenary, Class of‘83, New Underwood,married Judy BowmanNov. 18, 2005. Kelly isa corrections officer.The90sBeth Carter,Class of ‘99,and ScottNielsenwere married July 30,2005. Beth is anindividual programcoordinator at BlackHills Special Services.Kimberly Foley,Class of ‘99, Philip,and James Boumanwere married June 25,2005. She is a juniorhigh school scienceand math teacher.Shane Hime, Class of‘94, Torrington, Wyo.,will marry KeriMinnmann June 24,2006. Shane works forUnion Pacific Railroad.Shannon Scott, Classof ‘94, Rapid City, andChris VandeVenterwere married Oct. 22,2005. She works atArrowhead CountryClub as an accountant.Sona Starkey, Classof ‘99, Spearfish, marriedCraig O'ConnellSept. 17, 2005. She isan advertising representativeat the BlackHills Pioneer.John Stelljes, Class of‘98, Milwaukee, Wis.,and Angela Mickelsonwere married April 23,2005. John is a theologygraduate student atMartin Luther College.Michelle Thomas,Class of ‘97, Omaha,Neb., married BrianSmith Jan. 22, 2005.JeremyWeaver,Class of ‘01,Rapid City,married HeatherCarpenter Oct. 8, 2005.Jeremy is a compensationand benefitsanalyst at Rapid CityRegional Hospital.Tina Beguin, Class of‘04, and Nick VanKley,Class of ‘05, marriedJune 18, 2005. Tina isa graduate student atHarvard University.Nick is a graduatestudent at BrandeisUniversity. The couplelives in Boston.Adelle Beltman,Class of ‘01, Berdi,Minn., marriedJonathan KallemeynJune 11, 2005. Adelleis currently finishinga BS in graphics/webdesign at DSU.Amanda Benedick,Class of ‘01, FortCollins, Colo., marriedBrent Uhrich July 9,2005. Amanda is anelementary specialeducation teacher forPoudre School District.Crossing campus with the Crosswait familyBob, Bill and Jonathon Crosswait represent threegenerations of family attendance at BHSU.The00sThe Crosswait family has been attending Black Hills StateUniversity for several generations. It all started when BillCrosswait, Class of '50, enrolled at Black Hills State Universityafter the war.Bill grew up in Woonsocket, in the eastern part of South Dakota,and came to the Black Hills each summer with his family for a vacation.When he was ready to begin college in 1946, Bill and his brotherBruce both decided to attend BHSU. Bill lived on the second floorof Wenona Cook Hall (where his grandson also lived when he firstcame to college). Bill remembers teaching at the lab school underthe direction of Mrs. Warren. He graduated with a bachelor'sdegree in science and math. He went on to earn a doctorate degreein school administration and was superintendent of schools for afew years. He later served as director of graduate studies andtaught education courses at BHSU from 1969 to 1985. His wife,Mary, also attended BHSU.Representing the second generation, Bob, Bill and Mary's son,came to BHSU in 1974 to earn a biology degree. He later went on todentistry school and continues to work as dentist in Spearfish. Bob'swife, Charlene (Vondra), also attended BHSU and earned teachingcertificate. Bob says he was persuaded by his father to attend BHSU."He said BHSU was the best place to be. And it is. People seemto do pretty well after they graduate from BHSU," Bob says.Currently, Bob and Charlene's oldest son Jonathon is pursuing abiology degree at BHSU and is considering dentistry school in thefuture.Other family members who have the same alumni connectioninclude Craig, Bob's brother. Craig graduated in '81 and is now thebusiness manager for the Spearfish School District. Craig's wifeKimberly (Mickelson), graduated with honors in '94. She is a physicaltherapist at Ft. Meade. Also, Anne (Crosswait) Degen, Class of'76 and her husband Dave Degen, Class of '78. In addition KatieDegen attended BHSU.Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 13

Alumni NewsAlumni NewsEngagements & MarriagesCandace Brunner,Class of ‘05, and AlexGustafson, Class of‘04, Spearfish, weremarried July 8, 2005.He works at PioneerBank and Trust.Kimberly Buck, Classof ‘03, Rapid City,married Mike VanLoan Sept. 24, 2005.Kimberly is pursuinga master's at USD.Erin Carr, Class of ‘03,Broomfield, Colo.,married Brian BaldwinAug. 20, 2005. Erin isa pharmaceutical salesrepresentative for EliLilly & Company.Teresa Cooley, Classof ‘03, was married toWilliam NorwoodMay 7, 2004. Theylive in Sioux Falls,where Teresa worksas a benefits specialistin the Department ofSocial Services.Sara Cox, Class of ‘01,and James Connollywill marry June 24,2006. Sara is a graphicdesigner in Tampa, Fla.Amber DeSmet, Classof ‘05, Rapid City, marriedRichard HudsonMay 21, 2005. Amberis a microbiologist forEnvironmentalLaboratories.Wendy Emerson,Class of ‘02, Nenana,Alaska, will marry LeifJacobsen June 3, 2006.She is a special educationteacher and coach.Melody Gossard,Class of ‘03, marriedMatt Larson Oct. 29,2005. She is a benefitsspecialist with theDepartment of SocialServices. The couplelives in Caputa.Carol Halter, Class of‘00, Rapid City, andAdam Waider weremarried Oct. 8, 2005.They are both elementaryteachers.Katie Holberg, Classof ‘05, Rapid City,married JeremyCasteel July 2, 2005.Katie is a head startteacher in Rapid City.Elizabeth (Betsy)Holdhusen, Class of‘04, married TimothyStearns March 18,2006. They live inPrescott, Ariz., whereBetsy works as anassistant professionaland merchandisingmanager for PrescottLakes Golf andCountry Club.Kelsey Hurlburt,Class of ‘05, Bowman,N.D., married JonBrosz July 30, 2005.Kelsey is a substituteteacher.Michelle Janish,Class of ‘03, Spearfish,married Jeremy Tracy,attended, Sept. 24,2005. Michelle worksin the Graphics andMedia Department atBHSU. Jeremy worksat Beck’s Nursery.Jason Knapp, Class of‘00, Pierre, will marryStephanie TveidtJune 24, 2006. Jasonis an environmentalengineer with theDepartment ofEnvironment andNatural Resources.MaryLaudenschlager,Class of ‘04, RapidCity, married LukeBaker Feb. 18, 2006.Mary is a teacher atWest Middle Schoolin Rapid City.Hope Hauber, Classof ‘03, Gillette, Wyo.,married WhitneyLyon Sept. 17, 2005.Brandy Miller, Classof ‘03, married KyleVavruska, Spearfish,Aug. 26, 2005. She is aspecial educationteacher with RegionThree DevelopmentServices.Erika Miller, Class of‘03, married Nic AllenAug. 19, 2005. Erikaworks at First WesternBank. The couplelives in Rapid City.Abby Osberg, Classof ‘04, Brandon, marriedChad SchmidtJune 11, 2004.Nicki Oxford, Classof ‘02, Rapid City,married Doug KroegerSept. 24, 2005. She is aschool-age coordinatorfor Youth and FamilyServices.Brandon Pieper, Classof ‘04, Lincoln, Neb.,will marry AftonOlson July 15, 2006.He is a second-yeardental student at theUniversity ofNebraska-LincolnSchool of Dentistry.Trish Richards, Classof ‘01, Centennial,16th AnnualYellow JacketGolf ClassicSaturday, June 24Spearfish Canyon Country ClubAll proceeds support theGreen and Gold Athletic Scholarship FundFor details call 642-6385 or emailJohnKietzmann@bhsu.eduColo., married BillyMarsh April 4, 2005.Trish works for LPLFinancial Services.Amy Rosacker, Classof ‘05, Yankton, andMichael Pollard weremarried June 11, 2005.Michelle Stensaas,Class of ‘00, marriedJason Glodt, Class of‘97, Pierre, July 3, 2005.Michelle works withthe Stanley CountySchool District as amiddle school languagearts teacher.Jason is a senioradvisor to GovernorRounds in Pierre.Nicole Weimer, Classof ‘05, married ElliotMoser, Class of ‘98,Sept. 24, 2005. Theylive in Whitewood.Nicole is an entertainmentconsultant, andElliot is the owner/operator of MoserGeneral Construction.James Williams,Class of ‘03, Spearfish,and Amanda Hardin,attending, will marryJuly 7, 2006. Jamesworks at Wal-Martand Eagle Country.Amanda is majoringin elementary educationat BHSU workingat Premier BankCard.BirthsThe70sCatherine(Holland)Hafner,Class of ‘73,and husband Mike,Camas, Wash., areproud new grandparentsof a baby girl,Sophia Elizabeth,born July 2005.The80sLila(DeMarrias),attended‘82-‘85, andStew Mehlhaff, Classof ‘83, Rapid City,recently adopted ababy girl, AleyaJanae. Stew is generalmanager for QdobaMexican Grill, andLila works for SenatorJohn Thune. Theyhave three otherchildren, Arianne (17),Kalen (15), andJordan (14).The90sJodi(Alcorn),Class of ‘99,and DaveAddy, Brooklyn Park,Minn., announce thebirth of their son,Logan Thomas, whowas born Aug. 25,2005. Jodi is coordinatorfor the SportsCities Connectionadult volleyball league.Melissa (Mettler)Boyer, Class of ‘98,and husband Justin,Sidney, Mont.,announce the birth oftheir daughter,Brooklyn Olivia, whowas born Nov. 1, 2005.She was welcomedhome by brotherLogan (2). Melissa is aproject director forthe Richland CountyHealth Department.Julie (Raad)Chapman, Class of‘94, and husband Eric,Billings, Mont.,announce the birth oftheir first child, CodyPatrick, who wasborn Sept. 1, 2005.Julie works as anaccount manager forAZ & Company.Travis Geppert, Classof ‘95, and his wife,DeYon, Spearfish,announce the birth ofdaughter MorganMae, born June 10,2005. She joins Daxon(8) and Madelynn (4).Travis was named theOctober 2005Spearfish Chamberof CommerceAmbassador of theMonth. He has beenan insurance agent atWestern DakotaInsurors the pasteight years.Nicole (Tomes)Halligan, Class of ‘98,and husband Scott,Norfolk, Neb.,announce the birth oftheir second child,Richard Michael, bornJan. 27, 2005. He waswelcomed home bybrother Garrett (4).Tara (Pietz), Class of‘98, and JamesHarmon, Class of ‘97,Sugar Land, Texas,announce the birth oftheir fourth child,Wyatt Samuel, bornSept. 13, 2005. Hejoins Colton (7), Katie(5), and Cassidy (3).James teaches andcoaches and is workingon his master’sdegree in educationfrom the University ofRoundball reunion heldFormer BHSU basketball players recently returned totheir alma mater for the annual Roundball Reunion,held in conjunction with the beginning of the YellowJacket basketball season. Members of the BHSUwomen's alumni team were, front row, left to right,Courtney Berry, Coleen (Herber) Letellier, Traci(Schenk) Dana, Amanda Schelle, and Sarah Heibult;and back row, left to right, Christa Authier, Jodi(Wherley) VerHey, Annie (Rossow) Heltzel, Kim(Rochlitz) Niemann, Kayla Bolke-Hemmer, AmandaMortenson, Marla Gustufsen, and Melissa Braegger.Members of the BHSU men's alumni team were, frontrow, left to right, Mark Gould, Mark Nore, Chris Rozell,James Mortenson, and Eldon Marshall; and back row,left to right, Aaron Valentine, Eric Thomson, TorySchwartz, Brad Massman, Devin Gonzalez, and BryanHeck.Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 14Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 15

Alumni NewsAlumni NewsBirthsHouston. Tara stayshome with the children.Fred Jackson, Class of‘98, and wife Jennifer,Holbrook, Ariz.,announce the birth oftheir first child,Dakota Edward, bornJuly 6, 2005. Fred washonored as the 2004-05 Holbrook SchoolDistrict ElementaryTeacher of the Year.Eric Koster, Class of‘97, and wife Heather,Le Mars, Iowa,announce the birth oftheir first child,Katelyn Jean, bornSept. 1, 2005.Tommi Jo (Casteel)Krautschun, Class of‘98, and husbandBart, Spearfish,announce the birth oftheir third child, LaneAllen. He was bornSept. 9, 2005. He joinsbrother Levi (3) andsister Mesa (2).Patricia (Nickisch)LaMont, Class of ‘97,and husband Michael,Columbus, Ohio,announce the birth oftheir baby girl, AlyssaGrace, born May 9,2005. She joins bigsister Leah.Chad Pickett, Class of‘98, and his wife,Tessa, Encampment,Wyo., announce thebirth of their son,Kaben Cecil, bornApril 18, 2005. Chadis an acreage inspectorfor the state ofWyoming.Marcia (Metz)Sexton, Class of ‘97,and husband David,Baton Rouge, La.,announce the birth oftheir baby boy, RobinMichael. He was bornApril 27, 2005. Marciaworks for the RamapoCollege of New Jersey.Jennifer (Wales),Class of ‘98, and TorySchwartz, Class of‘97, Gering, Neb.,announce the birthof their third child,Ashtyn Reece. Shewas born Aug. 31,2005. Other childreninclude Tori (6) andTrevor (2).Natasha (Taylor)Starr, Class of ‘99,and husband Jayde,Dupree, announce thebirth of their son,Haydon Leon, whowas born June 16,2005. Natasha worksfor First FinancialBank.Marianne (Palleria)Trandall, Class of ‘97,and husband Josh,Asuncion, Paraguay,announce the birth oftheir second child,Abigail. She joins abrother, Jackson (3).Marianne is nearlyfinished with herMSCI online degreefrom BHSU. BothMarianne and Joshare teachers at theAmerican School ofAsuncion in Paraguay.Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 16Kristi (Hansen)Turman, Class of ‘96,and husband Chad,attended ‘90, FortPierre, announce thebirth of their son, TyDavid, who was bornJune 8, 2003. Kristi isthe director of the S.D.Office of EmergencyManagement.Kalla (Traversie)Vieth, Class of ‘98,and husband Paul,Mitchell, announcethe birth of their son,Alex, who was bornApril 7, 2005. He waswelcomed home bybrother Adam (5).Jensen (Morris)Moore-Copple, Classof ‘99, and husbandMatthew, JeffersonCity, Mo., welcomedtheir first child,Jocelyn Angeline,Dec. 7, 2005. Jensen isemployed by theUniversity of MissouriSchool of Journalism.The00sDanielle(Mahlen)Harding,Class of ‘04,and her husband,Douglas, Rapid City,announce the birth oftheir baby girl,Felicity Abigail, bornJune 24, 2005.Martha (Griffith)Johnson, Class of ‘03,and husband Scott,Pierre, announce thebirth of their babygirl, Morgan Lynn,born Sept. 28, 2005.Hope (Hauber) Lyon,Class of ‘03, and herhusband, Whitney,Gillette, Wyo.,announce the birthof their son, JosiahJames, who was bornNov. 10, 2005.Melissa McGee,Class of ‘02, andDave Barth, Spearfish,announce the birth oftheir baby girl, ElleeMarie. She was bornAug. 18, 2005.Jennifer (Pope)Renner, Class of ‘99,and husband Nate,Black Hawk, had ababy boy, Chet Jacob,Sept. 3, 2005. Jenniferworks as a Mary Kayconsultant.Kylea (Habitzruther)Scott, Class of ‘05,and her husband,Justin, Douglas, Wyo.,announce the birth oftheir daughter, JyllianMarie, born June 16,2005. Kylea is a firstgradeteacher atDouglas PrimarySchool.Stephanie (Trezona)and Brett Theeler,both Class of ‘01,Dupont, Wash.,announce the birthof their first child,Braden James, whowas born Sept. 9,2005. Brett recentlyreceived his doctor ofmedicine from theUniformed ServicesUniversity of HealthSciences. He is a firstyearneurology internat Madigan ArmyMedical Center.Jennifer (Herbst)Vaughn, Class of ‘00,and husband Ryan,Rogers, Ark., had ababy boy, Connor Jay.Born Aug. 26, 2005,Connor joins bigbrother Logan.Jennifer is a seventhgradereading teacher.Tessa Anderson-Voyles, Class of ‘01,and husband Cory,Belle Fourche, arethe proud parentsof Aiden Alexander.He was bornSept. 23, 2005.Callingall BHSUalumniThe AlumniAssociation relies onstudent callers tocontact BHSU alumnifor scholarshipgifts. Because thefederal governmentrealizes that privategiving is essential forcampuses to coverunmet tuition costsand other enhancements,universitiesare exempt from the“Do Not CallRegistry.”For updated classnotes see www.bhsu.edu/classmates+news.aspxObituariesThe30sMyrtle(Dusing)Bryan,attended inthe ‘30s, Spearfish,passed away July 14,2005. After receivingher teaching certificate,she taught atIngersall School. Shethen spent 35 yearsranching with herhusband, Roland,and raising their fivechildren.The40sChester(Chet)Worth,Class of ‘49,Gillette, Wyo., passedaway Aug. 5, 2005.He served the SturgisSchool District formany years as ateacher, coach, assistantprincipal, and asthe athletic director.The50sElizabeth(DeHaven)Burton,Class of ‘52,Denver, Colo., passedaway Jan. 20, 2006.She was dedicated toeducation for manyyears, retiring fromthe Belle FourcheSchool District in 1985.George Cheshire,Class of ‘51, Redmond,Ore., died Jan. 6, 2006.He worked as an educatoruntil he retiredin 1987.Kehala 'Kay' (Gilland)Cliff, Class of ‘59,Zion, Ill., passed awayDec. 12, 2005. Shetaught for 34 years,33 of which she spentin Winthrop Harbor,Ill. She also taughtswimming lessons.Marvin Kallenberger,Class of ‘58, SanAntonio, Texas, diedJan. 8, 2006. Marvinworked in educationfor nearly 15 years,then he worked in theinsurance adjustmentbusiness.Georgiana (Giroux)King, Class of ‘52,Quail Valley, Calif.,passed away Oct. 31,2005. While at BHSU,she was elected MostRepresentativeWoman by the teachingstaff. She workedin the medical fieldfor many years.Madonna (Hill)Reynolds, Class of‘59, Thermopolis,Wyo., passed awayNov. 19, 2005. Shetaught all over theworld, including positionsin South Dakota,California, Nebraska,and South America.Charles Swanson,Class of ‘55, Fremont,Calif., passed awayDec. 3, 2005. Charlestaught for many yearsin South Dakota andin the Fremont area.He also served as apastor and volunteeredas a chaplain atnumerous hospices.Wilfred Ray Tope,attended ‘57-‘58, BelleFourche, passed awayJune 18, 2005. Wilfredserved in the UnitedStates Navy from1953-57. After anhonorable discharge,he returned to BelleFourche and attendedBlack Hills StateCollege from 1957-58.He was active inDoyouthe communityas a youth coach inmany activities.havethesecopies?Due to changing postalendorsements, anyonewho recently changedtheir address may nothave received theircopies of the AlumniMagazine. We are unable to determine whoreceived their copies and who didn’t. If youwould like copies of the magazines shown,contact the Alumni Office at 605-642-6446 oralumni@bhsu.edu.All issues are also available in PDF format onthe BHSU website atwww.bhsu.edu/alumni+magazine.aspxThe60sMarvin G.Amiotte,Class of ‘61,Kyle, diedSept. 19, 2005. Marvintaught and coachedfor many years beforecontinuing his educationand receiving ajuris doctorate fromUSD. He served as alegal advisor to theOgalala Sioux Tribefor 29 years.Louis Bagley, Classof ‘69, died July 20,2005. He worked inthe mining industryfor many years.Marilyn (Pribble)Fitzgerald, Class of‘69, Hermosa, passedaway Dec. 30, 2005.She worked for theSouth DakotaDepartment ofSocial Services forover 35 years.Bill Hannah, Class of‘60, Belle Fourche,passed away Dec. 15,2005. He was a longtimesupporter of thecommunity. Afterretiring from workingfull time in the bankingbusiness, he continuedto drive schoolbus for area schools.Carol (Poferl)Merfeld, Class of ‘68,Rapid City, passedaway Nov. 13, 2005.She taught in theRapid City area from1968 until 1992 exceptBlack Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 17

Alumni Newsfor one year teachingin Geneva , N.Y. Shewas recognized forher dedication toeducation by beingnamed one of SouthDakota's "AnnieTallent" teachers.Penny (Horman)O'Dea, attended ‘69-‘71, Spearfish, passedaway Sept. 5, 2005.She worked atPioneer Bank andTrust in the operationsdepartment, aposition she held for20 years.John D. Samuelsen,Class of ‘67, RapidCity, died Nov. 29,2005. John worked invarious positionsuntil he joined hisfamily’s company,Highland Beverage,becoming a partner in1973. He was laterpart-owner of theRapid City Thrillers.John served on theBHSU FoundationBoard in addition tovarious communityorganizations.Verla (Mollet) Shimp,Class of ‘67, passedaway Jan. 15, 2005.Verla taught highschool vocal music inBelle Fourche for over30 years. She was alsoan avid supporter ofthe BHSU MusicDepartment.V. Eileen (Lambert)Stoddard, Class of‘64, Mountain Home,Idaho, died Nov. 5,2005. She taughtschool in S.D. for 17years and in Idaho for23 years. She was alsotaught Sunday schoolfor 23 years. Afterretiring, she was avolunteer at ElmoreMemorial Hospital.Katherine (Brief)Wallace, Class of ‘64,Belle Fourche, passedaway Nov. 28, 2005.She taught at variousSouth Dakota schoolsand served in manycommunity organizations.The70sFlorenceBailey,Class of ‘72,Rapid City,passed away Dec. 29,2005. She taught for35 years, 26 of themin Rapid City.Dakota Lorraine(Threadgold)Hildebrandt-Nelson,Class of ‘73, Sturgis,passed away April 26,2005. After retiringfrom teaching after25 years, Dakotaworked at Wall Drug.James L. Hoff, Classof ‘77, Rapid City,passed away Sept. 12,2005. James spent24 years teaching firstgrade for the DouglasSchool District.Mary Katherine(Lewton) Island,attended ‘72-‘74,Beulah, Wyo., passedaway Oct. 28, 2005.She enjoyed gardening,doll collectingand quilt making inaddition to spendingtime with her family.Carol “Pohl” Justus,Class of ‘78, Martin,passed away July 19,2005. Carol was ateacher for 30 years atthe Little WoundSchool.Viola (Bright)Mackrell, Class of ‘76,Sturgis, passed awaySept. 16, 2005.Pietro Anthony"Pete" Mazzio, Classof ‘78, Rapid City,passed away Jan. 23,2006. He worked infor the U.S. LaborDepartment andRapid City RegionalHospital in additionto serving 22 years inthe U.S. Air Force.David Meyers, Classof ‘77, Laramie, Wyo.,passed away June 12,2005. David taughtindustrial arts atEdgemont HighSchool and LaramieJunior High School.Donald Miles,attended ‘70-’73,Spearfish, passedaway Sept. 12, 2005.He attended BHSCfor three years thenbegan working at theHomestake Sawmill.He later worked atPope and Talbot,where he workeduntil his death.Carol Ann Nightser,Class of ‘77, RapidCity, died Nov. 9,2005. After college sheworked for IBM.Merideth “Dolly”(Kurth) Peterson,Class of ‘72, Spearfish,died Jan. 2, 2006. Shetaught second gradefor a few years inMoorcroft, Wyo. Shealso enjoyed sewingand reading.Mildred “Midge”(Meyer) Vance, Classof ‘74, Spearfish, diedDec. 27, 2005. Afterreceiving her mastersfrom BHSU, shetaught at DeadwoodElementary until sheretired in 1985.The80sCalvinJumpingBull, Classof ‘80,Oglala, passed awayat age 75. He servedfor 21 years as arespected Lakotaeducator at the OglalaLakota College on thePine Ridge IndianReservation.Karyl (Reman) King,Class of ‘82, Fairburn,passed away July 28,2005. Upon graduationshe became an artdirector for a silkscreening business.Gregory Schumacher,Class of ‘84, HotSprings, passed awayJan. 6, 2006. He wasa member of theROTC and wascommissioned as aU.S. Army officerupon graduationfrom BHSU.The90sJeromeGrudzinski,Class of ‘91,Las Cruces,N.M., died July 7, 2005.He served in theMarines and the AirForce, serving tours inSoutheast Asia, Italyand the U.S. He thenworked for RapidCity before retiring in2001.Steven Hopwood,Class of ‘95, RapidCity, passed awayNov. 19, 2005. Heworked as a communicationsconsultantfor By LightCommunications.Norman C. "Sonny"McNall, Class of ‘93,Lead, died Dec. 27,2005. He spent anumber of yearsworking in institutionalfood sales.Rhonda Lynn(Parsons) Thompson,Class of ‘90, NewUnderwood, passedaway Aug. 11, 2005.She worked as akitchen manager, coownerof the LesterInn steakhouse,dietary manager,and Pampered Chefconsultant.The00sCharitySaathoff,Class of ‘00,Sydney,Australia, died Oct.30, 2005. She movedto Wollongong,Australia, in 2004 tocomplete her master'sdegree in strategichuman resource management.She workedfor the Mynt Groupand Bob and Petes100% Yum.Richard Wagner,Class of ‘03, BelleFourche, died Oct. 19,2005. He worked inthe oil fields inWyoming and as aheavy equipmentoperator in Lead.Former Faculty & StaffFred W.W. Anderson, emeritus faculty, Spearfish,passed away Nov. 16, 2005. Fred was a facultymember for 20 years and a dedicated member ofthe community of Spearfish.Evelyn Elliott, Spearfish, passed away May 3,2005. Evelyn came to Black Hills State in June 1945as acting registrar and continued on as a businessteacher. She retired in 1982 as professor emeritusin the division of business after serving at BlackHills State University for 37 years.Let us know what you are doing.We’d like to know your news. Send address updates and news items to the Alumni Office so we can update your file. Also weappreciate help locating lost alumni. Check out the lost alumni list at .If you, or someone you know is on the list, please let us know where they are so we can udpate the files.Update alumni newsName __________________________________________________________________________________________________Graduation year Major Spouse’s name____________________________ A BHSU graduate? (If so, list year) Address ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Phone __________________________________________________________________________________________________Email ____________________________________________________________________________________________________Employment ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Note or news items ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Send to:BHSU Alumni MagazineUnit 9506, 1200 University, Spearfish, SD 57799-9506 or submit news items via email to Alumni@bhsu.eduBlack Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 18

Creating a legacyDavis contributesArthur Davis, Rapid City, recentlydonated an additional $10,000 to theE.W. and H.W. Clarkson scholarshipfund.The latest donation brings the totalClarkson fund to $192,500. Interest from thisfund is used to provide Clarkson Scholarhipsfor BHSU students. The scholarships are currentlyawarded for three years at $2,500 annuallyas long as the students maintain full-timestatus and meet grade-point average requirements.Each year, another student is added,so there are usually three students attendingBHSU on a Clarkson scholarship.Shipley donates toAmerican IndianStudies programDoris Shipley, Class of ‘65,Spearfish, recently donated$7,000, which will be used tocreate the Shipley Family FundScholarship.These funds will be used to supportAmerican Indian Studies at BHSU.Earnings from the fund are designatedto bring American Indian speakers tocampus, provide educational equipment,fund seminars for students tolearn about graduate school opportunities,conduct research projects in the areaof Indian Studies and provide scholarshipsfor American Indian students atBHSU.Krautschun familydonates fundsHarvey and Joy Krautschun,Spearfish, recently donated $5,000to the Joy Proctor KrautschunScholarship Fund at BHSU.This scholarship fund was originally setup in 1999 by June and the late T.H. Proctor,who donated $100,000 via a charitableremainder trust. Interest from the deferredscholarship fund will be distributed to femalebasketball players to honor Joy Krautschun,the first head women's basketball coach atBHSU, who coached in the mid 70s.Joy is a 1973 graduate of BHSU with aphysical education major and a music minor.As a student, she was involved in the danceprogram at the university, was a cheerleaderand was involved in intramural sports. Joytaught high school physical education andmusic.Juneks contribute additional scholarship moneyJerry and Carol Junek recently donated an additional $10,000 to the Betty and JerryJunek scholarship fund. The Juneks, longtime supporters of the university, establishedthe scholarship in 1997, and it currently has a balance of $20,625. Interest from thisfund is used for athletic scholarships.Jerry has lived in Spearfish since 1931 when he moved here with his family from easternSouth Dakota at the age of 11. He attended Black Hills Teachers College from 1938-40. Jerry was active in many student activities, played basketball and participated in choruswhile attending BHSU. Jerry took the Civil Pilot Training course while attendingBHSU, which was useful when he joined the Army Air Force in 1942. Jerry received theBHSU Presidential Award and is an honorary member of the Yellow Jacket Hall of Fame.Jerry and Carol (Davis) were married in December 1997 after both had lost longtimespouses. Carol graduated as a cadet nurse from the Presentation School of Nursing in1947. She spent most of her professional life working as a librarian, first at the SturgisPublic Library and later as the reference librarian at the Health Sciences Library at RapidCity Regional Hospital. In 1974, Carol was honored as the Librarian of the Year by theSouth Dakota Library Association, and in 1997, the association presented her with theDistinguished Service Award. Jerry and Carol Junek were chosen as Swarm Day parademarshals this year to recognize their longstanding support of the universityand community.Elliott estate creates business scholarshipsThe estate of Evelyn Elliott, a former business instructor at Black Hills StateUniversity, recently contributed $77,890 from a charitable remainder trust establishedin 1998. The gift will create an endowed scholarship fund for business studentsat the university.Elliott, who taught business courses at BHSU for nearly 40 years before retiring in 1982,played a key role in the establishment of the business program at BHSU. During her professionalcareer, she taught practically every business class offered at BHSU and evenserved as interim chairperson for the division of business. Elliott, who has several publishedworks, received the BHSU Special Service award in 1998.Elliott was instrumental in the development of the business program at BHSU duringthe early years. What began with one- and two-year secretarial certificates has evolvedover the years to a full business program that now offers bachelor's degreesand a master's degree. The business program, which began with Elliott asone of two part-time business instructors in 1945, has expanded throughoutthe years and now includes 19 full-time instructors. The College ofBusiness and Technology at BHSU currently offers six majors and eightminors for bachelor's degrees as well as a master's degree in business servicesmanagement. The BHSU business program, which was recentlyaccredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate BusinessEducation (IACBE), has nearly 800 students enrolled, making it one of thelargest university business programs in the state.Elliott began painting when she retired and developed an artistic talent for creatingElliottpaintings depicting scenes of the Black Hills region. Her artwork is featured throughoutthe hallways on the third floor of Meier Hall on the campus of BHSU.She was born Nov. 23, 1916, in Frederick to George and Mary (Christie) Elliott. She diedTuesday, May 3, 2005, at Garden Hills Assisted Living in Spearfish.Elliott attended elementary and secondary school at Barnard Consolidated Schoolwhere she graduated from high school as valedictorian. Elliott received a bachelor of sciencein education degree and later earned a master of arts in business education and businessadministration. Upon retirement she was a member of the RSVP program throughwhich she did volunteer work for the Grace Balloch Memorial Library and other organizations.She was a member of the Spearfish United Church of Christ where she served onboards and committees. Elliott was a persistent traveler who visited much of the UnitedStates and many continents.Earnings from the endowment will support $1,000 scholarships each semester for junior-and senior-level business education and business administration majors at BHSU.Creating a legacyRecent donations create more scholarshipsAlberts donate $140,000 forfootball athlete scholarshipsBob and Linda Albert, (center) present a $28,000 check to YellowJacket Foundation president Myles Kennedy (left) and SteveMeeker (right), vice president of institutional advancement. This isthe first installment of their $140,000 pledge for football scholarships.Prior to this gift, the Alberts contributed more than $25,000for athletic scholarships at BHSU since 1999.Premier donates atotal of $120,000for scholarshipsPremier Bankcard and First PremierBank recently pledged an additional$100,000 donation for scholarships atBHSU. With this pledge, the company'stotal donation amounts to $120,000.The five-year pledge of $20,000 peryear will provide academic and athleticscholarships for BHSU students.Dr. Thomas Flickema, president ofBHSU, and Myles Kennedy, presidentof the Yellow Jacket Foundation,accept a $100,000 donation fromPremier Bankcard. Representativesfrom Premier Bankcard include MilesBeacom, president and CEO ofPremier Bankcard; Monte Bertsch,directing officer, customer service;Amy Lee, human resources officer;Darcy Emme, directing officer, collections;Jerry Krambeck, facilitiesmanager at Premier Bankcard andmayor of Spearfish; and DanaDykhouse, president and CEO ofFirst Premier Bank, were also onhand for the presentation.Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 21

Creating a legacyNaming opportunities announced at BHSUBlack Hills State University recentlyannounced that several namingopportunities are available in Clareand Josef Meier Hall for donors who wishto make a lasting impact on the university.Following a nationwide fundraisingtrend of naming buildings in honor ofdonors, BHSU is offering donors theopportunity to name a room in Meier Hall,including the recital hall, which is recognizedas the finest facility of its kind in theregion, in honor of their financial supportof the university. Money raised throughthis naming effort will be dedicated to creatingscholarships for music students.Meier Hall, a state-of-the-art music andclassroomPhonathon reachesa new record for $$building, was added to the BHSU campustwo years ago. The building, whichincludes a magnificent recital hall, offersmusic students some of the best practiceand performance halls in the region. Thebuilding includes rehearsal rooms, soundproofpractice room facilities, a piano lab,sound studio, classrooms as well as audiorecording and electronic keyboardinglabs.According to Dr. Janeen Larsen, musicprofessor and chair of the department offine and applied arts, there are many reasonsthat students interested in musicshould consider attending BHSU, the primaryreason being thatthe university offers anexceptional music programthat is fully accreditedby the NationalAssociation of Schoolsof Music."BHSU music studentshave the opportunityto participate inclasses with low numbersof students andhave access to individualmentoring byexperienced, highlyeducated facultymembers. The musicbuilding is brandnew, with a beautifuland elegant recitalhall; spaciousEvery year, the phonathon utilizes our bestasset - our students - to call upon alumni onbehalf of Black Hills State University. JoBethStenerson was one of the student callers forthe 2005 Scholar Dollars phonathon, whichraised more than $74,000 in pledges. Themajority of these dollars support the three colleges:Arts & Sciences, Business & Technology,and Education. The donations go directly tothe students in the area of study that hasbeen requested. The BHSU Foundation offersour sincere thanks for the continued generoussupport of alumni who participated, forthis was our most successful phonathon ever!Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 22ensemble rehearsalrooms; and soundproof, attractivepractice room facilities,"Larsen says.Larsen notesthat students havea wide variety ofperformanceopportunities,including musictheater productions,small windensembles, aconcert band, apep band, alarge chorus, ajazz band, ajazz choir and achamberorchestra.BHSU hosts aregular seriesof studentrecitals and faculty concerts, and each yearperformers from outside the university areinvited to campus to provide concerts andmaster classes. During the summer, theJohanna Meier Opera Theatre Workshopbrings in faculty from the MetropolitanOpera House in New York City and otherwell known opera centers to provide studentswith unique learning and performanceopportunities."Many of our music graduates areteaching music in public schools in SouthDakota, Wyoming, Minnesota, Colorado,Arizona, California, and elsewhere,"Larsen says. She adds that others havechosen careers as private piano or voiceteachers while other graduates have joinedmilitary bands or are involved in musicrelatedbusinesses. Some students haveused their music degree as a springboardto other fields such as law or computer science.Many students combine a musicminor with another major, such as English,math, business, or elementary education.According to Steve Meeker, vice presidentfor institutional advancement atBHSU, naming opportunities have gainedpopularity in recent years."Black Hills State University must doall we can to raise scholarship funds forfuture students. One approach that isbeing used successfully by our peers is tooffer naming opportunities for new facilities,"Meeker said. "An investment in BlackHills State University is truly an investmentin the future that will produce significantbenefits for students for manyyears to come."Meeker noted that donors can use thisopportunity to memorialize, honor orremember a friend, colleague, mentor,family member or themselves."It's an opportunity to fulfill a dream,to remember a loved one or simply toleave a personal legacy at the university.These gifts are an investment in the futureof Black Hills State," Meeker said.Naming opportunities at Meier Hallinclude the following: the recital hall for$250,000; the band room or choir room for$100,000 each; classrooms for $50,000 each;audio recording lab or electronic recordinglab for $40,000 each; ensemble practiceroom for $35,000 each; practice rooms for$25,000 each; sound studios for $25,000each; piano labs for $20,000 each; andrecital hall chairs for $300 each.The first installment of what promises to be a very significantcollection of Black Hills railroad materials arrived at theBHSU Case Library for Western Historical Studies this summer.The donation comes from Joseph R. Douda of Westmont, Ill.,and includes more than 35 large format drawings and maps andother written documents relating to area railroads.According to David Wolff, associate history professor atBHSU, one of the more interesting mapsdetails theUniversity NewsWilliams scholarship supports non-traditional femalesThe recently established Linda Kay Williams Scholarship willsupport non-traditional female students pursuing a collegedegree at BHSU.The scholarship, established by the family of Linda Kay(Hibbert) Williams, will be awarded annually. An endowment hasalso been established so this scholarship will continue in perpetuity.Linda was working toward a degree in business through theRapid City campus of BlackHills State University prior tobeing diagnosed with cancer inJuly of 2003. She passed awayfrom complications related tolymphoma in August 2004. Herwish was that memorial moneygiven in her name be used tohelp other women attain theirgoal of earning a college degree.Family members whohelped make this wish a realityinclude her two sons, Tristenand Trevor; her husband, Gene;her mother, Kathryn Hibbert;her brother, Dewayne Hibbert;and her sisters, Janet Ryan andNancy Hibbert.Earlier this year, Linda'sgrandmother, Marie Stoneall,passed away, and a portion ofher memorial was also contributedto the Linda KayNancy Hendricks (center), a senior BHSU educationmajor from Wilmot, is the first recipient of the LindaKay Williams Scholarship. The scholarship was establishedby Linda's family members including her sons,Tristen (left) and Trevor (right); and her husband,Gene. Linda was pursuing a business degree fromBHSU prior to being diagnosed with cancer.Railroad materials donated to Case Libary at BHSUBobbi Sago, special collectionslibrarian, mendspages of the "Register ofEnginemen at Deadwood,"one piece of a collection ofBlack Hills railroad materialsrecently received by theCase Library at BHSU. Thecollection was donated byJoseph R. Douda ofWestmont, Ill., and includesmore than 35 large formatdrawings and maps andother written documentsrelating to area railroads.Williams fund. According to Gene, Linda's life was dedicated tohelping others in a variety of ways."The main thing Linda tried to do throughout her life was tohelp others. Whether it was by working with pre-schoolers in astory-hour class to promote interest in reading; working with electedofficials through Women Involved in Farm Economics to helpthem understand the needs of people in agriculture; or helpingadults learn how to use theircomputers so they could e-mailtheir grandchildren and keepup on the world around them,Linda tried to help however shecould," says Gene. "Her familyand friends all recognized thisas a very special gift that Lindashared with all of us. This scholarshipis intended to help otherwomen who have that sameinterest in making the world abetter place. The scholarshipaward is a financial recognitionfor their efforts."The $500 scholarship will beawarded annually. Recipientsmust be a female student age 25or older. Preference is given tostudents coming from farm orranch families.Chicago and Northwestern (C&NW) narrow gauge lines throughthe Bald Mountain and Ruby Basin mining districts. Drawn by therailroad company in 1914, the map not only highlights the C&NWrail lines, but also the Burlington's and the area mines."This is an invaluable piece for anyone interested in these historicmining regions," Wolff says.Another fascinating map details the C&NW rail linesin Rapid City. Stretching for 12 feet, this map shows themain line, sidings and businesses served by the railroad.Among the written documents is the "Register ofEnginemen at Deadwood" from 1927-1958. This is a fullrecord of daily train activity in Deadwood, listing whattrains came to town and left, their point of origin or destination,the engines used, and the engineers and firemeninvolved, on a daily basis. From the pages of thisregister come the intimate details of railroading inDeadwood over a 31-year period.The donor of this collection, Douda, has beenstudying Black Hills railroading for over 50 years. Inthe process he has collected a massive amount of primarydocuments about the area railroads. Thisdonation is just one part of his collection. Douda haswritten two manuscripts on Black Hills railroadsbut has decided not to publish them at this time.Instead, he is beginning to make his collectionavailable to others.Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 23

University NewsBHSU people in the newsMeyers named writer-in-residenceKent Meyers, BHSU English professorand accomplished author, hasbeen named a Writer-in-Residenceat the university, Dr. Thomas Flickema,president of BHSU, recently announced."This appointment recognizes thewidespread acclaimbestowedu p o nProfessorMeyers for hisextraordinaryachievementsin the field ofliterature,"Flickema said."The Black HillsState Universitycommunity takespride in KentMeyers' achievements."Meyers, whohas been a facultymember at BHSUsince 1980, haspublished manyarticles and shortstories, as well asfour books thathave earned himwell-deservednational recognition.Humble abouthis achievements,Meyers is honored bythe Writer-In-Residence designation. Thedesignation will reduce Meyers' teachingload and provide him with additionalwriting opportunities as well as more timeto do research and present at writing conferencesand workshops in the state andnation.Meyers, a dedicated writer who isworking on several new writing projectsincluding another novel, says he is uncertainwhat the future holds but is confidentthat this designation will create positiveopportunities in the future."This will open all sorts of doors forme. What are the possibilities? I'm notsure. It's unknown, highly significant andkind of frightening. It's a remarkablething; and I know it will lead to things Ihaven't even imagined yet. It will make abig difference in how much I can write andKent MeyersBlack Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 24what I can write. It will give me the opportunityto explore possibilities," Meyerssays.He notes that once the position takesshape, it will offer increased opportunitiestowrite and be available to assistaspiring student writers in their projects.He says that it may also offer an opportunityto extend the writing program oncampus as well as opportunities for writingworkshops in the region, state andnation.On a practical level, the designationmeans a different day-to-day schedulewhich will allow the research and writingtime necessary to complete additionalprojects. Meyers has mixed feelings aboutthe fact that the designation will decreasethe amount of time he spends in the classroom,but is looking forward to committingmore time to writing projects. He is anexcellent teacher as evidenced by the factthat he has been chosen as distinguishedfaculty member by both the faculty senateand the student senate."I like to teach. It's always been mycareer. But once you start to write and doit well, you find your energy from writing,"Meyers says. Meyers will continue toteach several writing courses including anadvanced creative writing course, a literatureof the American West course, an environmentand literature course and a compositioncourse, on a rotating schedule.A devoted writer for 25 years, Meyerswrites daily for three hours before comingto campus. He disciplines himself to writeat least two pages every day whether hefeels like writing or not. However, findingtime for research has been difficult andMeyers is looking forward to a reducedclass load that will allow him time to conductresearch needed for future writingprojects. He noted that a recent sabbaticalleave allowed him time to conductresearch, including reading 40-50 booksand traveling to Germany, needed to writehis latest novel, The Work of Wolves.Although writer-in-residence programsare fairly common at other universitiesin the nation, Meyers' designation asWriter-in-Residence at BHSU is the first ofits kind at the university and unique inmany ways. According to Dr. Dean Myers,vice president of academic affairs atBHSU, it's quite unusual for an authorwho has been teaching at a university formany years to receive such designation.Usually the position is reserved for wellknownwriters who have achieved greatwriting status in the literary field.Meyers, who presents at many writingworkshops and meetings throughout theyear, sees this change as an opportunity toincrease the time spent at these types ofevents. He recently made a class presentationat his alma mater, the University ofMinnesota-Morris, and was also a keynotereader and presenter at the University ofSouth Dakota. He also has plans to attendand present at numerous writing conferencesthroughout the country. In the lastyear he has made many presentationsthroughout South Dakota because his latestnovel was chosen to receive the state'sOne-Book designation. He was also a featuredspeaker at the Bookfest inDeadwood this fall. Meyers was alsorecently chosen as one of very few authorsto serve as a faculty working with masterof fine arts students for Pacific LutheranUniversity.BHSU people in the newsSteve Meeker, vice president for institutionaladvancement at BHSU,returned fulltime to the advancementoffice in order to focus all of his efforts onhis duties there. Since the fall of 2003,Meeker has also been serving as athleticdirector. Jhett Albers, associate athleticdirector, will take over as athletic director.Dr. Thomas Flickema, president ofBHSU, announced the changes andpraised both individuals for their dedicationand hard work."Steve did a marvelous job for us asathletic director," Flickema stated. "Hetook over the athletic department at a timeof uncertainty and confusion and created apositive environment and made a series ofdecisions that will have a profoundly positiveeffect on the long-range developmentof the athletic program. He stepped in at acritical time and handled all challengessuperbly."According to Flickema, Meekerbrought the athletic department through adifficult time, including a Title IX review,understand all of the great things that science professors are doingat BHSU."Faculty are working on some great things. BHSU has thingsthat no one in the entire area has. Some people just don't realizewhat an incredible program there is at Black Hills State. It's amazingto me what all they have," Elaine says.She mentioned the volcano research by Dr.Steve Anderson, research by Dan Durben andthe recently established DNA lab under thedirection of Dr. Shane Sarver as a few examples.Elaine says the best part of her current careercontinues to be the research aspect.In fact, the research that she did as an undergraduatewith Audrey Gabel, entering data, creatingcharts and graphs, and presentations, gave herthe real world experience she needed for her currentwork as a researcher for the NatureConservancy, Forest Service, National TurkeyFederation, and many other organizations whohire her for her expertise.Elaine collaborated with her former professor topublish a book about mushrooms in the Black Hills.Elaine also continues to do contract research.According to Elaine, whenever the NatureConservancy does a conservation easement, theyand now turns the positionover to Albers who hasshown strong leadershipand decision-makingskills.Meeker says he is excitedto once again focus allof his attention on leadingMeeker campus fundraisingefforts to raise money foracademic scholarships and capital needs."It's important to enhance our fundraisingefforts for the entire campus and I'mdedicated to doing that," Meeker said. "Asvice president of institutional advancementfor Black Hills State University, I amentrusted with raising funds for BHSU tosupport building endeavors, acquire thelatest equipment, fund endowed chairs,and most critically, underwrite studentscholarships. That is what I'm committedto doing."Albers will continue to serve as headvolleyball coach and is looking forward totaking over the athletic director duties.University NewsMeeker returns fulltime to advancement;Albers named athletic director at BHSUEbbert research Continued from page 7Both Meeker andAlbers are graduates ofBHSU and have longstandingrecords of exceptionaland dedicated service tothe university.Meeker first beganworking at BHSU in 1986Albers as an admissions counselor.He was later namedcoordinator of enrollment management. In1990 he was named director of advancement,and in 2001, he was promoted to hiscurrent position as vice president for institutionaladvancement. Meeker is a nativeSouth Dakotan who graduated fromBritton High School in 1980 and BHSU in1984.Albers served as the head varsityvolleyball coach at Spearfish High Schoolprior to joining the coaching staff at BHSUin 1999. Albers earned a bachelor's degreein 1987 and a master's degree in 1991 fromBHSU.need to have an environment assessment and a mechanical surveyof the land. These reports are done on property to determine if ithas biological value before the Nature Conservancy enters intocontracts for land purchases and easements.Regents announce tuitionreduction for out-of-statersBlack Hills State University, as well as the other five state institions of highereducation, will offer lower nonresident tuition rates for first-time freshmen andnew transfer students. The new tuition rate, which is 150 percent of in-statetuition, begins this summer. The move seeks to make a South Dakota public universityeducation more attractive to regional and international students.The South Dakota Board of Regents made the announcement in November in aeffort to grow its non-resident enrollments. The new policy will mean significantlylower tuition rates for first-time freshmen and new transfers from 32 states, as wellas international students. Those students currently would pay the full non-residentrate of $242.60 per credit hour, or 317 percent of what residents pay. The new rate willtranslate to $114.55 per credit hour. Enrollment is projected to increase by more thanthat number—particularly from Wisconsin, Illinois, and international countries.

University NewsBHSU people in the newsBukralia named director of the libraryRajeev Bukralia has been nameddirector of the E.Y. Berry LibraryLearning Center at BHSU. Bukraliahas served as systems librarian since 2002.Bukralia, who has a strong informationtechnology background as well as extensivelibrary experience, has several goalsfor the library including improving thecollections and enhancing and promotingthe special collections area.Bukralia noted that in recent years theBHSU library instituted some ratherunorthodox changes including the establishmentof a coffee shop in thelibrary, offering checkout of laptop computers,and providing other services.These changes have resulted in an increasein the number of students who use thelibrary at a time when many libraries areseeing a decline in their numbers.Bukralia says collection development isone of his priorities and he plans to usetechnological means, along with personalfeedback from faculty and students, todetermine the most effective and usefulways to improve the collections.Bukralia plans a strong effort to preserveand catalogthe specialcollections inthe library. Inthe past threey e a r s ,Bukralia hasspearheadedAltmyer wins world discgolfing championshipDon Altmyer, Spearfish, won this handcrafted woodendisc and custom-painted portable Mach 5 disc golf basketwhen he won the Advanced Grandmaster Division at the2005 Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) AmateurWorld Disc Golf Championship. Altmyer, a College ofBusiness and Technology associate professor, was instrumentalin developing a disc golf course on the BHSU campusin 1995. Since then, students and community membershave embraced the sport. The BHSU Bookstore sellsgolfing discs and has a display featuring an aerial map ofthe course and a mini-basket as well as a custom displayrack featuring 100 discs with custom-stamped collegelogos. To date, the bookstore has sold over 2,000 discsand has supported campus tournaments by sponsoringprizes. Disc golf is played much like traditional golf.Instead of a ball and clubs, however, players use a flyinggolfing disc from a tee area to a target.many technologicalchanges at the library thathave set the stage for theuniversity to provideenhanced services for studentsas well as faculty andstaff.Previously, Bukraliaserved as a business and Bukraliatechnology consultant forbusiness promotion, e-commerce, enterpriseresource planning and managementinformation systems. Bukralia earned amaster of science degree in informationsystems from Dakota State University. Hehas a book publishing post graduatedegree from the University of Delhi inIndia as well as a bachelor of sciencedegree with majors in chemistry, botanyand zoology.Kietzmann begins asdevelopment directorJohn Kietzmann, formerly multi-mediacoordinator at Colorado State University,has been named director of developmentat Black Hills State University.Kietzmann, who joined the staff in theBHSU institutional advancement office, nowworks under the direction of Steve Meeker,vice president of institutional advancement.He is working primarily with athletic developmentand the Yellow Jacket FoundationKietzmannBoard of Directors. According to Meeker, Kietzmann'sduties will be approximately 80 percent athletic fundraisingand 20 percent other fundraising duties as needed.Meeker is focusing the majority of his time working on theacademic scholarship program."John brings significant athletic experience to the position.He's got a lot of energy," Meeker says.Kietzmann has a bachelor's degree in business and iscurrently pursuing an MBA from Colorado StateUniversity. As multi-media coordinator at CSU,Kietzmann was active in fundraising and friend-raisingactivities for the university. He maintained the athleticwebsite and served as a primary contact for the CSU formerathletes association. He was also responsible forcoordinating all printed materials for the athleticsdepartment and handling media relations for women'sbasketball. He has also worked as a sports informationintern, sports broadcast producer and assistant athleticscoordinator.BHSU in the newsBHSU, along with Montana StateUniversity-Billings and CasperCollege, received a three-year $1.5-million grant for a joint effort to address arequirement under the No Child LeftBehind (NCLB) Act that all instructionalstaff meet "highly qualified" criteria by theend of the 2005-06 school year.School districts in South Dakota andneighboring states are facing a loomingdeadline to address this requirement.Most rural school districts in westernSouth Dakota, as well as in neighboringstates, have severe budget constraints anddo not have resources to support therequired education and training for paraprofessionalstaff, according to Dr. DavidCalhoon, chair of the department of education.Paraeducators, commonly known asteacher's aids and teacher's assistants, arein great demand. However, they are notwell paid and generally cannot afford tofurther their formal education. Calhoonnotes that paraeducators are the lowestpaid individuals charged with helping toeducate children. He adds that the numberof paraeducators has grown at a significantrate in the last decade.Data from the January 2005 SouthDakota Department of EducationConsolidated Performance Report indicatesthat during the 2003-04 school year,University NewsBHSU grant assists school districts meet mandateOrder BHSUmerchandiseonlineThe BHSU Bookstore has items featuringthe new Yellow Jacket mascot as well asbooks by local authors. To view these andother items access the bookstore onlinefrom theBHSU homepage orgo directly to.only 59 percent of paraprofessionals metthe "highly qualified" requirement. ByJune 2006, 100 percent must meet thisrequirement according to the NCLB Act.This tri-state grant, from the U.S.Department of Education, is collaborativeand each state will have a uniqueapproach to provide training opportunitiesfor paraeducators. The overall goal ofthis grant is to guarantee that participatingparaeducators in these rural western statesachieve the status of “highly qualified”through a number of activities.Calhoon and Dr. Pat Simpson at BHSUare coordinating the efforts in SouthDakota through a Rural Site-BoundParaeducator Program recently establishedthrough the College of Education atBlack Hills State University.Through this grant, BHSU is workingwith school districts statewide to offer severaloptions to help current paraeducatorscomplete requirements to become "highlyqualified" by the end of the 2005-06 schoolyear. The grant money is being used fortuition support for paraeducators to enrollin classes that will put them on the path toreaching the "highly qualified" criteria.Paraeducators can meet the legislative criteriaby earning 48 hours toward a degreein education.Paraeducators in South Dakota andsurrounding states are generally sitebound,and the distance from their homeand workplace to a university makes it difficultto take traditional on-campus classes.BHSU currently collaborates withNorthern State University to offer a paraprofessionalprogram. Courses are offeredon campus and through distance learningoptions.BHSU is also organizing workshops tohelp the paraprofessionals prepare to takeand pass the national Praxis exam by the2006 deadline, which is another way toreach the "highly qualified" status set bythe national legislation. BHSU will contractwith DIAL, an educational serviceorganization that has already developedand provided this training, to providethese sessions.The paraeducator program staff memberswill also work to establish academiccredit for paraeducator experiencethrough the development of modules todemonstrate content knowledge.Simpson has already begun to recruitparaeducators in school districts throughoutthe state who wish to become “highlyqualified” through the two-year degreeoption. She will also work with school districtsto develop ongoing plans for training,recruitment and retention of paraeducators.Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 27

University NewsUniversity NewsBHSU students in the newsBHSU student does groundbreaking research on squirrelsABlack Hills State University facultymember and student, in collaborationwith the staff members ofthe U.S. Forest Service, are conductinggroundbreaking researchon the diets of flying squirrels inthe Black Hills.Callie Ackerman, a senior biology/environmentalscience majorfrom Hulett, Wyo., spent a majorpart of the summer working on theresearch. Dr. Audrey Gabel, emeritusprofessor of biology at BHSU,and Elizabeth Krueger, U.S. ForestService, Spearfish ranger district,are co-principal investigators for theproject. Dr. Mark Gabel, emeritusprofessor of biology at BHSU, andScott Weins, from the U.S. ForestService, are also participating in theresearch.The research is being funded bythe South Dakota Game, Fish andParks and the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService.According to Audrey Gabel, it hasbeen reported from research in thePacific Northwest that flying squirrelsinclude hypogeous (underground) fungiin their diet. These fungi, which aresometimes called truffles and false truffles,are much smaller than the specieswhich are highly valued for eating.The BHSU research is theCallie Ackerman, a senior biology/environmentalscience major, conducted research on thediets of flying squirrels in the Black Hills.first documentationof the presence of hypogeousfungi in scat (excrement) from flyingsquirrels captured in the Black Hills. Theresearch also documents the presence ofhypogeous fungi in the Black Hills ofSouth Dakota.The study included diggingand recovering fruiting bodies(sporocarps) of the fungi.Ackerman, who is also active onthe track team at BHSU, says theresearch opportunity taught hermany things. She says one of themost important things shelearned while working on thisproject is how the researchprocess really works."I've always been interestedin working in the outdoors andlike to work with mammals sothis research project was perfectfor me," Ackerman said.At the encouragement of herprofessors, Ackerman is makingplans to attend graduateschool after she graduatesfrom BHSU in May."I'm from a ranch, and Ialways liked learning aboutplants and animals. I've justkept building on that interest while incollege," Ackerman says. She's consideringa career in research.BHSU students in the newsBachand has the drive for successDrive. Some people have it, othersdon’t. Drive is what pushes an athleteto continually strive to betterthemselves. Those student-athletes thatcompete in track and field are driven toperform not onlyfor their teammatesand coaches,but for themselvesalso. TheBHSU recordholder in thewomen’s indoorpentathlon hasshown that shehas this drive.SturgisBachandnative JennaBachand wasen route tobecoming oneof the best allaround athletes in the history of BlackHills State. As a sophomore, Bachandhad already set the school record in thewomen’s indoor pentathlon and waslooking to improve on her mark at the2005 conference championships.However, Bachand would suffer a catastrophicknee injury during an indoortrack meet at the University of SouthDakota in January 2005.“I was running in the 800-meters,” saidBachand, “and I stepped on a girl after shecut in front of me. I suffered a hyperextensionand dislocation in my knee.”The injury was extensive. Doctors wereconcerned about the damage done toBachand’s knee and told her that she onlyhad a slim chance of being able to runagain.“I was devastated,” remarkedBachand.Less than two weeks after her injury,Bachand was under the knife to repair thedamaged knee. After surgery, Bachandand her physical therapist focused on herstrength and flexibility. During her rehab,Bachand was not progressing as quicklyas she should have been. The decision wasmade to undergo another surgery tomanipulate her knee into the right position.Surgeons removed scar tissue thathad built up in her knee during the healingfrom her original surgery. Some mighthave been discouraged by all of these setbacksand given up. Not Bachand though.She was driven to overcome this injury.“The physical therapist told me thatmy injury was one of the five most intensetherapies that he ever had to work on,”said Bachand. “He said that he dreadedcoming to see me because it was so hard.”Bachand pushed on. She continuedthrough her rehab, and over time, wasable to pedal a bike. Then she was able tojog. And after defying the odds, she wasable to run again.“I was scared,” said Bachand.“Originally I was going to wait until theoutdoor track season to get back competingbecause the turns on the indoor trackare so tight. After talking with my physicaltherapist, we decided that I was readyto try it.”So she did. Bachand competed for theYellow Jackets for the first time inDecember 2005, less than a year after sufferingher devastating injury.However, the story doesn’t end there.For most people, the success of rehabbinga potentially career-ending injury wouldbe enough. Not for Bachand. Less thanthree months after competing for the firsttime since her injury, Bachand would winthe Dakota Athletic Conference women’sindoor pentathlon and set a new BlackHills State school record in the process.Black HillsSummer Instituteof the ArtsJune 11-24, 2006This program offeres the highest level of artistic trainingand performance experience. This unique programof study, performance and personal growth takesplace in the inspirational setting of the Black Hillsof South Dakota. Participants in the program areurged to stretch creative potential withan emphasis on individual expression.For details callKay Kerney at 642-6420.Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 28Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 29

University NewsSportsCross country teams place at national meetThe women's and men's cross countryteams were ranked sixth and tenthgoing into the nationals. However,the teams finished higher thanThe Yellow Jacket women’s cross country team takesa break during the national meet. The team finishedsecond in the nation. Members, starting at the topleft and going clockwise, are: Jamie Hahn, KendraKarst, Alicia Verhulst, Liz Woodruff, WesleighJastorff, Crystal Hostetter and Kerry Washburn.Gurney named softballcoach at Black Hills StateAmy Gurney, an assistant softball coach at Northern StateUniversity in Aberdeen (NSU), has been named headwomen's softball coach at BHSU.Gurney has been an assistant coach at Northern since 2004. Priorto her coaching experience she was a pitcher for the NSU Wolvessoftball team from 1999-2003. Gurney also served as head softballcoach for the Aberdeen Parks and Recreation program and hasserved as a volunteer softball coach and pitching clinic director atYankton. She has been involved in a number of professionalactivities including the South DakotaCounseling Association, South Dakota EducationAssociation and Kappa Mu Epsilon.Gurney is currently a counseling center intern anddisability services graduate assistant at NSU. She previouslyserved as a substitute math teacher and residencelife program coordinator in Aberdeen.Gurneyexpected. The women's team finished insecond place and the men earned aneighth place finish at nationals. TheYellow Jackets also finishedthird in the combinedtitle race and alsohad two harriers earn All-American honors.Originally from Yankton, Gurney graduated fromNSU with a bachelor’s degree in education with acoaching minor in 2003. She will finish her master'sdegree in education, guidance and counseling this spring.In a written coaching philosophy, Gurney says she believes coachingis a matter of creating an environment of expectations and trust.Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 30Freshman Kerry Washburn and redshirtfreshman Wesleigh Jastorff both qualifiedfor the award by finishing in the top 30.After an impressive top-20 finish at theNAIA meet in 2004, senior Zach Kintzleyfinished his 2005 year in 60th place.Kintzley struggled with numerous injuriesthis season.Track team competes at nationalsThe men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams had a successfulseason this spring, which culminated in a national meet competitionwith six members winning All-American honors for thewomen’s team.Amber Brodersen, a freshman from Wolsey, earned All-Americanhonors at the national meet with a fourth-place finish in the shot putcompetition. The women’s 3,200-meter relay also earned a fourth-placefinish. Members of the 3,200-meter relay were Jamie Hahn, CrystalHostetter, Liz Woodruff, and Wesleigh Jastorff. The women’s distancemedley relay team from BHSU finished fifth. This was the fifth time insix years that the BHSU women’s DMR finished in the top six in thenation and were named All-Americans. Members of the medley teamwere Liz Woodruff, Callie Ackerman, Wesleigh Jastorff, and CrystalHostetter.Hostetter, a BHSU senior from Thermopolis, Wyo., finishedeighth with a time of 5:06.11, just two seconds from the sixth-placerunner. Freshman Kerry Washburn finished 12th in the women’s5,000-meter run. A total of 14 men’s and women’s indoor track athletescompeted at the national meet.The women’s team also won their first-ever Dakota AthleticConference Indoor Track and Field Championship this season.BB teams miss nationaltourney by one pointBoth the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Black Hills StateUniversity ended their seasons just one point from the nationaltournament.The Lady Jackets fell 53-52 to Minot State in the DACChampionship game Feb. 27 in Minot, N.D. It was a heartbreakingway to end a roller-coaster season. The women finished the season15-16 overall, but the team suffered five losses this season by threepoints or less. The Lady Jackets will lose two seniors, center BeccaWalters and guard Jill Thomas.Under first-year head coach, Paul Sather, the men’s basketballteam ended a tremendous season with a devastating one-point loss,69-68, at Mayville State in the Dakota Athletic Conference championshipgame. The men’s basketball team finished the season with a17-14 (10-4 DAC) record. Six seniors will leave the team, includingguard Casey Doolan, guard J.J. White, guard/forward AmmonBemis, forward Levi Memmer, forward Scott Ferguson and forwardHallard Jackson III.God, family and football. It's prettysimple to me." Black Hills Statesenior Zach Alcorn has his prioritiesset in life and he is on the brink ofmaking hisdreams of playingfootball professionallyareality."I havewanted thissince I was a littleboy," saysAlcorn. "It feelsawesome for meto finally have achance to achievemy dream."During his pasttwo seasons atBHSU, Alcorn hasposted someimpressive stats. At6'3" and 250pounds, his measurementsare that ofthe prototypicaltight end. His 40-yard dash timeranks among thebest in the nation for tight ends. His credentialsare impeccable. He earned first-teamNAIA All-American status in 2005 amongnumerous other top awards."In high school I was told that I had thepotential to be pretty good," says Alcorn."It just happened that the ball bounced myway a couple oftimes and I got ashot to keepgoing."Alcorn startedout his collegecareer atChadron StateCollege in hishometown ofChadron, Neb.Before long,Alcorn realizedthatChadron Statewas not rightfor him. Hetook a year offto work outand train forwhat hehoped wouldeventually bea shot at thebig time.In the fallof 2003, the possibility of going back tocollege and finishing his collegiate careerbecame more and more of a reality forAlcorn. BHSU and the community ofSpearfish seemed to be a perfect fit forUniversity NewsSportsFootball team ends with a winning seasonThe Yellow Jacket football programfinished the year with a 7-3 record,one of the best seasons the team hashad in 30 years. The Jackets, under thedirection of head coach John Scott, placedthird in the tough Dakota AthleticConference (DAC) and was ranked 24th inthe final NAIA football rankings.The 2005 season got off to a rough start,after losing to Dickinson State in a non-conferencegame and falling to Valley City inthe DAC opener. In the next four games theJackets came back with four wins.A highlight of the season was the factthat the Yellow Jackets defeated threetough North Dakota teams with impressivewins against Dickinson State, theUniversity of Mary and Minot State.The Yellow Jacket football team earnedthe honor of displaying the covetedHomestake trophy after beating S.D.Tech.Alcorn keeps it simple and dreams bigZach Alcorn, shown with his son,Justus, and his wife, Jennifer, is pursuinghis dream of becoming a professionalfootball player.BHSU had five first-team all-conferenceselections: tight end Zach Alcorn, defensivelineman Luke Neely, defensive backTanner Tetrault, kickoff returner CraigTschetter, and kicker Rocky Stevens.The Jackets had another eight selectionsto the second team in running back JamesLemke, wide receiver Kyle Gerik, tight endDale Query, offensive line Jeremy Cox,defensive line John Smit, linebacker TravisPeetz, linebacker Shad Schneider anddefensive back Tschetter.The team is already making plans foran even more successful season next year.The Yellow Jackets will lose 10 seniors,however, there are 11 juniors coming backand Scott is busy recruiting an impressivegroup of newcomers.Alcorn. A former assistant coach from hisdays in Chadron was now an assistant atBHSU. Alcorn decided to play for theYellow Jackets and has had a very successfulcareer here.In 2005, Alcorn competed in the inauguralMagnolia Gridiron All-Star Classicin Mississippi. He earned a spot in the All-Star Game by catching 43 passes for 689yards and seven touchdowns during theregular season, leading the Yellow Jacketsto a 7-3 record.All of Spearfish and the surroundingarea have encouraged Alcorn in his quest."It feels so awesome to have the supportof the community around me," saysAlcorn. "People that I have never met willcome up to me and wish me luck.Everyone is pulling for me."The one constant for Alcorn has beenhis family. Alcorn is married to his highschool sweetheart, Jennifer. They have ason, Justus, and are now expecting thebirth of their second child."We started dating during my sophomoreyear in high school. My familymeans so much to me,” says Alcorn.However, not far behind his family, isfootball. He now knows that no matterwhat happens in his professional career,he will always be a Yellow Jacket and haveloyal fans in Spearfish."I guess people just like cheering for anunderdog."Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 31

University NewsCalendar of EventsFlickema Continued from page 3Dr. ThomasFlickemaAMichigan native, Flickemareceived a Ph.D. from WayneState University in Detroit,Mich., in history with a political scienceminor. He earned a master's degree inhistory at WSU in 1962. His undergraduatedegree in history and education wasacquired at Hope College, Holland,Mich., in 1960.After completing a teaching assistantshipand his master's degree in history,Flickema began his professional careerin 1962 as a history instructor at HenryFord Community College in Dearborn,Mich. Moving to the West Coast in 1966,he accepted a history professorship atCalifornia State University-Fullerton.There he served as director of summersessions in Mexico and Guatemala, andultimately, as director of Latin Americanstudies from 1973 to 1975. From 1975 to1979 he was chairman of the historydepartment at the Fullerton campus.Flickema was appointed dean ofgraduate studies at the University ofNebraska at Kearney in 1979. He servedas dean until 1983 when he was appointedvice president for academic affairs atNorthern State University in Aberdeen.Flickema came to BHSU in August1994 when he was appointed to serve asinterim president. He was named to thepost permanently in February 1995 followinga nationwide search. His 22-yearcareer in the South Dakota public highereducation system also includes servingas vice president for academic affairs atNorthern State University from 1983 to1994. Flickema is BHSU's eighth president.During retirement, Flickema is lookingforward to having more control ofhis time and planning to spend moretime golfing, gardening. He will continueto be involved in community organizationsand keep his professionalinvolvements. He also said he's interestedin doing some research on the historyof this area and may teach a historycourse or two.The president and his wife, Judy,have three grown children, Patricia,Todd, and Jan, and seven grandchildren.during Flickema's tenure at BHSU."One of the best ways to keep enthusiasmin the field is to do research in thefield. Our faculty are doing that. Researchdoesn't take away from teaching, it addsanother dimension. I take great pride inour faculty research," Flickema says. Headds that faculty are also committed toproviding opportunities for undergraduateresearch to students.He values undergraduate research andhas encouraged more undergraduates topursue graduate school."It's important to get the students tosee the bigger picture. A lot of times theydon't see their own potential," Flickemasays.Perhaps the most noticeable change isthe transformation of the campus withongoing landscaping and buildingimprovements, and most recently, theaddition of Clare and Josef Meier Hall, amagnificent music and classroom buildinglocated in the center of campus."The physical changes are supplementaryto what is going on inside the university.It's important to provide the facilitiesneeded. Overall, we've tried to make facilityimprovements that enhance the campusand create a learning atmosphere sopeople feel good about being here,"Flickema says.Clare and Josef Meier Hall is an excellentexample of facility improvement. Themagnificent music and classroom buildingboasts the finest recital hall and musicpractice facilities in the region and is thesite of the annual internationally-knownBlack Hills Summer Institute of the Arts.Flickema stressed the growing rolethat BHSU has taken in community andregional affairs. The university has alsogreatly enhanced economic and educationaloutreach activities through theaddition of several centers including theCenter for the Advancement of Mathand Science Education, the Center forTourism Research, the Center for theConservation of Biological Resources,the Center for Business andEntrepreneurship and the Center forIndian Studies. These centers provide alink to the community with services,assistance and development.BHSU is taking a lead role in thedevelopment of the educational outreachcomponent of the DUSEL Lab atHomestake. Members of the facultyare highly involved with Black HillsVision, a regional economic developmentgroup seeking to add new dimensions tothe economy through technology. In addition,the university has several ongoingprojects in conjunction with the governor's2010 initiative to promote economicdevelopment in the state."The role that BHSU will play in all ofthese important endeavors is important,"Flickema says. "We need to be proactive.There is much we can do. This is a forward-movinginstitution that makes aprofound impact on the community andoutlying region."Flickema's vision for BHSU has includedexpanding the reach of the universityby increasing the number and types ofcourses offered in the surrounding area.BHSU now offers classes at several sites inthe Rapid City region and also makesclasses available at other locations andthrough distance learning options. BHSUnow has a full-time presence in Rapid Cityat the Higher Education Center - WestRiver to assist residents in that area withhigher educational needs and goals.Flickema led the university through asuccessful national accreditation visitfrom the Higher Learning Commission in2002. The university also received positiveaccreditation approvals from several discipline-specificorganizations.The BHSU Foundation and the YellowJacket Foundation have seen huge increasesin the last decade. The assets of thefoundations now total more than $8.5 million.The scholarship programs administeredby the BHSU Foundations havegrown dramatically, and BHSU was ableto award more than $662,000 in scholarshipslast year, compared to $150,000when Flickema arrived at BHSU in 1994."The greatest strength of this campus isthe people. Through the years I've learnedto rely on people around me," Flickemasays.He noted that because of limitedfinances, people often get the job donewith extra effort and creative thinking -something that happens every day acrossthe BHSU campus.I have people coming to me all the timewith good ideas. What I do as president isencourage people to make their ideas areality and make suggestions about howtheir ideas fit together in the big picture toimprove our campus. My job is to coordinateand help make things happen,"Flickema says.Looking aheadCommencementMay 1350-year class reunionOld Baldy Golf ClassicJune 3-5Saratoga, Wyo.Black Hills Summer Institute of the ArtsJune 11-24Baseball ReunionJune 23-24Gold Dust YellowJacket Golf ClassicJune 24Spearfish Country ClubGold Dust YellowJacket AuctionSept. 8Spearfish PavilionHomecoming WeekSept. 17-23BHSU vs. Dickinson StateBHSU eventsFor a complete list of events at BHSU,see www.bhsu.edu:8085/oncampusor choose About BHSU,then Calendars from theBHSU home pagewww.bhsu.eduFor athleticinformation seewww.bhsu.edu/bh/athletics/Looking backBaseball players from the past will meet in Spearfish this summerat the first-ever baseball reunion. The reunion, June 23-24, willinclude social time and optional participation in a golf tournamentand baseball game. Attendees will honor long-time baseballcoach, Cliff Papik, second from the right, at the gathering. Theseplayers, from the 1957 team are, left to right, Jerome Schatz, KenWagner, Terry Bell, Papik, and Wes Storm.Black Hills State University Alumni Magazine Page 33

Another lookThis view of Spearfish Falls awaits those who take the trail from Savoy in Spearfish Canyon.