THOUGHT FOR MEMORIAL DAY

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not just to utter the words but to live by them.”
— President John F. Kennedy

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Boys tennis: At the state ‘A’ tournament in Rapid City the Governors finished fifth in the team standings, and Yankton won the team title. Spencer Kelly gave Pierre an individual state title in the Flight 5 singles despite dislocating a shoulder in the first set of his championship match. Luke Leingang placed second in Flight 4, Blake Judson third in Flight 2 and Carter Schulz fourth in Flight 6. Kelly and Leingang placed fourth in Flight 2 doubles, and Judson and Matt Hanson placed sixth in Flight 1 doubles. The Flight 3 doubles team of Devin Dodson and Crew Heien lost in the fifth-place semifinals. Hanson, Leingang, Judson, Kelly and Schultz will all be lost via graduation.

Girls track/field: Pierre girls placed sixth at the ESD conference meet, which was won by Brandon Valley. Maya Shorter was a conference champion in the discus at 123’3″ and placed third in the javelin event. Kati Ringstmeyer placed second in the 100 and fifth in the 200. Reese Terwilliger was fourth in the shot put. Addison Cumbow placed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles. The 4×400 relay team of Autumn Iverson, Lennix Dupris, Ryann Barry and Lily Sanchez placed fifth.

Boys track/field: The Governor placed fifth in the ESD conference meet where Brandon Valley won the team title. Jared Lutmer placed second in the 3200, Spencer Skjonsberg fifth in the high jump, Tucker Putzier third in the 100 and second in the 200, Hayden Shaffer fifth in the 800 and fifth in the 1600, Aaron Campbell fourth in the javelin throw and Jack Merkwan fourth in the 300-meter hurdles and fifth in the 110-meter hurdles. The 4×100 relay team of Cole Peterson, Landon Bertram, Putzier and Caden Thompson placed third, and the 4×400 team of Merkwan, Josh Strand, Carson Strain and Canyon Jones finished fourth.

Track/field: At Huron’s Wendelgass invitational meet Pierre had four event winners. In boys events Aaron Campbell won the javelin and Blake Wagner the discus. On the girls’ side Marissa Matthews won the pole vault and Aleise Christopherson the triple jump.

Baseball: Pierre players Brady Getz, Spencer Kelly and Spencer Letellier earned recognition on the high school baseball Academic All-State team. Lincoln Kienholz was named to the All-State team, and Kienholz, Getz, Gary Nedved and Jayden Wiebe were selected for the all-region team.

Baseball: In the final games of the regular season the Governors split a pair against Sioux Falls Jefferson, winning 5-4 and losing 6-1, and swept Mitchell in a doubleheader, 2-1 and 6-1. Assigned to a three-team regional in Sioux Falls with #1 seed Roosevelt and Yankton, the Governors saw their season come to an abrupt end with a 7-1 loss to Yankton. Pierre managed only four hits, and four Governor errors gave Yankton two unearned runs. The final record for the team is 14-13. Seniors lost via graduation include Brady Getz, Spencer Letellier, Matt Hanson, Gary Nedved and Spencer Kelly.

Girls golf: At the Mitchell invitational the Governor girls placed sixth with a 354 team score, only nine shots behind the winning team. Hadley Hart and Haley Nadeau were the best Pierre scorers, tying for 14th with 67s. At Watertown’s meet Pierre was fourth with a 369. Madilyn Brakke placed 11th with an 88, and Ellie Jo Simpson scored an 89. At the Brookings invitational Pierre was 1th. Morgan Lisburg placed 26th with a 16-over-par 88. Simpson was 39th with a 91, Hart had a 92, Brakke 96 and Andrea Mosteller a 98. In the ESD conference tournament played at Hillsview in Pierre, the Governors were fifth with a team score of 340, 52 over par. Aberdeen Central was the team champion. The two seniors on the team had the best scores for the Govs—Nadeau tying for 15th with a 12-over 84 and Simpson registering an 85. Other scores: Brakke 85, Hart 86, Mosteller 89, Lisburg 89.

COUNTDOWN

Today: State track meets, Sioux Falls (May 26-28).
2 days: State ‘A’ baseball tournament, Sioux Falls (May 28).
4 days: Memorial Day (May 30).
7 days: NBA Finals begins (June 2).
8 days: Black Hills Playhouse’s “The Mountaintop” (June 3-12).
9 days: Casey Tibbs Match of Champions (June 4).
9 days: Crazy Horse Memorial spring volksmarches (June 4-5).
11 days: State ‘B’ boys/girls golf tournaments, Rapid City (June 6-7).
11 days: State ‘AA’ girls tournament, Brookings (June 6-7).
12 days: Primary elections (June 7).
17 days: Tony awards, CBS-TV (June 12).
21 days: S.D. Shakespeare Festival, Vermillion (June 16-19).
21 days: Oahe Days (June 16-19).
22 days: Riggs High Class of ’97 reunion (June 17-18).
23 days: Black Hills Playhouse’s “The Odd Couple” (June 18-July 3).
24 days: Fathers Day (June 19).
29 days: Blunt all-school reunion (June 24-25).
29 days: Fort Pierre all-school reunion (June 24-26).

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

Track/field: At the Region 6A meet the Stanley County boys and girls teams both finished fourth in team standings. Cormac Duffy was regional champion in the long jump at a personal-best distance of 20’3 3/4″ and in the triple jump at 40’2 1’4″. Carlie O’Conner placed second in the girls’ shot put event at 32’9″. The girls medley team of Taylee Stroup, Cadence Hand, Mickey Hallock and Bailey Siedschlaw placed second in 4:44.3. Mobridge-Pollock won the team title in both girls and boys divisions.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Girls track/field: At the Region 2B meet held in Gettysburg, the Miller girls won the regional team title. Stevie Wittler won two events for the Chargers, the 100-meter hurdles in :16.37 and the 300-meter hurdles in :48.49. Lydia Hill was also a double regional champion, capturing the shot put at 37’6″ and the discus at 110’9″. Olivia Olson placed second in the 300-meter hurdles and Addison Chicoine second in the shot put. The 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams, whose members were Stevie Wittler, Tahnie Yellow Hawk, Olivia Olson and Courtnie Weinheimer, placed second in both of their races.

Boys track/field: The Ipswich boys were team champions at the Region 2B meet. Griffin Petersen was second in both the 800 and 1600. Collin Bradberry placed third in both the 100 and 200. Jesse Schall was second and Jordan Schall third in the shot put. The medley team of Bradberry, Teghan Westphal, Gavin Barber and Landon Hepker placed second.

Golf: Sully Buttes qualified five of its six golfers for the state “B” tournaments to be held June 6-7. Two eighth graders, Gavin Colson and Wesley Wittler, placed third and eighth in the boys division, and Thomas Farries was 18th. In girls play Olivia Olson placed third and Beckley Birney 10th. Those five all will play at the state tournament.

ZESTO SHERBET SCHEDULE

Thursday: lime.
Friday-Sunday: raspberry.
Monday-Tuesday: coconut.

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Dakota State track/field (Houston Lunde): The Trojan men were champions at the NSAA conference meet with Dickinson State second. Houston placed eighth in the hammer throw at 142’1/2″, 15th in the shot put at 138’1/4″, 10th in the discus at 125’2″ and 12th in the javelin at 115’4″.

Northern State track/field (Rachel Guthmiller): At the NSIC conference meet in Aberdeen Rachel won the javelin event at 145’7″, placed 14th in the discus at 136’4″ and finished 28th in the hammer throw at 138’2″. The women’s team placed 11th in the team standings.

University of Sioux Falls track/field (Jessica Lutmer): At the NSIC conference meet Jessica completed her freshman year for USF by placing 14th in the 1500-meter run with a 4:57.15 time in the prelims and placed 28th in the 5000-meter run in 18:46.65

South Dakota State track/field (Addy Eisenbeisz): At the Summit League meet in Tulsa Addy placed sixth in the high jump with a best leap of 5’5 1/4″.

Texas State baseball (Peyton Zabel): The Bobcats finished the regular season with a 44-11 record overall and 26-4 in their conference, earning the No. 1 seed in this week’s Sun Belt Conference tournament at Montgomery, Ala. To finish the regular season the Bobcats swept three from Louisiana-Lafayette, 7-5, 67-4 and 11-9. Texas State then did the same thing to Georgia State in Atlanta by scores of 8-7, 5-4 and 4-3. Peytoh did not pitch in any of these six games. In the regular season he appeared in eight games, mostly in relief but pitched one complete game. He has an earned-run average of 8.31, pitching a total of 8 2/3 innings, striking out four and allowing 10 walks, 14 hits and eight earned runs. Texas State early this week was ranked #11 in the nation, ahead of such baseball powerhouses as Arkansas, Virginia, Notre Dame, TCU, Texas, UCLA, LSU, Oklahoma and Auburn. The selection show for the NCAA Tournament will be aired on ESPN2 at 11 a.m. CDT Monday morning, May 30. The field will be divided into 16 four-team regionals, and those 16 winners will advance to eight best-of-three super regionals the weekend of June 10-12 to determine the eight teams going to the College World Series. Texas State is certainly assured of getting a bid into the field of 64 teams to be announced Monday, but the Bobcats would like to win their conference tournament title, too. Weather has plagued the tourney in Montgomery, so the schedule was changed from double- to single-elimination, continuing with the quarterfinals Friday. Texas State will play #10 seed Louisiana-Monroe in the final game of the day. If they win, the Bobcats will face either South Alabama or Louisiana-Lafayette in Saturday’s semifinal round. The championship game is Sunday afternoon.

HOCKEY UPDATE

Rapid City Rush: With their second-round playoff series favoring Utah with a 3-1 lead in games, the Rush won a 3-0 game to close the series to 3-2 in Utah’s favor, but Utah won Game 6, 5-1, ending the Rush season.

Minnesota Wild: Down in their first-round playoff series against St. Louis by 3 games to 2, the Wild lost Game 6 by a 5-1 score, losing the series 4-2 and ending the season.

Aberdeen Wings: With their second-round playoff series against St. Cloud tied at 1-1, Aberdeen lost 3-2 in a 3-overtime game and lost 3-2, losing the series 3-1 and ending the season.

BASEBALL UPDATE

Pierre Trappers: Since our last listing of players on this summer’s roster, the Trappers added Andrew Copeland, pitcher from Mid-Atlantic Christian University, whose hometown is Camden, N.C.

Pierre Trappers schedule:
— Thursday, 7 p.m.: home vs. North Iowa.
— Friday, 7 p.m., home vs. North Iowa.
— Saturday, 7 p.m., home vs. North Iowa.
— Sunday, 2:30 p.m., home vs. North Iowa.
— Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday: at North Iowa (Bancroft, Iowa).
— June 3-4-5: at Souris Valley (Minot, N.D.).
— June 7-8: at Souris Valley.
— Thursday, June 9, 7 p.m., home vs. Souris Valley.

Minnesota Twins schedule:
— Thursday, 6:40 p.m.: Kansas City.
— Friday, 7:10 p.m.: Kansas City.
— Saturday, 1:10 p.m.: Kansas City.
— Sunday, 1:10 p.m.: Kansas City.
— Monday, 12:10 p.m.: at Detroit.
— Tuesday, 12:10 and 6:10 p.m.: at Detroit.
— Wednesday, 6:10 p.m.: at Detroit.
— Thursday, 12:10 p.m.: at Detroit.
— June 3-4-5: at Toronto (6:07, 2:07, 12:37).
— June 7-8-9: home vs. New York Yankees (6:40, 6:40, 6:40).

Four Corners: Our local amateur team in the Pony Hills League hammered Chamberlain in their season opener, 15-2, then lost to Colome, 11-8. Last Saturday’s game against the Plankinton Bankers was postponed and will be rescheduled. Upcoming games: tonight (May 26), at Kimball-White Lake; June 5, home vs. Plankinton Gold Sox.

Pierre Post 8: The American Legion baseball season begins for Post 8 on the road in Brookings next Tuesday. Here is the schedule of games for the first three weeks of June:
May 31: at Brookings, 5 and 7 p.m.
June 2-5: at Rapid City Veterans Classic.
June 7: home vsl Mandan, 5 and 7 p.m.
June 8: at Sioux Falls vs. Sioux Falls West and Spearfish, 2 games at 5 p.m.
June 10: at Rapid City Post 22, 1 game at 7 p.m.
June 11: at Rapid City Post 22 vs. Post 22 and Casper, 2 games at 3 p.m.
June 14: at Watertown, 5 and 7 p.m.
June 16-19: at Dakota Classic, Sioux Falls.
June 21: home vs. Bismarck, 1 game at 7 p.m.
June 22: home vs. Sioux Falls East, 5 and 7 p.m.

Sioux Falls Canaries: The Birds were 3-9 through last night’s games. They play at home tonight (Thursday) vs. Winnipeg, then go on the road till returning home June 3-4-5 against Cleburne.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

For you who make treks into Minneapolis for Vikings games or down to Denver for Broncos games, we now know when those teams will be playing at home. On the schedules below the capitalized teams are home-game opponents:

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (times are Central Time and subject to change):
Sept. 11: GREEN BAY, 3:25 p.m.
Sept. 19: at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 25: DETROIT, noon.
Oct. 2: New Orleans (in London), 8:30 a.m.
Oct. 9: CHICAGO, noon.
Oct. 16: at Miami, noon.
Oct. 30: ARIZONA, noon.
Nov. 6: at Washington, noon.
Nov. 13: at Buffalo, noon.
Nov. 20: DALLAS, 2:25 p.m.
Nov. 24: NEW ENGLAND, 7:20 p.m.
Dec. 4: NEW YORK JETS, noon.
Dec. 11: at Detroit, noon.
Dec. 18: INDIANAPOLIS, time to be determined.
Dec. 24: NEW YORK GIANTS noon.
Jan. 1: at Green Bay, 2:25 p.m.
Jan. 8: at Chicago, time to be determined.

DENVER BRONCOS (times are Mountain Time and subject to change):
Sept. 12: at Seattle, 6:20 p.m.
Sept. 18: HOUSTON, 2:25 p.m.
Sept. 25: SAN FRANCISCO, 6:20 p.m.
Oct. 2: at Las Vegas, 2:25 p.m.
Oct. 6: INDIANAPOLIS, 6:15 p.m.
Oct. 17: at Los Angeles Chargers, 6:15 p.m.
Oct. 23: NEW YORK JETS, 2:05 p.m.
Oct. 30: Jacksonville (in London), 7:30 a.m.
Nov. 13: at Tennessee, 11 a.m.
Nov. 20: LAS VEGAS, 2:05 p.m.
Nov. 27: at Carolina, 11 a.m.
Dec. 4: at Baltimore, 11 a.m.
Dec. 11: KANSAS CITY, 6:20 p.m.
Dec. 18: ARIZONA, 2:05 p.m.
Dec. 25: at Los Angeles Rams, 2:30 p.m.
Jan. 1: at Kansas City, 11 a.m.
Jan. 8: LOS ANGELES CHARGERS, time to be determined.

Rapid City Marshals: After a 63-21 loss to Billings, the Marshals defeated Wyoming in overtime, 56-55. As the indoor football season winds down, the Marshals will be home vs. Omaha Sunday and at Sioux City June 4.

Sioux Falls Storm: The Storm lost to Frisco, 57-39, and lost to Massachusetts, 43-42. Now 4-5 overall, the Storm will be home Saturday vs. Quad City and at Iowa June 4

SUNDAYS AT THE LEGION

The music starts each Sunday in the late afternoon and continues into the early evening on the deck at the American Legion cabin. Cody Henson Hullinger kicks off the season this Sunday, May 29, followed by Mike Hilson on June 5.

MUSIC ON THE RIVER

A new series of music performances called Music on the River will take place at the Missouri Avenue Event Center at 217 Missouri Avenue, running on Fridays. Katelyn Szuggar will perform this Friday, May 27, and again next Friday, June 3. Then the series takes two weeks off during Oahe Days concerts, resuming for five straight weeks from June 24 through the end of July. The music runs from 7 to 9 p.m.

CAPITAL CITY BAND

The band’s summer season will begin at the Memorial Day service at the Riggs theater next Monday, Memorial Day. The band will begin at 10:30 a.m. and the service at 11.

The band’s Wednesday night concerts will begin on June 8 at 8 p.m., continuing on Wednesdays through the month of July.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“How many more lives? How many more children? And how much longer before we reject the choices that have made ours the one country where this happens routinely? It is not inevitable. It is horrific. It must end.”
— Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: The Loons defeated Colorado, 2-1; defeated Seattle, 3-1; tied the Los Angeles Galaxy, 1-1, and defeated FC Dallas, 2-1. Minnesota will be home Saturday vs. New York City FC.

Sioux Falls City FC (Anna Bondy): The new Sioux Falls team in the Women’s Premier Soccer League won its opener, 2-0, over Joy AC in Minnesota. The team will have its home opener vs. Mankato United on June 3.

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): Tom tied for 47th place at the tour stop in Birmingham, earning $8,750 for an even-par weekend of 72-72-76-68=288. Next on the schedule this weekend is the Kitchen-Aid Senior PGA Championship at Benton Harbor, Mich.

WORDS OF WISDOM

“No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”
— Gen. Douglas MacArthur

BLACK HILLS PLAYHOUSE

“The Mountaintop” June 3-4-5, 7-8-9-10-11-12

It’s April 3, 1968 in Memphis, and Dr. Martin Luther King has just given his legendary “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” sermon and has retired to Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel. He couldn’t know that the maid who delivered his room service would bring him to a deeper understanding of the movement he helped create and what his legacy would inspire. (Rated R for extreme language)

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, May 26:
Conor Cruse, Chuck Quinn, Isabel Gander, Will Mortenson, Jessica Lomheim, Ryan Goehring, Brandon Christiansen, Chad Gran, Tom Harmon, Abby Kennison, Bergen Osterkamp, Beth (Yackley) Rinehart, Adrie Frame, Jackie (Schall) Shepherd.
— 9th anniversary, Tim/Rachel (Knutson) Steece.
— 27th anniversary, Derk/Teresa (Tassler) Campbell.
— 10th anniversary, Mike/McLean (Thompson) Kerver.
— Anniversary, Eric/Laurie Feiler.

Friday, May 27:
Mary Peterson, Emma Haberman, Audrie Morris, Kristi (Kennedy) Van Winkle, Marcia Mack, Erin Starr, Troy Fox, Debbie (Willingham) Hubbard.
— 5th anniversary, Ryker/Angela (Koch) Tieszen.
— 6th anniversary, Alex/Nikki (Douglas) Jensen.
— 5th anniversary, Cody/Jessica (Blackmore) Nilson.
— 16th anniversary, Jason/Deanna Reitz.

Saturday, May 28:
Mary Heidelberger, Sarah Deters, Larry Johnson, David Hauschild, Brian Custer, Sophia Lundeen, Emma Lundeen.
— 17th anniversary, Brian/Nicole (Miller) Willis.
— 17th anniversary, Tom/Erin (Nielsen) Nielsen.
— 17th anniversary, Ross/Jessica (Duba) Castelli.
— 5th anniversary, Taylor/Bethany Brock.
— 6th anniversary, Ryan/Elizabeth (Nail) Miller.
— 6th anniversary, David/Georgina (McKee) Smith.
— 11th anniversary, Brian/Caitlin (Feller) Kemnitz.
— 5th anniversary, Damon/Jessica Thielen.
— 11th anniversary, Chad/Amanda (Sorensen) Jungman.

Sunday, May 29:
Hunter Hamre, Kimberly Coats, Helen Stahl, Gail Opoien, Breanna Bishop, Austin Senger, Ray Hunsley, Teagan Madden, Dax Cappellano, Cora Hachem.
— 29th anniversary, Carter/Anne Taylor.
— 52nd anniversary, Galen/Ann Jordre.
— 1st anniversary, Taylor/Lorena (Reichert) Hamblin.
— 12th anniversary, Matt/Kacy (Hutchinson) Gill.
— 29th anniversary, Dan/Deb (Kern) Workman.
— 12th anniversary, Tony/Jessica Jockheck.
— Anniversary, Ken/Joyce Koistinen.
— 13th anniversary, John/Callie (Buechler) Morris.
— 61st anniversary, Larry/Gail Lyngstad.
— 18th anniversary, Andrew/Darcy (Beck) Boersma.
— 18th anniversary, Dustin/Tina (Peterson) ottenbacher.
— 18th anniversary, Mike/Meghann Klinger.

Monday, May 30:
Paul Schoenfelder, Priscilla Sommer, Kristin McNeely, Calvin Marso, Jaxon Griffith, Eric Lebida, Judy Rapp, Jamie Lamb, Brienna Binger, Linda Lomheim, Jason Rodgers, Jordan Bordewyk, Trish (Curtis) Schloeder.
— 7th anniversary, Jason/Kelsey Mangan.
— 7th anniversary, Will/Shuree Mortenson.
— 7th anniversary, Drew/Nicole Mickelson.
— 7th anniversary, Austin/Moriah (Wagner) Gross.

Tuesday, May 31:
Wes Dugstad, Jackson Hipple, Graham Protexter, Jay Mickelson, Tori Emerson, Jackie Schlaikjer, Melissa (Hitchcock) Maxwell, Lahnee Martin, Rodney Parks, Curry Kuehl, Tyler Bales, Kirk Yackley, Alice Rapp, Craig Feigum, Anna Engelbrecht, Kayla Engelbrecht, Connie (Rislov) Casanova.
— 14th anniversary, Dan/Alissa (Harter) Schumacher.
— 11th anniversary, Daniel/Christee (Staufer) Hershberger.
— 9th anniversary, Aaron/Jenna (Goehring) Haller.
— 8th anniversary, Nick/Liz (Winter) Marso.
— 8th anniversary, Andrew/Heather Fergen.
— 1st anniversary, Elias/Morgan (Sibson) Aguirre.
— 25th anniversary, Jon/Heather Sailer.
— 19th anniversary, Jason/Lanete (McFarling) Kotilnek.

Wednesday, June 1:
Bruce Abels, Josh Ford, Amanda (Chick) Deelstra, Miranda Townsend, Jonathan Huft, Tanner Johnson, Paige Erickson, Alex Roth, Melinda (Kruger) Vetsch, Jerry Bollinger, Rick Jensen, Julie (Inman) Darger.
— 6th anniversary, Aaron/Kayla (Pochop) Riswold.
— 59th anniversary, Dan/Helen Sutera.
— 49th anniversary, Mark/Marcia (Davis) Kozel.
— Anniversary, Craig/Gail Eichstadt

Thursday, June 2:
TyAnn Herman, Austyn Christiansen, Sutton Fitzke, Bill Shoup, Nicole Erbele, Matt Judson, Marley Myers, Ryan Beck, Lila Houck, Tammy (Hinckley) Garrity, Julie (Shangreaux) Sibson, Momo Kei Welch Okawa.
— 16th anniversary, Aaron/Ashley (Pries) Brewer.
— 4th anniversary, Ethan/Heather (Mangan) Fife.
— 16th anniversary, Mike/Lindsey Swenson.
— 4th anniversary, Cole/Kadence Cruse.
— 10th anniversary, Tony/Mackenzie (Kusser) Blake.
— 4th anniversary, Lou/Alyssa Mehlhaff.
— 10th anniversary, Sam/Holly (Lindbloom) Gilkerson.

Friday, June 3:
Shawn Hostler, Lucas Roberts, Seamus McDonough, Aspen Iverson, Rusty Westall, Josh Vanderloo, Cohen Grunewaldt, Amber (LaBrie) Shaw.
— 5th anniversary, Clint/Cally (Thomas) Kindred.
— 27th anniversary, Jon/Theresa Beastrom.
— 55th anniversary, Terry/Nancy Woster.
— 33rd anniversary, Duane/Penny Unruh.
— 5th anniversary, Walter/Natasha Haigh.
— 33rd anniversary, John/Sandy Zimmerman.
— 17th anniversary, Tyler/Tiffany (Tate) Stoeser.

Saturday, June 4:
Amanda Aadland, Jessica (Evenstad) Haeder, Ava Aadland, Aaron Blow, Nick Renemans, Ellen Johnson, Emily (Stout) Kelley, Scott Howard, Tillie Haag, Bodie Bramblee, Owen Zuercher.
— 39th anniversary, Gary/Genny McMath.
— 45th anniversary, Patrick/Jill Burger.
— 11th anniversary, Lucas/Angela Scheibe.
— 17th anniversary, Brian/Jennifer Lowery.
— 17th anniversary, Tony/Megan Darger.
— 17th anniversary, Scott/Sara (Goeden) Richardson.
— 17th anniversary, Brandon/Melanie (Bunkowske) Cruse.

Sunday, June 5:
Nate Chappelle, Madilyn Brakke, Dakota Huber, Chuck Weischedel, Alice (Scharnweber) Safe, Kalen Moodie, Jeremy Clegg, Carter Martin, Sarah Lake, Mike Fisher, Matt Bunkowske, Chad Larason, Alexia Zeigler, Joe Riis, Harper Anderson, Carter Baloun.
— 12th anniversary, Brandon/Jennifer (Pogany) Kirchner.
— 18th anniversary, Chris/Deb (Micklos) Nelson.
— 12th anniversary, Jason/Hollie (Stutesman) Stoeser.
— 12th anniversary, Ross/Jennifer (Neuhauser) Tschetter.
— 18th anniversary, Andy/Deborah (Lucas) Leedahl.
— 12th anniversary, Brett/Amanda Fergen.
— 18th anniversary, Tim/Jamie Maher.
— 18th anniversary, Brad/Dawn Englund.
— 18th anniversary, Josh/Heather (Clausen) Redetzke.
— 12th anniversary, Zach/Liza (Sizer) Clark.

Monday, June 6:
Drayton Thomas, Katie Carter, Zach Hanson, Willa Whitebird, Edna Chambers-Brady, Brad Garrett, Roberta Lovald, Voina Johnson, J.J. Kucker, Madeline Roby, Preston Workman.
— 2nd anniversary, Chas/Sheila (Ricketts) Olson.
— 41st anniversary, Ki/Jennie Weingart.
— 7th anniversary, Mitch/Jennie Boe.
— 53rd anniversary, Bob/Eileen Kramer.
— 7th anniversary, Zane/Sarah (Albrecht) Pries.
— 57th anniversary, David/Suzanne (Lauing) Lockhart.

Tuesday, June 7:
Paul Karber, Polly Kuykendall, Trailyn Townsend, Ellie Gran, Anthony Hatlestad, Erik Gilbertson, Sarah Sullivan, Stacey Somsen, Sara Anderson, Van Huse, Hudson Barber, Bretton Barber, Lydia Sullivan.
— 47th anniversary, Dick/Patti Stolp.
— 8th anniversary, Eric/Christina (Adams) Lusk.
— 19th anniversary, Joe/Gina (Nickolas) Gruman.
— 8th anniversary, Spencer/Christina Yackley.
— 19th anniversary, Cody/Susan (Van Camp) Wendelbo.
— 19th anniversary, Andy/Janelle (Kvislen) Carda.
— 47th anniversary, Joe/Cindy Jungman.

Wednesday, June 8:
Patty Pearson, Krista Wright, Brenda (McGee) Currier, Torri (Ice) Lechtenberg, Ellen Lee, Mike Garrett, Darcy Beck-Boersma, Kristin Brost, Michelle (Monroe) Kettler.
— 9th anniversary, Jay/Susan Davis.
— Anniversary, Jeff/Connie Pierce.
— 9th anniversary, Cody/Timaree (Ice) Axlund.
— 20th anniversary, JonAllyson (Friez) Kreycik.
— 20th anniversary, Chris/Mahryah (Dixon) Anderson.
— 20th anniversary, Ben/Jody Clair.

Thursday, June 9:
Peggy (Huse) Hyde, Chris DeJabet, Justin Hipple, Alan LaFave, Katie (Shoup) Nebelsick, Jed Hillestad, Layney Arbach, Dane Hagen, Peter Tpwnsend, Bart Pullman, Sivage Schuetzle, Jon Stahl, Ethan Lors, Isaac Lors.
— 10th anniversary, Bobby/Sarah (Ramirez) Ramler.
— 21st anniversary, Ryan/Trish Murphy.
— 15th anniversary, Will/Molly (Tillman) Gengler.
— 38th anniversary, Bill/Suzanne (Hertel) Stahl.
— 5th anniversary, Uriah/Emily (Zarecky) Steber.
— 10th anniversary Bret/Caitie (Wagner) Graves.
— 10th anniversary, Chris/Mallory (Petersen) Dekker.
— 10th anniversary, Jeff/Stacy (Huss) Hegge.

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• If a Memorial Day organ concert appeals to you, you can hear the one from Washington National Cathedral free of charge online at the Washington National Cathedral page on Facebook at 1 p.m. CDT this Sunday, May 29.
• When the NFL finally released its 2022 schedule last week, we learned the teams who will be playing in the three games we watch on Thanksgiving Day. The Detroit game, which always starts the day, will have the Lions hosting Buffalo. The afternoon game in Dallas has the Cowboys against the New York Giants. The night game is appealing for a change with the Vikings at home against the Patriots.
• Christmas Day usually belongs, at least on TV, to the NBA, which schedules five basketball games for that day. Good luck this year, NBA! The NFL will play three games on Christmas Day, which falls on a Sunday—Green Bay vs. Miami, Denver vs. the Los Angeles Rams, and Tampa Bay vs. Arizona. So for your Christmas entertainment, you get Aaron Rodgers, then Russell Wilson, then Tom Brady.
• Opening Week of the NFL season poses some interesting matchups, such as the Packers at the Vikings on late Sunday afternoon. The season opener at the home of the Super Bowl champs on Thursday, Sept. 8, will have the Rams hosting the Buffalo Bills. (Go, Josh Allen!) The first Sunday night game will have Dallas playing Tom Brady and Tampa Bay. The first Monday night game will have Russell Wilson and his Broncos going to his old hangout, Seattle. Interesting games!
• It’s too late now to update your voter registration details, but early voting in advance of the June 7 primary elections is still available to you on any day when your county auditor’s office is open for regular business hours. Even if you think there is very little for which you can vote, such as on Democratic or Independent ballots, go to vote anyway because the fate of Constitutional Amendment C depends on all voters.
• The next Midweek Update will show up on my Facebook page and at www.everythingsouthdakota.com two weeks from now on Thursday, June 9. We want your graduation news. As you will see in the news notes below, we gleaned several bits of graduation news from Facebook posts, but we gladly accept your news items, too!
• I tire of hearing United States senators boast about what they are doing for us back home. That’s Dusty Johnson’s job in the House of Representatives (get that term? representative?). The Senate should act like the governing body of the United States of America. The senators’ main job is to do what is best for the United States first, not their home states. They have a lot of work to do, but so very many of the 100 in the Senate think their purpose in being there is to keep getting re-elected.
• Remember that measure that legalized recreational marijuana which we South Dakota voters approved in the election back in 2020? The governor and a friendly court struck it down. Now we get another chance. Initiated Measure 27, according to the secretary of state, had enough signatures to qualify its appearance on our election ballots in November. The measure would legalize possession, use and distribution of marijuana. I do not know the answer to the following question, but it interests me—if Amendment C passes in the June 7 primaries, will the marijuana measure in November then require a 60% approval for passage? Somebody who knows will let me know.
• According to KCCR Sports last night, Pierre Governors quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, who has a senior football season ahead of him, has narrowed his choices of where to play college ball to four universities—North Dakota State, Wyoming, Wisconsin and Washington.

ANOTHER QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”
— President Abraham Lincoln

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Among this month’s graduates from Augustana University are these local students:
— Elodio Falcon III, bachelor of arts, major in art.
— Arden Koenecke, bachelor of arts, majors in communication studies, government and international affairs, summa cum laude.
— Riggs Sanchez, bachelor of arts, major in biochemistry, magna cum laude.

Riggs High alumnus Alan Hess is continuing his career in real estate by joining the staff of eXp Realty in Brookings.

Martha Konst, 91, died May 17 at Highmore Healthcare. No services will be held. Martha was born in Germany and attended high school there before coming to the United States. She worked at St. Mary’s Hospital for 12 years as a nurse, then became a homemaker. She is survived by a niece, Lauren (Steve) Laird of Pierre; a nephew, Dallas Vavra of Fort Pierre, and other nephews and nieces. Among those preceding her in death were her husbands, Bedrich Vavra and John Konst.

Micah Palmer is the new director of tourism and marketing at the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce. She has been marketing and social media manager at Maxwell Strategies. Also new to the chamber staff this month is Clarissia Drefts as director of programs and events.

The Delta Tau Delta fraternity and the Alpha Phi sorority at USD joined forces for their spring philanthropy event, Katie’s Karnival, a benefit for Katie and Jacob Parsons and family as Katie battles Stage 4 breast cancer. The two student organizations raised $8,270.69 for the Parsons family.

The Spilde Family Scholarship, which goes to seniors needing financial assistance to continue their post-secondary educations, one at a trade school and one at a university, was awarded to Matthew King and Theodora Crawford during the Pierre Educational Foundation’s Evening of Excellence earlier this month. The Swan Family Scholarship, received by a Native American student pursuing further education, was presented to Kylen Horsley. The Schliessman Family Scholarship, which is awarded to a senior pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM), went to Griffin Gates. Emily Lingle received the James and Gertrude Mueller Scholarship, which goes each year to a senior who will be pursuing a career in the medical field. The Brabender Family Memorial Scholarship, which intends to help young women further their educations, was given to Emerie Stephens and Madelyn Jungwirth.

Alec Richards, son of Pierre native Kyle Richards and his wife Tammy of Rapid City, graduated from St. Thomas More High School and received one of the school’s academic awards. Alec will be attending USD this fall.

Jayden Pittman, son of Jason and Kristen (Colestock) Pittman of Baltic, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., as a second lieutenant. His maternal grandparents, Greg and Julene Yackley of Onida, were among family members who went east for his graduation. Jayden gets 60 days of “R&R” at home or wherever he wishes before reporting to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., for training. He knows he subsequently will be based at Fort Hood, Texas. He is committed to serving in the Army for at least five years. Meanwhile, the Pittmans’ other child, daughter Julia, graduated from Baltic High School where Kristen and Jason are teachers.

Ken Olander, 80, died May 15 at Monument Health in Rapid City. Graveside services were held at Riverside Cemetery in Pierre May 20. Ken came to Pierre with his family from North Dakota. He graduated from Riggs High School in 1959. He served in the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1964, being discharged as a sergeant. He worked for state government for more than 26 years. Survivors include two sons, Mark Olander and Sean (Christine) Olander, both of Bradenton, Fla.; his brother, Bill Olander of Pierre; his sister, Judy Cheatham of Woodbury, Minn.; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Gavin Wilson is a member of a soccer team of his age group which won its Nebraska state championship and advanced to a national regional tournament in St. Louis. Gavin is the son of Joe and Nikki (Grandpre) Wilson, who live in Omaha.

Griffin Petersen was the valedictorian and Collin Bradberry the salutatorian of the graduating class at Sully Buttes High School. The other seniors in the 12-member Class of 2022 were Tailynn Bradford, Joe Fanger, Evan Huse, Kaelie Keiser, Dwight Kinney, Cash Langdeau, Darion Osterkamp, Jesse Schall, Jordan Schall and Mallory Wiley. Retiring teacher Wanda (Clasen) Meyer was commencement speaker.

A benefit account has been set up at American Bank & Trust for the family of Kurt and Shauna Letellier and their three sons. They and their pets all escaped their house in the Monday night fire. One of the sons, Spencer, graduated from Riggs High on Sunday, and his graduation party was already scheduled for Tuesday. Family friends immediately stepped up to make sure the party went on as planned.

The Dairy Queen restaurant on W. Sioux Ave. in Pierre will give 100% of its sales from every ice cream cone sold this Friday, May 27, to the Letellier family. There will also be donation jars in place at the restaurant.

In the case of another family losing a home to a fire in Pierre, a GoFundMe page was established by friends for Steven and Ally Kerr and their two young children after their dream home in northeast Pierre near the municipal building was lost in a garage fire that extended into the home. The family lost everything in the night-time fire. An account for the Kerrs’ benefit was also established at Oahe Federal Credit Union. The family dog that alerted them to the fire is a rescue dog the Kerrs had adopted. In addition to the two places where cash can be given to the Kerrs, physical donations can be delivered to Patti Florey at 280-5676 or 2202 Duluth Ave.

Dave and Jan Snyder’s Pathways Spiritual Sanctuary in the northern Black Hills is now open for the summer season.

You remember that pandemic that is now “over”? Nine more deaths due to COVID were reported in South Dakota in the past week, and the number of active cases is up 200 over a week earlier.

Taylor Hess, daughter of Riggs High alumnus Christian Hess (’92), graduated with a $1,000 scholarship from Monticello High School in Monticello, Minn. Taylor will be attending the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Emily Olsen, oldest daughter of Katie (Schaack) and Kevin Olsen of Des Moines, graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee. Emily graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in speech pathology and audiology. She will return to Marquette to begin graduate school this fall. Emily’s maternal grandmother, Karon Schaack of Rapid City, formerly of Pierre, was among family members who attended commencement at Marquette.

Conrad and Kaitlyn (Severyn) Adam, who have lived in Minneapolis for the past four years, are South Dakotans again. They recently moved to Sioux Falls where Kaitlyn will continue her career in health care and Conrad remains in the world of finance.

The boys tennis team at Sioux Falls Christian, whose coach is Pierre native John Williams, placed fourth in the state tournament in Rapid City.

Eldon “Short” Harvey, 94, died Jan. 8. A memorial celebration of his life will be held tonight (Thursday) at 6 p.m. at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center.. He grew up in the Orton Flat area and served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953 during the Korean War. Later he worked on the Oahe Dam construction and with the Hattum combining crew. He married Barbara Deal in 1966, and they raised their family on the homestead. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his daughters, Rhonda (Gary) Klemann of Choctaw, Okla., and Shelly (Kendall) Kiel of Pierre; his son, Shane (Sharon) Harvey of Fort Pierre; eight grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; a sister, Kay Britigan, and a brother-in-law, Robert Schwellenbach.

Chase Harmon, son of Joe and Stephanie (Colwill) Harmon of Spearfish, is now engaged to Courtney Peters. They are planning an August wedding.

The Pierre Players community theater organization has announced Aug. 15 as the date for auditions for their fall play, “The Crucible.” Questions can be directed to the play’s director, Joshua Penrod, at 220-0308.

Gabbi Thompson of the art department was recognized as Fine Arts Performer of the Week at Riggs High last week.

A GoFundMe page has been initiated for the benefit of Barb Vermundsen, who has been diagnosed with kidney cancer. Last week she went to Denver for further tests and to set up surgery details. The Vermundsen family already had considerable medical expenses with which to deal due to Barb’s husband Dale’s three heart attacks.

Matthew Sutton, son of former Pierre residents Bob and Lori Sutton of Sioux Falls, graduated from USD with majors in international studies and English. A member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, Matthew will begin graduate school at the University of North Carolina.

Tyler Bonnett, his career as a Marine pilot completed, will be a pilot for FedEx.

Anna Bondy, who was a soccer star during her Riggs High years and later an all-conference soccer player at Northern State University, is still playing soccer, now for the Sioux Falls City FC team in the Women’s Premier Soccer League. The team’s first home game will be June 3 against Mankato United.

One of this year’s inductees into the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame will be the late Bernard Duffy. The program will take place Aug. 27 at the Ramkota Hotel in Sioux Falls. Bernie, a 1947 graduate of Fort Pierre High School, led Fort Pierre to a three-year record of 64-7. The Buffaloes had never won a district championship till he paced them to District 16 titles in 1946 and 1947. Bernie was among the state’s earliest practitioners of the one-handed jump shot and was an outstanding player at Sioux Falls College. He later coached high school basketball and supported the sport for decades through his children and grandchildren.

Natalie Young of Rapid City, daughter of Pierre native Jason Young, graduated from Augustana University with a degree in government/international affairs and English. Natalie will spend the summer at home and, while her passion is golf, she has the opportunity to attend law school. Her brother, John Young, will be a freshman this fall at Dakota Wesleyan University. Jason continues his work as the golf professional at the Golf Club at Red Rocks in Rapid City.

Ayden Vandel, son of Pierre natives George and Stephanie (Ellenbecker) Vandel, graduated from Harrisburg High School. He will be attending South Dakota State University beginning this fall. Because of the growth in the size of the student body, Harrisburg’s graduation was held in the Sioux Falls Arena.

Harrisburg’s graduation had other Pierre connections as well. One of the seniors was Eli Schipper, son of Jason and Sandy Schipper, who will be attending Augustana University beginning this fall.

Another Harrisburg graduate with honors was Jersey Sonnenschein, whose dad is Pierre native Chris Sonnenschein. Jersey, who will be attending Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, won the ESD conference championship in the 300-meter hurdles event in a time of :48.47.

It’s not uncommon for parents to attend their children’s graduations, but it is a bit more unusual for young people to attend their father’s graduation. Such was the case for the children of Brad and Linda (Kern) Anderson who were there for Western Dakota’s Tech graduation where Brad earned his degree in computer science. Brad is a former radio announcer in Pierre and Rapid City.

Michelle (Leidholt) Fonck of Lincoln, Neb., has accepted a new position as the instructional coordinator for Lincoln Public School’s focus programs. She will be serving students in the Science Focus Program (SFP), the Arts and Humanities (A&H) Program and a new Bay High starting this fall. Michelle has been with the public school district’s Career Academy since its inception, most recently as an English teacher.

Tom Wagner, 65, died May 12. His funeral was held May 19 at Lutheran Memorial Church, followed by burial at Parkston. Tom attended USD-Springfield and Dakota State, then started his career with St. Mary’s Hospital in 1980. He worked as the hospital’s finance director and CFO until retiring in 2015. Survivors include his daughter, Caitie (Bret) Graves; his sons, Nathan (Erica) Wagner and Cullen Wagner, and his brothers, Barry (Doris) Wagner, Gregg (Rita) Wagner, Mike (Kathy) Wagner and Kevin (Lois) Wagner.

Tyler and Rachel (Hartmann) Arbach are the parents of a daughter, Quinn Layn, who was born May 10. She joins a sister, two-year-old Layney, in the Arbach family. Quinn is the fourth grandchild for Randy and Jodi Hartmann.

Among the four Dakota Wesleyan University seniors who were awarded the first-ever Honors of Distinction award, the university’s highest honor, was Davis Anderson in the category of Honors of Distinction for Service. An accounting major, Davis volunteered at food pantries in Mitchell and Pierre, was a campus ministry leader, served on the Campus Care Team, taught a middle school youth group, counseled at a church camp, played in the Wesleyan Bells and sang with the DWU choir and Highlanders vocal ensemble. In addition to the Honors of Distinction award, Davis received the Harmon W. Brown Medal in Accounting, the Sinfonia Service Award for his music, the George and Eleanor McGovern Student Leadership and Public Service Award, and Honors in Scholarship.

Abby Javurek’s son, Aiden Javurek-Humig, will be honored at a graduation reception on June 12 at a park in Portland. He will be graduating both from Sunset High School on June 10 and from Portland Community College’s Early College High School on June 13. This fall he will begin studies at Portland State University. Friends can send congratulatory greetings to Aiden at 11336 NW Placido Ct., Portland OR 97229.

Kathy Englund’s father, who is 92, was released from a hospital on Wednesday, May 11. and the next day the derecho storm spread across eastern South Dakota. The storm did considerable damage in Arlington where he lives, including uprooting a giant tree in his front yard. By Friday Kathy and Randy Englund and friends were there in his yard to cut the tree apart. Kathy’s dad, of course, wanted to help cut the branches but was persuaded to sit on the sidelines and watch.

Brian and Jack, the sons of Pierre native Brady Smith and his wife Emily of the Denver area, are 2022 graduates of Ralston Valley High School in Arvada. Brian will be going into the U.S. Army to be a satellite communications operator/manager and will begin his military career with basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Jack is headed on scholarship to Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, N.Y.

A memorial get-together for the late Duane Rupkalvis will be held at Faith Lutheran Church from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 18. Duane passed away last Nov. 28. Duane graduated from Onida High School in 1956, and his wife is the former Beverly Sherwood.

Numerous local students graduated from Lake Area Technical Institute at Watertown, including:
— Agriculture (AAS degree):
Wyatt Deal, high honors
Jared Geigle, high honors
Ladd Kramme
Lane Kramme, honors
Samantha Longbrake
Michael Merriman, honors
Timothy Todd
— Business (AAS degree)
Brianna Fanger, high honors
Joshua Voigt
— Community Health Worker
Matthew Hardwick, certificate completed
— Electronic Systems Technology (AAS degree)
Jace Wernsmann, certificate completed
— Energy Technology (AAS degree)
Riley Briggs
—Human Services Technician (AAS degree)
Rose Gunderson
Ashley Stetson
— Practical Nursing
Caid Evans
Britney Fravel
Tara Miller
Deanna Turney
— Precision Machinery (AAS degree)
Molly Ades
Annie Bowden
Abigail Dieters
Nicole Johnson
Sarah Lenchner
Vallen Rooks
Alberta Rough Surface
Dusty Yellow Thunder
— Registered Nursing (AAS degree)
Kamden Carter, honors
— Robotics (AAS degree)
Jace Wernsmann , honors
— Welding Technology
Joseph Lehman
Shyanne Uhrig, honors

One of the graduating seniors at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls this Sunday will be Gaby Axtman, granddaughter of local residents Seb and Carol Axtman. Gaby, who will attend the University of Sioux Falls beginning this fall, is the daughter of David Axtman, who is a physician assistant. He is retired from the National Guard as a major after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Caleb Currier, Onida native who spent undergraduate and graduate years at the University of Tennessee as a student manager of the Lady Vols women’s basketball team, will begin his career in sports management at Georgia Tech in Atlanta as director of recruiting operations for the women’s basketball program. His parents are Scott and Brenda (McGee) Currier.

The block where the city auditorium used to stand and the old city hall is still located may be the scene of considerable development in the next few years. The Hegg companies of Sioux Falls are working with the city on a project which would see an apartment building, a hotel (probably a Hilton or a Marriott), retail space and maybe even a Starbucks constructed on that block. Construction could begin as early as this fall, but it is a slow work in process, and there will be opposition to this as there is to anything resembling competition to current businesses. (News courtesy of KCCR Radio News)

Mazen Garrett graduated as valedictorian at Severance High School in Severance, Colo. She is the daughter of Mike and Barbara Garrett of Windsor, Colo., located between Greeley and Fort Collins. Mazen is the granddaughter of Betty Garrett of Pierre.

Jesse and April Beesley, who live just outside Fort Worth, Texas, added another daughter to their family May 21. Their newborn daughter, Claire Eloise, weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and measured 20 inches. She joins a sister, Charlette, 1 1/2, in their family.

Steven Schaefer, son of Pierre natives Troy and Kim (Merkwan) Schaefer of Rapid City, graduated from Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago last week. He and his fiancee, Anna Sykora, also of Rapid City, will make their home in their hometown where Steven will be working with InVision Optical along with a part-time fellowship at The Eye Institute.

Sarah (Zellmer) Johnson of Sioux Falls began work Monday as the director of audiology at the South Dakota School for the Deaf.

Kusler Klinics, owned and directed by Brianna Kusler, who is also head boys basketball coach at Riggs High, has added football to the list of sports for which it operates workshops, camps and clinics. Heading up the football side of things will be former Governors quarterback Brevin Kaiser, who played college football at USD and Minnesota State-Mankato until earning a sports management degree in 2020. Brevin has also been an assistant coach for football and basketball at Riggs. (News courtesy of KCCR Radio Sports)

Two local students were part of commencement exercises at Dakota Wesleyan University. Jennifer Sweetman graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. Davis Anderson graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in accounting.

Katherine (Van Gerpen) Cedeno Torres is one of 25 graduates who, along with 13 seniors and juniors, were inducted this spring into the USD Beacom School of Business chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma.

Claude Taylor, 63, Atlanta, Neb., died May 19. A memorial service is being held today (Thursday) in Holdrege, Neb. Claude graduated from Riggs High School in 1977 and attended SDSU where he was part of the rodeo team. He has spent a career in agronomy. After marrying Sherry Main in 1995, they lived in Holdrege where he had his own Taylor Ag Service business and sold Golden Harvest seed. Survivors include his wife, Sherry; his daughter, Jessica (Luke) Evans of Bertrand, Neb.; three grandchildren; his brother, Eugene (Carol) Taylor, and his sister, Kelly (Gary) Gullickson, all of Sioux Falls, and his brother-in-law, Bill Bullard.

Nikki (Grandpre) Wilson, now of Omaha, will be one of the entertainers at the 75th anniversary Miss South Dakota pageant in Brookings next week. Nikki was Miss South Dakota in 2005.

PONDER THIS

“In reality there is no such thing as not voting. You either vote by voting, or you vote by staying home, tacitly doubling the value of some diehard’s vote.”
— David Foster Wallace