• The Center for Western Studies Newsletter

The Center for Western Studies Newsletter
Vol. 23 Number 1 SPRING 2003
Great Crowds for 23rd Annual Art Show and Sale
The eighteen artists invited to the Center for Western
Studies’ 23rd annual Artists of the Plains Art Show and Sale
were pleased to see a near-capacity crowd for our Premier
Showing reception on Friday evening, February 21. The vis-
itors continued through Saturday, and we had a very large
group as we ended the show and sale with the closing of the
Silent Auction on Sunday, February 23. The show and sale
were held at the Radisson Encore Hotel for the eighth year
and everyone appreciates the wonderful accommodations.
Past Board member and Art Committee Chair Frank
Gibbs served as emcee for the awards program at the
Premier Showing on Friday evening. Dr. Bruce Halverson,
Augustana College President, brought a welcome to the
gathering and helped present the awards.
We changed our awards slightly this year at the urging
of the artists. The CWS art committee decided to present Pictured at the art show and sale from left are Rosemary Millette,
four awards, two for the "Best of Show" and two for the Sioux Falls, Peoples Choice Award winner for her painting Spirit
"People’s Choice." We asked a committee of three to serve of the Wild–Bald Eagle, Don Jacobs, Results Radio General
Manager and art show sponsor, Virginia Coudron, Brookings,
as jurors for the "Best of Show." L.D. Andrews, a local busi-
SD, Best of Show Award winner for her painting Mona Lisa of the
nessman and art entrepreneur, Howard Hovland, CWS
Plains, Bruce Halverson, Augustana College President, Arnold
Board member and Art Committee member, and Jeff Bortnem, Sioux Falls, Best of Show Award winner for his carving
Hayzlett, CWS Advisory Council member and art collector, Grus Americus, Harvey Rattey, Glendive, MT, People’s Choice
served as our judges. We want to thank them for their efforts Award winner for his bronze The Last Visit, Dean Schueler, art
in this new change. They selected the painting Mona Lisa of show coordinator, and Frank Gibbs, emcee.
the Plains by Virginia Coudron of Brookings as the "Best of
Show" and a woodcarving by Sioux Falls artist Arne vote for their favorites, and they chose Sioux Falls’ own
Bortnem, Grus Americus, as the "Best of Show" three- Rosemary Millette’s painting, Spirit of the Wild–Bald Eagle,
dimensional piece. Our guests also had an opportunity to as "People’s Choice" and for the second year in a row
(continued on page 2)
Changing Prairie Is Theme of 35th Dakota Conference
Joseph Amato, John Miller, and Stephanie Herseth Featured Speakers
The 2003 Dakota Conference will examine the demo- ed by two successive decades, must be fathomed. Turnover
graphic, economic, cultural, and environmental forces that rates and demographic turbulence in rural lead cities in
are transforming the prairie region. These forces and the excess of those of metropolitan centers merit attention. The
local historian’s response to the changing prairie are what unprecedented transformation of the contemporary country-
featured speaker Joseph Amato, founder of the Center for side must be grasped.”
Rural and Regional Studies at Southwest State University, Over 80 presenters from 12 states will speak at the April
will address on Friday evening in his talk “Rethinking the 25-26 conference. Dakota Conference director Harry F.
Prairie as Home.” The author of several books on rural stud- Thompson explains that this year’s conference is the first of
ies, including When Father and Son Conspire: A Minnesota three scheduled to examine the major geographic and cul-
Farm Murder and Rethinking Home: The Value of Writing tural identities of the region: the prairie, plains, and Black
Local History, Amato observes, “The pervasive decline of Hills.
population and quality of life on farm and in village, accent-
(continued on page 3)
(23 Annual Art Show and Sale continued from front cover)
Glendive, MT, artist Harvey Rattey won the three-dimen- Sougstad, Fulton, SD; Joshua Spies, Watertown, SD; Marion
sional "People’s Choice" with his bronze, The Last Visit. All Toillion, Spearfish, SD; James Whartman, Hemingford, NE;
four of the artists were awarded a ribbon for their efforts. and John Wilson, Watertown, SD. Thanks to all who pur-
The Art Committee of Chair Lynn Aspaas, Howard Hovland, chased art over the weekend and helped the artists sell the
and Jerry Simmons selected Lunch for the Threshers, by second-largest amount ever.
Mike Sougstad, Fulton, SD, as the artwork for the invitation The Center’s staff would like to thank the CWS Board
cover. of Directors and National Advisory council for their assis-
tance as hosts, hostesses, and greeters for the Premier
Showing on Friday evening. Thanks as well to each of the
artists who help make this the longest-running successful
show and sale in the area. The Radisson Encore Hotel is a
wonderful venue and we thank them for hosting the Premier
Showing reception. We are grateful to the many Sioux Falls
businesses who help to make the show and sale a success by
purchasing advertising in our show booklet. Please consid-
er them when you do business. We owe a sincere thanks to
General Manager Don Jacobs from Results Radio for agree-
ing to be our major sponsor for the show and sale. His sta-
tions do a great job of promoting the show for us. Thanks to
all of you for a great weekend. We look forward to the 24th
show and sale.
The Artists of the Plains Art Show and Sale featured a “Best of
Show” category this year and three judges participated. L.D.
Andrews, Sioux Falls, Howard Hovland, Baltic, SD, and Jeff
Hayzlett, Sioux Falls, are shown with Rosemary Millette, Sioux
Falls, Virginia Coudron, Brookings, SD, Harvey Rattey, Glendive,
MT, and Arnold Bortnem, Sioux Falls, and their awards.
As has become apparent each year, our artists provide us
with a higher quality of art and this year was no exception.
The artists of this region take a "back chair" to no one. We
want to thank them for sharing their art with all of us. Those
in attendance were: Mark Anderson, Sioux Falls, SD;
JoAnne Bird, Brookings, SD; Arnold Bortnem, Sioux Falls,
SD; Bryan Bortnem, Rutland, SD; Don Clemetson,
Brandon, SD; Virginia Coudron, Brookings, SD; Russ
Duerksen, Sioux Falls, SD; Nancyjane Huehl, Vivian, SD;
Artists exchange thoughts and ideas about their work at the CWS
Rosemary Millette, Sioux Falls, SD; Donald Montileaux, art show and sale. Here, Jim Whartman, Hemingford, NE, shares
Rapid City, SD; Harvey Rattey, Glendive, MT; Gisele a point about his work with Rosemary Millette of Sioux Falls.
Robinson, Evanston, WY; Kathy Sigle, Spearfish, SD; Mike
Volunteers Hosted at December Luncheon
The Center for Western Studies’ staff was pleased to Our group of volunteers include Dick Haase, Frank Gibbs,
host the first luncheon and awards program for its volunteer Carolyn McClain, Harriet Scott, Arlen Viste, Gary Earl,
corps on December 17, 2002. We had a discussion with the Bernice Weilage, Tom Houle, Shirley Savage Jones, Milt
volunteers sharing ideas and suggestions that could be used Hanson, Pastor "Pete" Petersen, Beverly Petersen, Lynn
to make the Center a better stop for our visitors. This group Aspaas, and Barbara Aspaas. We thank these people for
of people has done an exceptional job since starting last June their dedicated service and invite any of you reading this to
1, 2002. Awards were given for "most hours worked," Arlen contact the Center’s office at 274-4007 if you are interested
Viste; the "Above and Beyond" award went to Tom Houle, in helping in any way.
and Shirley Savage Jones was the winner of the door-prize.
2
(Changing Prairie continued from front cover)
At the Saturday awards banquet, Stephanie Herseth, the Minnehaha County Historical Society (three historical
new president of the South Dakota Farmers Union marker dedications), and four local poets on the theme
Foundation, will speak on "The Future of Our Rural "Poetry of a Prairie in Decline.” Other topics to be discussed
Communities.” Several papers will be presented throughout include prairie churches, with a screening of the documen-
the conference on such related topics as land grant tech- tary film Delafield and readings from Country
nologies, family violence, homesteading, ethnic identity, Congregations, the blizzard of 1888, Lewis and Clark
rural depopulation, resolving conflicts, and South Dakota Expedition, Custer’s Black Hills Expedition, the 1930
demography. Census, Dances with Wolves, Inkpaduta and the Spirit Lake
The cultural aspects of change, as well as tradition, on Massacre, writing science history, small towns, railroad
the prairie will be addressed by featured speaker John depots, Iowa tourism, South Dakota’s physical environment,
Miller, professor of history at SDSU and the author of Laura and the prairie in the science classroom.
Ingalls Wilder’s Town: Where History and Literature Meet Four Augustana students will present at the conference,
and Looking for History on Highway 14. Miller will give the one of whom will provide a gallery talk on her exhibit
Saturday luncheon address "Imagining the Prairie: Laura “Rural Poverty on the High Plains.” A student from West
Ingalls Wilder.” Other prairie authors to be considered at the Texas A&M University will also present.
conference include Ole Rolvaag, Wallace Stegner, Linda Over 25 authors of recent books about the region,
Hasselstrom, and Tom McGrath. Professor of English including the new CWS publication The Lewis and Clark
Richard Buckstead, of St. Olaf College, will present some of Expedition: Food, Nutrition, and Health, by Dr. Elaine N.
his own work in his Friday luncheon talk, "Poems of McIntosh, will attend the 16th Annual Regional Authors’
Initiation: A Boy Grows Up on a South Dakota Farm in the Autograph Party on Saturday, April 26.
1930s.” The recipients of the Distinguished Contribution to the
To be added to the printed program mailed earlier are Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of South Dakota and
the following presentations: (1) Dr. Kathy Antonen, Dr. the Northern Plains are Kathy Antonen, of Rapid City, and
Elizabeth Evenson Williams, and Prof. Lynne Klyse will Brad Tennant, of Aberdeen.
offer a special session entitled "The Continual Resurrection The Dakota Conference is made possible by a major
of 470 Acres: The Land, the Home, the People,” scheduled grant from the South Dakota Humanities Council, an affili-
for Saturday afternoon; (2) David Kvernes will speak in ate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and
Session 28 on the topic "Welsh Indians in the Dakotas: Myth matching grants from Augustana College’s Mellon Fund
or Reality?”; and (3) visiting professor of American litera- Committee, Richard and Michelle Van Demark, and the Karl
ture at Luther College Dr. Oyvind T. Gulliksen, of Telemark E. Mundt Historical and Educational Foundation, as well as
University College, Norway, will present "Their Fathers’ gifts from several other donors. Copies of the printed con-
God: The Jeremiads of O.E. Rolvaag” in Session 32. ference program may be obtained by contacting CWS, or by
Sessions will be presented by the Deadwood Historic visiting the CWS homepage at www.augie.edu/CWS.
Preservation Commission, the Northern Prairies Land Trust,
Update on the New History of South Dakota
As reported in the fall 2003 CWS Newsletter, a new his- authors submitted outlines of their proposed chapters and/or
tory of South Dakota, to be published by the Center for sections. Two authors, Edward Patrick Hogan and Virginia
Western Studies, is underway. Although under discussion by Driving Hawk Sneve, have completed their respective work.
CWS staff, board, and council for some time, planning for In addition to these authors, the list of contributors includes
the new history began in earnest in 2001. The first public the following: Ruth Ann Alexander, Vine Deloria, Jr., Linda
discussion of the new history took place at the 2002 Dakota Hasselstrom, Carol Goss Hoover, Herbert T. Hoover, Arthur
Conference, where a session was devoted to the topic, with R. Huseboe, Bob Lee, John E. Miller, Michael Mullin, Rex
USD historian Herbert T. Hoover leading the discussion. C. Myers, Gary D. Olson, Lynwood E. Oyos, Ron Robinson,
Based on the principles of diversity and inclusiveness, Betti VanEpps-Taylor, and David A. Wolff.
the new state history is being written for the general reader As reported elsewhere in this issue, a major gift from
and for those who teach South Dakota history. Howard and Eunice Hovland insures the financial viability of
Over the summer of 2002, seventeen authors were select- the project. Additional funding is being sought.
ed by the CWS publications committee. In February, these
3
CWS Christmas Celebrated with the Closing of
The Picture Man Has Spoken Exhibit
The Center’s annual Christmas season began with our tra- Holmes Beach, FL, Les and Mary Baylor, Rapid City, SD,
ditional "open house" on Friday morning, December 6. Many and William Harvey, St. Peter, MN, were inducted.
people from the campus and community stopped by to enjoy Unfortunately they could not be with us so we will present
coffee, cider, and Christmas goodies and begin their shopping their bronze awards at another time. Thanks to these people
in the CWS gift shop. The Center was especially decorated and others in the Heritage Club for remembering the Center
for Christmas by Sandra Solberg, Billings, MT, and Lisa in this important manner.
Hollaar, the CWS Office Coordinator.
Friday evening, David and Sandra Solberg, owners of The
Picture Man Has Spoken collection, hosted the Augustana
College Board of Regents, the CWS Board of Directors, the
National Advisory Council, and other friends at a reception in
the Center’s Madsen, Nelson and Elmen galleries. David
Solberg gave a final gallery talk about the artwork that he and
Sandra have collected over the past twenty years.
Saturday morning, December 7, found the Center’s
Board and Advisory Council holding their semi-annual meet-
ing. Chairman Tom Kilian welcomed everyone back to the
campus and acknowledged those who had come from a dis-
tance. He thanked retiring Board and Council members and CWS retiring Board members this year included from left: Frank
Gibbs, Harriet Scott, Mary Jo Wegner, and Tom Kilian.
asked for staff reports from Art Huseboe, Harry Thompson,
and Dean Schueler. The nominating committee brought their
report for final approval by the Board. Gerry Berger Law was
elected chair, Gary Earl, vice-chair, Arlen Viste, secretary,
and Lynn Aspaas, deputy-recording secretary. The meeting
was adjourned for the gallery talk.
CWS Executive Director Dr. Arthur Huseboe moderated
a panel discussion of The Picture Man Has Spoken. Panelists
included Cornell Norby, Advisory Council member from
Paso Robles, CA, Jerry Czulecwicz, Advisory Council mem-
ber from Isanti, MN, and Sioux Falls art collector L.D.
Andrews. Each of the panelists selected an artist from the
exhibit and shared why they were their personal favorite. A
question and answer period followed. The panel shared many The Picture Man Has Spoken panel at the December 7th CWS
Christmas event. Pictured from the left are: L.D. Andrews, Sioux
stories and insights into the world of art collecting. Thanks to
Falls, SD, Cornell Norby, Paso Robles, CA, David Solberg,
each of them for volunteering their time.
Billings, MT, and Jerry Czulecwicz, Isanti, MN.
The noon luncheon featured David Solberg and a talk
about "Adventures in Collecting Western Art." Mr. Solberg
shared the family adventures they have had as art collectors,
and a number of humorous stories accompanied the presenta-
tion. He did take some questions from the audience.
Retiring Board members Frank Gibbs, Tom Kilian,
Harriet Scott, and Mary Jo Wegner were thanked and recog-
nized for their efforts on behalf of the Center. Retiring
National Advisory Council member C.P. "Buck" Moore was
thanked for his service, as well.
An important part of the December luncheon is always
the induction of new members into the Center’s Heritage
Club. Each of these people has remembered the Center in his CWS Staff and Solbergs at the closing of The Picture Man Has
or her planned giving. This year Paul and Dorothy Swanberg, Spoken, from left, Harry Thompson, Lisa Hollaar, Art Huseboe,
Sandra Solberg, David Solberg, and Dean Schueler.
4
Hovland Gift to Support New South Dakota History
Former teachers Howard and Eunice Hovland, of Baltic, Education Association Endowed Development Fund. They
SD, have made a naming gift to support the publication of a have funded numerous scholarships through the Sioux Falls
new history of South Dakota. The Hovland gift was made in Area Foundation, Southeast Technical Institute, and
recognition of the youth of South Dakota–and their teach- Augustana College. In 1985, they funded the commissioned
ers–who will benefit from a new state history written on the sculpture celebrating Augustana’s 125th Anniversary
principles of diversity and inclusiveness. Seventeen authors Hindsight, Insight, Foresight, by Palmer Eide and Ogden
from across South Dakota and from Wisconsin, Wyoming, Dalrymple. Howard wrote and Eunice edited the story of
Colorado, and Idaho are writing the new history under the Howard’s father, C.T. Hovland, an immigrant from Norway.
editorial direction of the Center Howard and Eunice have
for Western Studies publica- served on many committees and
tions committee. task forces and have held public
“Education has been dear to office. While a member of the
both of us,” remark Howard and Minnehaha County Board of
Eunice Hovland. “If we can Education in the mid-1960s,
stimulate, inspire, and nurture a Howard encouraged the board
real interest toward the educa- to take action to preserve a rural
tional pursuits of the children school after the state mandated
and adults of South Dakota, we the closing of rural schools
will feel well rewarded.” (Howard attended a rural school
Augustana graduates, with mas- for eight years). This action led
ter’s degrees from the to the formation of Pioneer Lane
University of Northern at the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds.
Colorado at Greeley and addi- Eunice was appointed by Gov.
tional graduate work at several Nils Boe to the South Dakota
universities, the Hovlands State Advisory Council on
began their teaching careers in Vocational Technical Education
Hartford, followed by two years and served as a member for ten
at the South Dakota School for years (1965-75) and as council
the Deaf, and then long careers chairman (1972-75).
with the Sioux Falls Public The Hovlands are the recipi-
Schools. ents of several awards, including
Eunice taught in several the South Dakota Governor’s
elementary schools in Sioux Day Award (1994) for their
Falls and served as a teacher/facilitator with the statewide work in adult basic education and the seven-state Missouri
Comprehensive Facility MDTA program, a Manpower occu- Valley Adult Education Association’s Founder’s Award
pational exploratory program that ultimately became the (1985 and 1998). The Hovlands are both inductees of the
Learning Center, now located at Southeast Technical South Dakota Hall of Fame (1998) and have received the
Institute. Eunice’s dedication to adult learning continued as Augustana Regents, Fellows, President’s, Golden, and Tuve
a volunteer teacher at Southeast Technical Institute. Howard Awards.
taught industrial arts at both the junior and senior high levels Howard and Eunice Hovland hope that the new state his-
in Sioux Falls and supervised the adult evening and commu- tory will “open doors for more students to pursue and gain a
nity education program. While in this position, he applied more thorough knowledge of South Dakota; enhance a
for a federal grant, which funded the first Adult Basic greater awareness of self; stimulate students to review and
Education Program in South Dakota. Howard also served as value their heritage; encourage individuals to recognize sim-
assistant director of the Southeast Area Vocational Technical ilar as well as divergent elements which formed South
Program. Dakotans and their land.”
Strong believers in and practitioners of what they call "a Ever mindful of the relationship that exists between edu-
team approach,” the Hovlands were instrumental in forming cation and career, the Hovlands "believe that those South
the South Dakota Adult Association, which is today known Dakota students who know and can articulate the back-
as the South Dakota Association for Lifelong Learning, Inc. grounds of their own state will certainly enhance their own
Together, they also founded the Missouri Valley Adult personal status as useful and productive employees.”
5
 Professor John Day,
Mrs. Heidi Howe, and
Mrs. Inga Dawn Howe
Maresh are pictured in
front of Sioux Mother
and Child, by Oscar
Howe, a piece from the
Center’s permanent col-
lection. Mrs. Howe and
daughter Mrs. Maresh
were special guests at
the opening.
Dr. Doris
Huseboe and
Mrs. Gerry
Berger Law,
CWS chair,
served as host-
esses for the
opening of the
Professor John Day, Dean of Fine
American
Arts at the University of South Dakota
Indian Life in
in Vermillion, presented a gallery talk
Art Show on
about Oscar Howe at the opening of
February 12.
the American Indian Life in Art exhib-
In honor of the
it on display now in the Center’s gal-
late Oscar
leries
Howe’s wife Heidi and daughter Inga Dawn, Mrs. Law had prepared cookies and bars that
reflected the family’s mixed-race heritage: oatcakes and cornmeal muffins with sun-dried
tomatoes for the Native American, and pfeffernusse (peppernuts), makronen (macaroons), and
four other favorites for the German heritage.
Fred J. Mattheis and wife Carol are pictured on either side of a
Chad Mohr, of Mohr Art and Frameworks, restores a 60" X 40" framed "shadow box," now in the ED’s office, that displays a portion
oil painting by Wolfgang Boehm (fl. 1850-1869) of William of Carol’s family tree: "The Deane Family and the Northern Great
Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. The piece is a gift from Plains." (Son John did the computer graphics in the piece.) Of spe-
James Steambarge, through the good offices of Council member cial interest to visitors to the Center are the presence on the tree of
Cornell Norby, and will hang in President Halverson’s home. the name of Silas Deane, the American Agent in Paris who wit-
The painting depicts the courtroom scene in Act IV, in which nessed the signing by the Marquis de Lafayette of his secret agree-
Portia demolishes the blood-thirsty lawsuit that Shylock has ment with the American Revolutionary Army (1776); and the name of
brought against his debtor Antonio. As punishment, Shylock is Richard Ellsworth Dean, Canton, SD, businessman who in the early
stripped of much of his wealth, which is put to better use, and the 20th Century wrote extensively about such events as the battles of the
lovers are united, the right ending, after all, for a play that builds Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee and about his adventures through-
up so much emotional tension. out the West.
6
Northern Plains Studies Program at Augustana
A report recently submitted to the Augustana Granskou engage in regional studies and addresses the theoretical and
Awards Committee, the academic dean, and the president pedagogical foundations for regional studies, which
concludes that a Northern Plains Studies program at Thompson locates in the work of the French Annales school
Augustana is not only feasible but largely in place, although and the writings of Foucault and in place-based education,
not visible to the campus or public. Based upon a survey of respectively. Thompson concludes that the college’s
Augustana faculty and administrators, Granskou Award admirable efforts to internationalize its curriculum through
recipient Harry F. Thompson, CWS director of research col- such opportunities as study-abroad programs should not
lections and publications, finds that there is considerable come at the cost of failing to "regionalize” at least a portion
interest among the faculty in offering a minor in Northern of its curriculum. Not to do so is to foster an inverse
Plains Studies. Acknowledging that most Augustana stu- parochialism.
dents come from and return to the region, one faculty mem- As testimony to the importance of regionalism and its
ber articulated the following benefits of knowing one’s relationship to the humanities, Thompson points to recent
region: "Our identity is cemented, our history comes alive, efforts by the National Endowment for the Humanities to
the purpose of our lives seems clearer.” establish nine regional centers across the country. What
Thompson reviewed regional studies programs at area Jonathan Andelson writes about Grinnell might apply in part
colleges and universities and discovered that regional stud- to Augustana: "Aspiring to be a national college with an
ies programs are usually located at large universities, where international outlook, Grinnell recruits students from across
a regional studies center coordinates such a program. A the country and around the world, supports faculty to attend
notable exception is Grinnell College, which offers a region- national and international conferences, encourages students
al studies program through its Center for Prairie Studies. to study abroad (which a high proportion does), and culti-
Thompson points out that at Augustana, not only is there vates a faculty with a global perspective. . . . Many students
a Center for Western Studies but also an Archeology Lab, a come to Grinnell from out of state and leave after four years
Native American Studies concentration, and applicable knowing nothing more about Grinnell, or Powshiek County,
courses in anthropology, biology, history, and English–all of or Iowa, than when they arrived. It betokens a lack of
which could constitute an attractive minor in Northern curiosity about where they are, of course, but more is at
Plains Studies. issue than that. They graduate believing that this place is
In addition to providing a compilation of survey results only temporary (few of our graduates remain in Iowa), that
and a summary of regional studies programs at other institu- the really important things happen elsewhere, and that the
tions, the report offers a history of efforts at Augustana to really important lessons transcend place.”
June Event to Re-Visit the Sioux Falls Air Base
As their dinner-theater event for 2003, Number 14 in the ing was too good for our boys (and girls) in khaki.
series of musical entertainments that began in 1990, the All the grand old songs will be at Dr. Lillehaug’s com-
Center’s Board and staff will mix history with fine dining on mand—from "Sentimental Journey" and "In the Mood" to
June 17 at the Oaks Convention Center. From a tribute to the Andrews Sisters’ specialties: "Boogie Woogie Bugle
Herbert Krause and Mount Rushmore’s Gutzon Borglum, Boy" and "Don’t Sit under the Apple Tree."
the Center’s themes for these events have ranged from fine There will be some jitterbugging, too, and the Jersey
art (a tribute to Yanktonai Sioux artist Oscar Howe), to a cel- Bounce, and a little of "Who’s on First" by Abbott and
ebration of Colonel Custer’s band director and his music, to Costello.
a century of great entertainers in Sioux Falls, and to four The Center is inviting all WWII veterans, especially, to
musicals produced by the Center’s writer-in-residence, Ron join in the celebration. Their ladies will receive a red-rose
Robinson. corsage; and men and women who actually served at the Air
Once again Ron brings his talented pen (read "cursor") Base in those years—1942-1945—will be guests of the
to the aid of the Center, and in combination with Professor Center that night and receive all recognition due the heroes
Emeritus of Music Leland Lillehaug, is putting on stage a and heroines who kept the Sioux Falls USOs hopping.
USO musical tribute to the service-men and women who If you know of a veteran who was stationed at the Base,
taught and trained at the Sioux Falls Army Air Base from please call the office as soon as possible! 605-274-4007.
1942 to 1945. You will date yourself if you remember those We want to get the invitations out!
days, when news from the Front was our daily fare and noth-
7
What the Critics Say Announcing...
About Our Books . . .
The Family Farmers’ Advocate: The
South Dakota Farmers Union, 1914-2000 Lewis and Clark
by Lynwood E. Oyos (2000) $15.95
"In 22 thematic chapters, chronologically framed, Oyos
Expedition
sets forth the labors of the SDFU from 1914 through 2000. Food, Nutrition, and Health
He is at his best in describing the challenges facing the
SDFU, particularly in the 1920s and 1930s, and again in the by Elaine Nelson McIntosh, Ph.D., R.D.
1980s and 1990s. In chapters 3-5, readers confront grasshop- University of Wisconsin at Green Bay
per plagues, plummeting prices, increasing taxation, black
blizzards, penny auctions, and farm abandonment. The Dr. McIntosh’s book provides an extensive analysis of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition from the standpoint of food, nutri-
struggle is palpable as SDFU members and leaders seek to
tion, and health within the context of current dietary knowl-
maintain the position of farmers in an ever urbanizing world.
edge. It is, in fact, the first study of these three factors as inte-
Oyos also effectively contextualizes the frustrating circum- grated aspects and of their impact on the expedition. Included
stances in which farmers found themselves enmeshed during are a discussion of the status of medicine during the late
those troublesome decades. . . . Colonial and new Republic periods, the various advantages
Based on extensive archival research in the SDFU’s col- accrued from the party’s wintering at Camp Dubois prior to
lections, as well as numerous oral interviews and a detailed departure up the Missouri, the party’s inability to tolerate the
reading of the Union Farmer, Oyos’ labors will be most inter- camas root at Weippe Prairie in 1805, fluctuations in game
esting and valuable to those already familiar with the organi- availability, the epidemic of contagious diseases while at Fort
zation he chronicles. His text, rife with photographs, will Clatsop, and a comprehensive health-related analysis of the
party, based on availability of vital statistics and other informa-
serve as a trip down memory lane for South Dakotans. . . .
tion about the men.
More useful to such readers are the appendixes detailing