2017 Inductee James W. Abbott to Serve as Dakota Days Parade Grand Marshall

VERMILLION, S.D. – Former USD President James W. Abbott will serve as Grand Marshal for the 2021 Dakota Days Parade on Oct. 2. Abbott led the state’s flagship university for 21 years – the second-longest tenure in university history – and was the first alumnus to hold the position.

Abbott was born in Sioux City, Iowa before his family moved to Yankton when he was 2 months old. He is the oldest of eight children. After graduating from Yankton High School, Abbott received his bachelor’s degree from USD in 1970 and his Juris doctor in 1974.

Via Vermillion Plain Talk