At the South Dakota Hall of Fame, we have over 700+ Inductees who have had lasting impacts on our state, and legacies that inspire the next generation. It is the mission of the Hall, to Champion a Culture of Excellence, and honor individuals who have chased their dreams and changed our state for the better along the way.

One of the ways we champion Inductees is through their legacy pages. These pages serve as a cornerstone to continue to share their spirited legacies to inspire future generations. Inductee pages can be updated and added to by family members at any time. We encourage these pages to be updated regularly to help ensure their continued legacies can have the greatest impact.

In 2020 we lost some cherished Hall of Fame Inductees, and we want to take a moment to remember their stories. We are so thankful and inspired by their legacies, and we are passionate to see their life stories remembered and highlighted for future generations of dream chasers to come.

Bernard Christenson: 1938 - 2020, Britton SD

Bernie Christenson spent a lifetime in service to the state of South Dakota. He did so as a top airplane pilot, political leader, and first president of the South Dakota Community Foundation. He also served two decades protecting South Dakota in law enforcement, during a violent era marked by a surge of drug trafficking and the American Indian Movement insurgency. He was longtime friends with Gov. George S. Mickelson, and it was Mickelson who in 1987 asked Christenson to be the head of something new, the South Dakota Community Foundation. He needed Christenson to raise $5 million to match two large pledges. Christenson got it done in 11 months, sometimes with Mickelson’s help. By 1997, the foundation had $20 million, with the investment earnings used for grants to help South Dakota projects and groups. Today the foundation has more than $150 million in assets. He stayed with the foundation until his retirement in 2004. View Bernard's full Inductee page here.

Howard Hovland: 1924 - 2020, Kiester, MN

Howard, son of a Norwegian immigrant to Iowa/Minnesota, came to South Dakota in 1948, to attend Augustana College and married his college sweetheart, Eunice. After graduating from Augustana College in 1950, they both began their teaching careers in the Hartford Public School. This experience was followed by teaching, coaching, and serving as head resident in the boy’s dorm at the South Dakota School for the Deaf. Howard and Eunice proposed the first adult basic education program, which they succeeded in developing in Sioux Falls as well as in the state of South Dakota. This program served people who needed a second chance to up-grade basic skills, to assist them in gaining feelings of self-worth, and to become more able to contribute to society. Howard was instrumental in forming the first South Dakota Adult Education Association and served as its first president. View Howard’s full Inductee page here.

Sue Brown: 1945 - 2020, Geneseo, IL

With lifelong values of public service and philanthropy instilled by her father, Sandra Sue Zimmerman participated in all the family’s business and civic pursuits growing up. A family friend introduced Sue to Richard E. “ Dick” Brown, on New Year’s Eve in 1965, and the couple was married June 17, 1967. Sue spent the first five years of married life in Washington, D. C. Where she served as legislative secretary to Congressman Tom Railsback (R-Ill.). A year later, she began a career with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as a housing specialist where her work centered on affordable, integrated homeownership opportunities. After moving to Sioux Falls, Sue served two terms on the Sioux Falls School Board, spearheading a community-based, 20-year facilities planning project that resulted in the construction of two new high schools and three new elementary schools. She served as President/CEO of the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation from 1995-2006, and over her lifetime, Sue continued to serve her community in remarkable ways. View Sue’s full Inductee page here.

James Reynolds: 1943 - 2020, Sioux Falls, SD

After completing medical school and the renowned John Hopkins Cardiovascular Surgical program, several of his colleagues acknowledged that Dr. James Reynolds was among the best technicians who completed the Hopkins surgical program. Seeing the void in cardiac care in South Dakota, Dr. Reynolds, along with his partner and colleague, Dr. Robert D. Willix, was instrumental in bringing cardiac surgery to the state and the surrounding area. From the very start, the cardiac surgery team under Dr. Reynolds’ guidance produced superb results in coronary bypass and valvular heart surgery. His persuasive leadership was instrumental in the founding of the North Central Heart group. It can be said without contradiction that Dr. Reynolds made the mission of North Central Heart, to provide the best possible care to the patients of the upper Midwest, the foremost goal of his professional life. His contributions to our state and the surrounding region have vastly expanded and improved the quality of health care. View Jame’s full Inductee page here.

Frank Alpan: 1923 - 2020, Fort Pierre, SD

Frank Aplan was a distinguished Professor Emeritus at Penn State University. He entered the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 1941, but his education was interrupted when he enlisted in the Army in November 1942. In 1946, he re-entered SDSM&T where he earned a BS degree in Metallurgical Engineering in 1948. Subsequently, he received an MS from Montana Tech (MT), and later worked several years in the industry and as an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington (Seattle). He re-entered college as a graduate student and later received his doctorate from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1957. While at MIT, he met and then married Clare M. Donaghue of Dorchester. He then returned to industry, last serving as Group Manager of the Mineral Engineering R&D Group for Union Carbide’s foreign mining division. In total, he served for 15 years in industry working for five different companies in the mining, metallurgical, and chemical industries. View Frank’s full Inductee page here.

Gordon Fosness: 1935 - 2020, Presho, SD

In the summer of 1954, Gordie Fosness traveled east of the Missouri River from his home in Presho, South Dakota to attend Dakota Wesleyan University. This trip served as the beginning of a long and distinguished career as an athlete, coach, and later a dedicated servant with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in South Dakota. As an athlete at Dakota Wesleyan, Gordie distinguished himself as a two-sport athlete. As a football player, he played in the first collegiate football game he ever witnessed. He will forever be remembered at the University for his accomplishments as a basketball player and coach. Within four years of graduating, Gordie returned to DWU as the head basketball coach. During his coaching years at DWU, his teams won 10 conference championships, 14 holiday tournament titles, and competed in four NAIA regional playoffs. During his 22-year tenure as the basketball coach at DWU, Gordie’s teams recorded 351 victories. View Gordon’s full Inductee page here.

Harold Salem: 1921 - 2020, Aberdeen SD

Born and raised in Belle Fourche, Rev. Salem has always had a commitment to God and to spreading the word of God. For 13 1/2 years, he served the people of Belle Fourche as minister of the First Baptist Church. In January 1958, he accepted a call to First Baptist Church in Aberdeen and has served there ever since. His ministry does not stop there. Rev. Salem has led over 90 evangelical crusades throughout the United States and has traveled around the world preaching. His worship service has been broadcast on radio since 1959. In 1970, these broadcasts went live. Since 1979, The Christian Worship Hour has grown and is now televised nationally and over the internet. In his own words, "What we have here is not contained in these four walls. It is to be spread to the whole world." This is the philosophy with which he built and sustains his ministry. View Harold’s full Inductee page here.

Bill Groethe: 1923 - 2020, Rapid City SD

William McAndrew (Bill) Groethe has captured significant moments in South Dakota’s history, like photographing famous Lakota leaders such as Nicolas Black Elk and the Akicita survivors of the Battle of the Greasy Grass, (the Battle of the Little Bighorn), at their reunion in 1948. Bill has photographed many of the local and national political leaders of the US as they move through the Black Hills. He has photographed the presidential visits of both George Bushes, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Barack Obama. He also photographed Governor Michelson and numerous senators and congresspeople of South Dakota. In April of 1996, Senator Tom Daschle invited Bill and Alice to an honoring ceremony in Washington D.C. to recognize his work in the Smithsonian archives. In 1938, Bill photographed black Olympian, Jesse Owens, as he visited Rapid City. Owens is arguably one of the most famous Olympic runners in history and was an inspiring figure for young Bill. View Bill’s full Inductee page here.

Celebrating Legacies: Inductees in Memoriam 2020