The South Dakota Hall of Fame Honors the Legacy of Dick Gowen
Dick Gowen, former President of SD Mines, Professor, and Researcher with the Air Force Academy and philanthropist died Friday, November 12 at the age of 86. Dick was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2012. Legacy Dick Gowen - SD Hall of Fame Programs (sdexcellence.org) and you can view his induction speech at this link.
Greta Chapman, CEO of the Hall of Fame, said, “On behalf of the Hall and its Board, we extend our sincere condolences to Dick’s family and friends. Dick Gowen was instrumental in the 2013 rebranding of the Hall of Fame mission to ‘Champion a Culture of Excellence for all in South Dakota’ and the development of a robust and dynamic technology Hall programming platform. Dick was a tireless and heartful champion in his passions, time given and treasures shared.
Dick and Nancy Gowen’s generous support to the South Dakota Hall of Fame changed the course of its impact and growth. Their support allowed the organization to grow and today is experiencing programming increases in triple and double digits. South Dakota is and will be a better state because of the work of Dick Gowen and we will miss him.”
Dr. Richard Gowen’s 2021 Inductee acceptance speech.
Dick Gowen’s Induction biography into the Hall of Fame noted many of his accomplishments that included receiving a full scholarship to Rutgers University with a career spanning engineering, research, education, government, and industry. He was in active duty in the United States Air Force and graduated in 1962 with the first Ph.D. in the nation in the new research area of biomedical engineering. While a graduate student, he developed an engineering model of the cardiovascular system that led to the first patent to measure blood pressure during exercise by measuring the pressure from a finger. Dick was elected into the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow in recognition of his significant contributions to space research and education. In 1984 he was appointed as President to Dakota State College that is ranked nationally as one of the best technological universities in the nation, to provide computer-based and integrated information management programs for Citibank and other organizations.
In 1987, he became the President of SD Mines that included the development of a nationally-recognized Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Production and the school’s first capital campaign of over $20 million raised. Dick worked for inclusion of the Native American community in their graduation in engineering and science. He retired from SD Mines in 2003, continuing his community engagement including participating in the establishment of the Homestake Gold Mine Underground Lab, starting the Dakota Power Company, and launching a nonprofit for the advocacy of teachers and students coding instruction and curriculum.
CONTACT: Greta Chapman, SD Hall of Fame CEO, 605-430-0792