The South Dakota Hall of Fame Honors the Legacy of Rod Bowar

Rod J Bowar, age 60, of Kennebec, SD, passed away on Sunday, August 28th in Deadwood. He was born on March 6, 1962, in Pierre, SD. Rod was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2018. You may view his obituary here, and visit his Legacy page here.

Laurie Becvar, CEO of the Hall of Fame, said, “Rod Bowar’s service to the South Dakota Hall of Fame and to his community and the State of South Dakota was truly stellar. His passing is a big loss for all; we will miss him dearly. Our hearts go out to the Bowar family.”

Rod Bowar was the manager and majority owner of Kennebec Telephone Company, Inc. (KTCI). He had perhaps the most unique career path in South Dakota telecommunications. In 1976, at the age of 14, Rod's labor was purchased at a charity auction by Lloyd and Delores Johnstone, then owners of KTCI. Rod continued working for the Johnstones, making his way to a management position at KTCI until 1998, at which time Rod and his family purchased KTCI from Delores Johnstone.

From there Rod took his entrepreneurial spirit and created numerous business divisions for KTCI, including PowerCom Electric, Charley's Welding and Auto, Kennebec Telephone Construction, Technology and Communications Specialists (TCS), and Chamberlain NAPA.

Kennebec Telephone might be one of the smaller phone companies in South Dakota, but what owner Rod Bowar contributed to his community dwarfs many corporate efforts. Attracting workers challenges central South Dakota, so Rod actively recruited young people while they were in high school. He offered to pay their technical school tuition if they promised to come back and work for him. Workforce housing threatens the town's future, so he bought and fixes up Kennebec's housing stock as a supply for resale to his recruited employees.

Rod believed in giving back and served on the town board and led the volunteer fire department since he was old enough to qualify. KTC is a member of SDN Communication, which interconnects the state's independent telephone companies, and Rod served on SDN's Board and chaired the South Dakota Telecommunications Association. He also served on the Dakota Prairie Bank Board, Kennebec Town Board, Kennebec Fire Department, Badlands Fire District, Kennebec Clinic Committee, Mitchell Technical Institute Foundation, and Gov. Dennis Daugaard appointed him to the South Dakota Board of Technical Education. He also served on the South Dakota Hall of Fame Board of Directors beginning in 2021.

His impact on South Dakota is vast, and his legacy will continue to inspire generations of South Dakotans to come.