Office of the Governor
For Immediate Release: Friday, April 5, 2002
For More Information: Bob Mercer or Mike Mueller, 773-3212

Sheila Hansen of Spearfish Receives National VFW Award For Leading “Fallen Sons And Daughters” World War II Project

“A monumental achievement,” Janklow says

(Pierre) – Gov. Bill Janklow asked all South Dakotans today to join him in congratulating Spearfish school teacher Sheila Hansen and hundreds of school children across the state for their work on the “Fallen Sons and Daughters” project, a collection of biographies of South Dakotans who lost their lives in World War II.

Hansen will be honored Saturday by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) at a national ceremony in Arlington, Virginia. She is receiving the VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher Award for the middle school level.

“What Sheila has accomplished through her leadership is incredible. This began as a relatively small project for her eighth-grade class, and she accepted our challenge to turn it into something statewide. It’s a monumental achievement. She’s been able to pull together dozens of schools, in dozens of counties, involving hundreds of students and their teachers,” Janklow said.

More than 2,200 South Dakotans died in World War II or later passed away as a result of injuries suffered in the war.

Plans call for “Fallen Sons And Daughters of South Dakota in World War II” to be published as a book next fall. Details about ordering copies will be announced then. 

Some of the completed biographies are currently available on the World War II Memorial website at http://www.sdwwiimemorial.com 

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