FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 6, 2008

CONTACT: Brad Tennant, (605) 229-8577, Brad.Tennant@presentation.edu

 

 

PIERRE, S.D. – An Aberdeen man has been selected as the new president of the South Dakota State Historical Society board of trustees.

 

Brad Tennant, an assistant professor of history at Presentation College in Aberdeen who was appointed to the board last year by Gov. Mike Rounds, said he looks forward to serving as the board’s new president.

 

“I continue to be impressed by the other board members’ commitment to serving the South Dakota State Historical Society and by the wonderful work that all the staff members do in their respective roles,” Tennant said.

 

“Brad Tennant has been an active member in the State Historical Society for decades, and his election as president is a tribute to his involvement and his accomplishments as a scholar,” said Jay D. Vogt, director of the SDSHS. 

 

Tennant was elected president at the board’s July meeting. David A. Wolff of Spearfish, an associate professor of history at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, was elected vice-president.

 

Tennant said history seems to be a hot topic for a variety of reasons.

 

“History, historic preservation and tourism in South Dakota all go hand in hand, and many communities are continuing to realize how much of a draw history is in attracting visitors,” he said. “I think that many people take the history of South Dakota and its communities for granted and do not fully realize nor appreciate how much history adds to a community's livelihood.”

 

Tennant said he is looking forward to working with the various programs of the SDSHS, which include archaeology, archives, historic preservation, the museum, and research and publishing. Archaeology is located in Rapid City; the rest are at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.

 

“My main goal is to continue supporting the different program areas of the State Historical Society and the great work of the staff,” Tennant said. “In addition, I want to continue emphasizing how significant the role of the society is to the state as a whole. I continue to be amazed at the accomplishments of the various programs found within the society. Their work needs to be better understood by people who have no knowledge of what the society does.”

 

In other board news, Laurie Langland of Fulton, an assistant professor and archivist at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, was elected by the board to fill the vacant archivist position.

 

The State Historical Society's board of trustees is unique among state advisory boards, with one-half of the members being elected by the society's membership and one-half appointed by the governor. The board meets four times a year.

 

In addition, state law requires specific academic disciplines to be included on the board. Besides Langland, Ann Stewart Balakier of Vermillion is the architectural historian, Richard D. Harnois of Pierre is the archaeologist, John E. Miller of Brookings is the historian, and Elizabeth Squyer of Sioux Falls is the architect.

 

Other board members include Patricia Adam of Pierre, John D. Fowler of Elk Point, Robert Kolbe of Sioux Falls, Tom D. Tobin of Winner and Francis Whitebird of Saint Francis. Vogt and Bill Peterson of Sioux Falls, president of the society’s fund-raising arm, the Heritage Fund, are ex-officio members.

 

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