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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 4, 2007
CONTACT: Jay D. Vogt, (605) 773-3458, Jay.Vogt@state.sd.us
Gov. Rounds appoints Aberdeen man to history board
PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Mike Rounds has appointed Brad Tennant of Aberdeen to the South Dakota State Historical Society board of trustees.
Tennant is an assistant professor of history at Presentation College in Aberdeen. He has been a member of the State Historical Society for 20 years and is also a South Dakota Humanities Council Scholar on Lewis and Clark.
Tennant belongs to several other history organizations, including the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Encounters on the Prairie Lewis and Clark Chapter, Center for Western Studies, Aberdeen/Brown County Landmarks Commission, Brown County Historical Society, Dakota Sunset Museum, Spink County Historical Society, Dakota Midlands Corral of Westerners International and the South Dakota Archaeological Society-Northeast Peripheral Chapter.
Tennant said he is pleased with the appointment.
“It’s something I’ve always looked forward to doing someday,” he said. “It worked out quite well.”
Tennant said he looks forward most to working with the educational programs and historic preservation areas of the society.
“We are pleased that Gov. Rounds appointed Brad Tennant to our board of trustees,” said Jay D. Vogt, society director. “The trustees are South Dakotans who care about the state's cultural and historical resources and are interested in archaeology, archives, history and museums. Brad brings a wealth of historical knowledge to our board.”
Tennant takes the board position of Clare Bedsaul of Rapid City, who resigned earlier this year.
The State Historical Society, headquartered at the South DakotaCulturalHeritageCenter, is an office within the Department of Tourism & State Development. A 12-member board of trustees guides the society. The Governor appoints six members and six are elected by the general membership. Five trustees must meet specific criteria (archaeologist, architect, architectural historian, archivist, and historian). Trustees serve a three-year term and meet four times a year.
The trustees are not involved in the day-to-day operations of the society, but offer advice and counsel on program and policy priorities, handle historical preservation issues, provide leadership and support for society programs, and participate in development activities.
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The South DakotaState Historical Society, a division of the Department of Tourism and State Development, is headquartered at the South DakotaCulturalHeritageCenter in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, an archives and research room, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit www.sdhistory.org for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.