Legends & Leaders Distinguished Alumni
Honoring those alumni who have distinguished themselves as leaders in the SDSU community and beyond. Join us to celebrate the legacy and leadership these outstanding distinguished alumni have shown. These individuals will receive prestigious
recognition from their alma mater for their accomplishments and achievements. They join 313 other alumni as part of the Sherwood O. Berg Distinguished Alumni Hall of Honor, located in the Tompkins Alumni Center.
Tickets are $30/adult and can be purchased throught the SDSU Alumni Association online or by calling 888-735-2257. We request that all reservations and payments be made by October 14, 2012.
Friday, October 26th, 2012
2:00 pm - Department of Physics Reception
Honoring Lynn Seppala '68
Daktronics Engineering Hall, Room 269
2:30 pm - College of Arts and Sciences Reception
Honoring CWO4 Fred L. Ellwein '83
Performing Arts Center
3:30 pm - College of Nursing Reception
Honoring Jill M. (Prouty) Franken '83
Wagner Hall #238
3:30 pm - College of Engineering Reception
Honoring Larry E. Bell '58
Crothers Engineering Hall Student Commons (#232)
3:30 pm - College of Engineering Reception
Honoring Sara (Daugaard) Venhuizen '07
Daktronics Engineering Hall, Wayne E. Knabach Lobby
3:45 pm - Honors College Reception
Honoring Richard L. Deming '76
Student Union - Crest Room (#345)
4:00 pm - College of Ag & Biological Sciences
Honoring Dallas Tonsager '76
Nothern Plains Bio-stress Building Atrium
5:30 pm - Social Hour - Cash Bar
Swiftel Center, 824 32nd Avenue, Brookings, SD
6:30 pm - Legends & Leaders, Distinguished Alumni Awards Banquet & Presentation Ceremony
Swiftel Center, 824 32nd Avenue, Brookings, SD
Those to be honored at the 2012 Legends & Leaders – Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner:
Mr. Larry E. Bell '58 of Friendswood, TX
Professional Achievement
Bell’s career proved that a farmer’s son from Doland could reach for the stars and make a lasting impact on the nation’s space program.
Among the first employees to report for work at the Johnson Space Center in Houston in 1962, Bell led the NASA team that created the life support system and space suit that were used by astronaut Edward White when he stepped out of the Gemini capsule in June 1965 on the first American spacewalk.
Dr. Richard L. Deming '76 of Des Moines, IA
Professional Achievement
Deming earned degrees in chemistry and microbiology at State before attending medical school. He currently serves as the medical director for the Mercy Cancer Center of Des Moines. Iowa.
With a friend, Deming formed Above + Beyond Cancer, an organization designed to give cancer survivors and caregivers “experiences that change lives.” Those experiences have included leading cancer survivors to a base camp at Mount Everest and the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
CWO4 Fred L. Ellwein '83 of Gambrills, MD
Professional Achievement
A National Guard member, the Sioux Falls native has risen through the ranks of the Army to a unique position as commander of the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps.
Concurrent with his National Guard career, Ellwein worked in music education as associate director of bands at Rapid City High School, director of bands at Mitchell High School and Rapid City South Middle School, and director of bands and jazz studies at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. In 1988, he was a co-founder of the South Dakota All-State Jazz Festival.
Mrs. Jill M. Franken '83 of Sioux Falls, SD
Professional Achievement
Improving the health of the state’s largest city may seem like a tall order, but it’s one that Franken is well on the way to accomplishing. Franken has been with Sioux Falls Health Department for 12 years, appointed as director in July 2010 by Mayor Mike Huether.
Under Franken’s leadership the city has seen expansion of health services to the underserved, strengthening family day care programs and improved school-based health services.
Dr. Lynn G. Seppala '68 of Livermore, CA
Professional Achievement
After earning a doctorate in optics at the University of Rochester in New York, Seppala has spent most of his career at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., where his projects have included designs for the first-ever, in-laboratory thermonuclear ignition that could lead to an unlimited source of energy and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope to be built in Chile.
Seppala’s achievements are all the more impressive due to his personal struggles as he overcame the effects of a stroke at age 46 that paralyzed his right side and seriously affected his speech and cognitive abilities.
Mr. Dallas P. Tonsager '76 of McLean, VA
Professional Achievement
Tonsager’s career in public service has seen him work for three different presidential administrations and become a lifelong advocate for farmers and the rural way of life in America.
Currently serving as undersecretary of rural development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tonsager oversees a staff of 5,500 in offices nationwide administering $37.5 billion in grants and loans for agencies charged with improving rural housing, utilities and business.
Mrs. Sara J. Venhuizen '07 of Pierre, SD
Outstanding Young Alumn
Since her days as an electrical engineering undergraduate, Venhuizen has been involved in the effort to interest more female students in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Volunteers like Venhuizen are credited with helping the college of engineering increase its percentage of female students as it became one of the fastest growing colleges of engineering in the nation.
Mr. Steve Imming of Yankton, SD
Non-Alumnus Award for Service to SD
The “Voice of the Jackrabbits” for 19 years on WNAX in Yankton, Imming broadcast more than 200 Jackrabbit football games and more than 500 SDSU men’s basketball games.
Noted for his meticulous preparation and ability to “paint a picture” for listeners, Imming earned six South Dakota Associated Press Sportscaster of the Year awards and the Kolpack Media Award from the North Central Conference.