Pierre woman to be honored by State Historical Society; Pierre man to honored posthumously

The South Dakota State Historical Society will be honoring multiple individuals and organizations with awards May 9, 2025, during the annual state history conference in Deadwood.

Two organizations and two individuals are being recognized by the State Historical Society with Governor’s Awards for their efforts in preserving South Dakota history. The organization award winners are the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and the West River History Conference. Mark Slocum of Rapid City and Amanda Takes War Bonet-Beauvais of Martin are being honored in the individual category.

Jordan Fast of the Sioux Valley School District and Nancy Block of Webster Area Elementary School will share the honor of being this year’s History Teachers of the Year. Fast, a high school social studies and government teacher, is being honored for his remarkable ability to make history come alive in his classroom. Block, a fourth-grade teacher, is being honored for her collaborative spirit, unwavering professionalism, and commitment to excellence in the classroom.

The late Ken Stewart of Pierre is being honored with the prestigious Doane Robinson Award. Stewart is being recognized for his lifetime contributions to preserving the history of South Dakota.

Corey Christianson of Pierre is this year’s recipient of the Herbert S. Schell Award for the best article in “South Dakota History,” the State Historical Society’s award-winning quarterly journal. The Schell Award is named for Herbert S. Schell, an historian and long-time University of South Dakota professor.

Sabrina Escalante of Hill City is being honored with the Jerome A. Greene Award for her article in South Dakota History about Mexican migration into the Black Hills in the 20^th century.

The Friday awards luncheon is part of this year’s State Historical Society annual history conference, taking place May 7-9 in Deadwood. This year’s theme is “Historical Mysteries: In Search of the Buried Past.” Registrations are still being accepted. Call 605-773-6000 for more information or visit www.history.sd.gov.