02 Broadcaster Press May 20, 2014 www.broadcasteronline.com Meet Jim Wilson By David Lias david.lias@plaintalk.net Jim Wilson and his wife, Ann, first called Vermillion home from 1979 to 1996. The community rich’s history and diversity convinced the couple to move back to Vermillion after Jim retired in 2006. Today, Jim serves as chairperson of the Clay County Historic Preservation Commission. “After we returned to town in 2006, I got involved in 2007 at the urging of Phyllis Packard, “ Jim said. The Wilsons left Vermillion in 1996 when the state preservation office was moved to Pierre. “We ended up leaving town, and I worked for the state preservation office in West Virginia for three years, and I was the preservation officer in Deadwood for six years,” he said. “When I retired in 2006, we discussed where we wanted to live, and considered all of the places in the world, and decided to move back to Vermillion.” Packard urged Jim to become involved with the local preservation commission because of his RE-ELECT Phyllis Packard For Clay County Commissioner Experience & Dedication Make a difference Professionalism Over 40 years of experience in public service 16 as Solid Waste & Recycling Director for the City of Vermillion (retired 2010), 7 years as Senior Planner for Siouxland Interstate Metropolitan Planning Council. 20 years teaching K -12 and Higher Education & throughout career a producing artist. Volunteer & Leadership Dedicated to making Clay County the best county in South Dakota Current Board Member: Vermillion Development Corporation & Chamber of Commerce; Vermillion/Yankton Joint Solid Waste & Recycling Board. Past Board Member & Of?cer: Clay County Historic Preservation Commission; Vermillion United Way; Vermillion Area Arts Council; South Dakota Solid Waste Management Assoc.; Midcontinent Recycling Association. Past Board Member: Vermillion Area Community Foundation Main Street Business Owner Operator LumoStudios & Gallery operating on Main Street since 2003. Personal “I thank you for your Support” VOTE JUNE 3, 2014 Lived in Vermillion since 1968. Raised two Children as single parent. Daughter Ahna, set designer on MONK & “Nebraska” academy award nominee movie, married with two children; Son Aaron, professional commercial photographer & Co-Owner of LumoStudios & Gallery. Paid for by Phyllis Packard for County Commissioner background as a preservation architect. “And, I also became active in the arts council and a number of other activities around town,” he said. Jim had to curtail his involvement in those activities for a time as his wife began to experience health problems. Ann passed away in 2012. “But, pretty much for the past six years, I’ve been the chair of the preservation commission, and the preservation commission is part of county government. We are friendly folks,” he said. “We do educational stuff, and provide free advice to people.” Among the educational activities hosted by the preservation commission was the day-long “Preservation Celebration” held at the W. H. Over Museum in Vermillion. “Vermillion is a fascinating place to live, primarily due to the university, because the university brings many, many interesting people to town,” he said, “and it has generated many good things and bad things over the years. Historically, Vermillion has a wonderful downtown and has a very nice university campus.” Wilson’s background is varied – he’s taught political science in Kansas, worked as a machinist, and studied architecture in New Mexico. As he completed those studies, the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office was advertising a position for a state architect. “I thought, ‘wow, I like architecture,’ and so I applied for the position, and I got it,” Jim said. “It was wonderfully intriguing, because working for the state office, I got to travel all over the state, meet lots of wonderful people, see lots of wonderful buildings, and learn a lot about preserving historic buildings.” There can be a range of problems, from technical issues in structures to community planning aspects that must be undertaken to preserve historic buildings. It’s a challenge that Jim has found interesting, not only in his work statewide, but in the local efforts undertaken by the preservation commission. “You think about ways to do it (historic preservation), and an example is we have three historic districts here in town – we have a downtown district, Forest Avenue, and one just south of the university,” Jim said. “It’s an infinitely fascinating field, because buildings are like children. Every building owner and every parent are absolutely convinced that their building or child is unique, which they are, but the problems are generic. “Little Johnny is certainly different than little Sammy, but, measles are the same,” he said. The next big project on tap for the local historic preservation commission is a meeting that will be held next month at the United Church of ChristCongregational. “We are inviting all of the property owners in both of the (historic) residential districts, because many of them are new – some of them may not know that their houses are in historical districts,” Jim said. “The meeting is also open to the public, and we hope everybody shows up. We’ll answer questions, and one of our goals has been to get better signage in the historic districts.” Hartington Tree LLC TREE TRIMMING, REMOVALS & TRANSPLANTING TREES FOR SALE EVERGREEN • SHADE • ORNAMENTAL Yankton 605-260-1490 Hartington 402-254-6710 Serving Southeast SD & Northeast NE for 20 Years Kent & Kyle Hochstein • Licensed Arborists www.hartingtontree.com 26th EARLY DEADLINES for May 27th Issues Broadcaster Press Deadline: Noon Thursday, May 22 Deadline: 11am Thursday, May 22 Regular deadlines the week before & after VOTE JUNE 3RD for Rich Holland Southeast Ward Alderman • Experienced Alderman • Experienced Planning Board Member I will work for Vermillion to: 1. Promote affordable housing 2. Attract and keep young families 3. Improve bike/walking trails Rich Holland Paid by Rich Holland for Southeast Ward Alderman