04 Broadcaster Press January 2014 Revered USD Coach Helped Break Racial Barriers Dwane Clodfelter remembered as civil rights pioneer in SD On Monday, millions of Americans will take time, as they observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to reflect on the impact King had on promoting civil rights in the United States, particularly in the South. Kim Clodfelter of Vermillion will no doubt be recalling the winning efforts of his father, Dwane Clodfelter, who unwittingly will go down in South Dakota history as not only one of the most unique coaches in the state, but also as a civil rights pioneer in his own right. Dwayne “Cloddy” Clodfelter had one goal in mind “winning” when he convinced brothers Jimmy and Cliff Daniels of Brooklyn, NY, to come to South Dakota and play basketball for the University of South Dakota Coyotes. It was a groundbreaking decision. The two men, both African-American, were the first minority athletes to compete at a collegiate level in the region, and perhaps in the nation. Dwane Clodfelter’s efforts turned out to be the right decision for the coach, for the two brothers, for the basketball team, and for the university. January 27, 2015 www.broadcasteronline.com Shakespeare Festival Will offer Banter / Bawdiness While the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival had a solid opening with “As You Like It” in the summer of 2012, its second season was scuttled altogether. That won’t be the case this year, however, when its second season will take place June 13-15 in Prentis Park with a production of “The Taming of the Shrew.” The announcement was made Monday afternoon during a regular meeting of the Vermillion Rotary Club. Like the inaugural season of the festival, the summer’s offering is a comedy, described by founding artistic director Chaya Gordon-Bland as a rollicking ride of banter, bawdiness and classic battling of the sexes. Rotary club members were given a sneak preview when University of South Dakota students Tony Garcia and Emily Dorsett performed the scene in which the play’s two main characters, Petruchio and Kate, meet for the first time. The South Dakota Shakespeare Festival is organized and run by Coyoteopoly, a USD student-run corporation that strives to provide charitable work for the Vermillion area. “The mission of the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival is to increase the cultural, artistic and educational offerings in the state of South Dakota and the surrounding regions through professional Shakespeare performance and arts education events delivered in a lively and accessible format,” GordonBland said. As with the first year, students will be organizing virtually every aspect of the festival. “This year we are proud to receive our second South Dakota Arts Council Grant for support of the 2014 season,” Gordon-Bland said. “Looking forward, Coyoteopoly and the board of directors are hard at work in the areas of sales, fundraising, PR, HR, operations and everything else that goes into running a business.” February 2014 Major Upgrade Original Dakota Hospital building to be demolished to make way for $12M investment The oldest section of the Sanford Vermillion Medical Center (SVMC) could be demolished within the next two years. The demolition is part of an agreement between the Dakota Hospital Foundation (DHF) and Sanford Health, which will make a $12 million investment in the city’s medical facilities over the next five years. “We know that (the demolition) comes with some emotions from the public, but one of the things that we’ve learned from USD men’s basketball coach Dwane “Cloddy” Clodfelter is pictured with Jimmie and Cliff Daniels. The coach and the two brothers played a crucial role in the integration of collegiate athletics. (Courtesy of USD) 4 YEARS IN BUSINESS 6 YEARS IN BUSINESS 17 YEARS IN BUSINESS This photo, taken by state law enforcement officials, shows the 1960 Studebaker being removed from Brule Creek last September. The skeletal remains of Cheryl Miller and Pam Jackson were found in the vehicle (Courtesy Photo) Sanford Health and the university is, sometimes the worst thing to do is to try and accommodate an old building,” Tracy said. “What you end up with when you’re all done is a building that you’re still trying to accommodate and still trying to work around.” The plan is to tear down the original hospital which was built in 1935 along with the two additions that are connected to it. Those small expansions to the original building do not include the newer hospital expansion completed in the early 1990s. Harper Finding Home Tanager Lineup A family emergency brought Tyrell Harper to Vermillion High School. Harper, a native of Florida, arrived in Vermillion last summer to help take care of his older brother Deandre Thomas, who had been suffering heart problems. Harper’s middle brother is 15 years old, which left Harper with a “hard decision.” “When my brother got sick, I knew I had to come up here,” Harper said after a home game last week. Suddenly, Harper went from Seminole High School in Sanford, FL, with an enrollment over 3,000 students to Vermillion High School with just under 1,300 students in the entire school district. Talk about a culture • Full Service Restaurant staurant • Full Supper Menu nu • Serving Beer and Wine nd Wine • Open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Daily p.m. Daily 24 W. Main St. Vermillion, SD • 605-624-5945 , SD New 2 You Consignments 605-624-0062 Located one mile East of Vermillion, SD on Hwy 50 Store Hours: Mon-Fri, 10:30 am - 5:30 pm; Sat 9 am - 4 pm Consignment Drop Off Hours: Wed, 10:30 am - 4:30 pm; Sat, 9 am - 3 pm Sales • Service • Parts s Service Parts rv 5 W Main Street, Vermillion • 605-624-7491 5-624-7491 Hours: Hours: Mon - Fri: 9-5, rs Fri: Sat: 10-1, nights and weekends by appointment weekends by Maytag, KitchenAid, Maytag, Whirlpool, Whirlpool, Amana 18 YEARS IN BUSINESS 20 YEARS IN BUSINESS 22 605-624605-624-4200 | 1997 Polaris Park -4200 Polaris Parkway | Vermillion, SD kway Vermillion, “Take out always available on regular menu” 11 West Main Street, Vermillion, SD Call 624-7670 YEARS IN BUSINESS March 2014 Groundbreaking Set New Facilities University of South Dakota will break ground on a Sports Performance Enhancement Facility Arena, a Science, Health and Research Lab, and an Outdoor Track and Soccer Complex the week immediately following spring commencement, which is set for May 10. The three projects carry an estimated cost of $66 million and a projected completion date ahead of the 2016-17 academic year. James Not Returning to USD The University of South Dakota has parted ways with interim men’s basketball coach Joey James. According to multiple reports, James will not be retained after guiding the Coyote men to a 12-18 record in his only season leading the program. He took over for long-time head coach Dave Boots, who abruptly resigned last September. USD announced that it will conduct a national search for a new coach, and that it has contracted with Fogler Consulting to assist in the search. “We committed to conducting a search process then, and we are following through with that commitment now. The release did not provide a time table for the search, though Herbster said he believes USD could attract solid candidates. “Our status as a Division I institution and our affiliation with the Summit League, along with the academic reputation of the University, makes this a highly attractive position,” Herbster said. “We owe it to our student-athletes, fans and community to conduct a comprehensive and thorough search.” April 2014 605-624-2481 YEARS IN BUSINESS 25 change. So far, though, he is adjusting quite well. Through 11 games, Harper is averaging 11.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.2 steals for the Tanagers. Though Harper maintains the style Vermillion uses isn’t too different from his previous school, there is naturally an athleticism disparity. “I haven’t been to Florida, but I would bet Florida high school basketball is a lot different than South Dakota,” Vermillion head coach Jay Drake joked. Troy Gregoire (605)624-2526 www.qualitymotor.com 401 W. Cherry • Vermillion, SD 57069 • Business Phone: 605-624-5585 Miller-Jackson Positively Identified 43 Year Cold Case Closed Skeletal remains found last fall in a car submerged in a Union County creek have been positively identified as belonging to Cheryl Miller and Pam Jackson. The cause of the two girls’ death was a car accident, said Attorney General Marty Jackley at press conference held Tuesday afternoon in the Union County Courthouse in Elk Point. State and local law enforcement officials flanked Jackley, seated at a table. Sitting behind the men were family members of the two girls who disappeared approximately 43 years ago. Miller and Jackson, both 17-years-old, were last seen in May 1971 driving in a 1960 Studebaker which was discovered in Brule Creek last September. The two girls had planned to attend a party held at a gravel pit located near the creek. “This weekend we were informed and today we are announcing the positive identification - that the remains found in the vehicle are those of Pam Jackson and Sherry Miller,” Jackley said. “That’s based upon some of the personal items that we found as well as the DNA testing that was done at the University of North Texas.” Jackley said the totality of the evidence collected when the Studebaker was discovered last September “is consistent with a car accident. The forensic pathology and anthropology indicate that there is no type of injury that would be consistent or caused by foul play or inappropriate conduct.” Clothing and shoes recovered from the vehicle, he noted, contained bones, which would be inconsistent with foul play. The Studebaker was also in third gear when it entered the creek. “If there was foul play, typically it would be in neutral or a lower gear,” Jackley said. The switch for the car’s headlights indicated that they were on at the time of the accident. He said witness statements, including those of three boys the girls met at a church parking lot earlier that evening, also compelled investigators to conclude that the girls’ death was caused by an accident and not foul play. “Theu (the boys) indicated that they had been followed by the girls, that at one point they had missed a turn, and then when they had looked back, the girls had vanished,” Jackley said. “This would be consistent, when looking at all of this together, and especially with all of the new findings, of this being a car accident.” Weeks Former City Attorney Dies In Traffic Accident A Vermillion man died in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of S.D. Highway 50 and S.D. Highway 19 in the city limits of Vermillion on Thursday, April 17. Martin Weeks, 92, was southbound on Highway 19 driving a 1992 Chevrolet Blazer. He failed to stop at the stop sign and his vehicle