D I C K I N S O N
S TAT E
U N I V E R S I T Y
July 2018 100 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION: DICKINSON STATE CELEBRATES ITS CENTENNIAL
Alumni from across the country attended the Dickinson State University (DSU) Centennial Celebration June 28-30, traveling from several states including Alaska, California, Texas, Connecticut and New Jersey. Milo Dullum from the class of 1951 and Herb Heck from the class of 1957 were among the oldest to attend. The weekend of celebration opened late Thursday morning with an Alumni Golf Tournament at the Heart River Golf Course where more than 40 golfers of all skill levels were able to enjoy the fresh air and a little friendly competition. As part of the Dickinson community’s First on First event later that evening, Breaking Eight with special guests Zeona Road filled the downtown Dickinson streets as both DSU alumni and other community members took in some local shopping, great food and live music. The campus tours held Friday morning offered DSU alumni the opportunity to see how the campus has changed since they last walked the halls of their alma mater. Participants met members of the campus community
and learned some history on the guided tour. Those interested in taking a self-guided tour enjoyed learning a little DSU history from the walking tour kiosks stationed around campus. The rest of Friday was all about reconnecting with fellow classmates. Lunch Friday was a fun and special event for those who attended the Alumni Association Luncheon at the Ramada Grand Dakota Hotel. Alumni representing all seven decades from the 1950s to the 2010s shared their memories as members of the Dickinson State family. Later that evening, despite the rain, the Alumni and Friends Barbecue, which was open to the public as well as alumni, drew a crowd to the Biesiot Activities Center parking lot where young and old savored foods from 17 different vendors. Alumni and friends closed out Friday night with a Reunion of the Decades where classes from each decade met at various taverns around Dickinson for smaller, more class-specific reunions. Early Saturday morning campus and community members met on DSU’s front lawn ready to get their day off to a running start with the Family Fun Day 10K and 5K run/walk and youth competition. Dickinson State presidents and alumni could be found waving to the crowds and tossing out commemorative Centennial frisbees and footballs from any one of the five DSU floats in the Roughrider Days parade. Immediately following the parade, alumni of all ages gathered on the front steps of May Hall, steps they had all tread as students in pursuit of knowledge, for an all-class Centennial photo. The Centennial Celebration finished off with fun events for the whole family. The DSU front lawn was transformed into a playground for Family Fun Day where children had numerous activities, games and bounce houses to choose from. Older attendees found something of interest while strolling through the vendor show and classic car show on campus. The late afternoon offered families the opportunity to explore, learn and cool off with DSU, Dinos, and Desserts at the Dickinson Museum Center where people could check out the Dickinson State museum display, dinosaurs and help themselves to ice cream cups, Popsicles, fudgesicles and ice cream sandwiches compliments of the DSU Heritage Foundation. Family Fun Night at the West River Community Center water park was the perfect way to end the day, where families could be found splashing around in cool pools enjoying the warm summer air.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY OF DICKINSON STATE?
ALUMNI S P O T L I G H T
U.S. NAVY TRUMPET INSTRUMENTALIST ALYSSA (SPRATTA) JOHN ’12
Ken Haught Laundry day at the 2014 Homecoming Parade: Provost Pemberton decided the reaccreditation effort needed cohesion building activities. Karen Nelson bought t-shirts for the teams in different shades of blue. Then, for the parade, we built a float that displayed the t-shirts. Dawn Olson’s truck pulled it. The day was cold and very windy. We headed east and eventually turned back west on Villard, the shirts flapping furiously on our big clothesline. Team members rode the float or ran along side, tossing t-shirts to the crowd. Some people cheered. Others jeered. They wanted candy, not an ugly t-shirt. Crazy fun. Josh Nichols ’07 When I came to DSU, I was new to theatre. I saw my first play my freshman year of college and was nudged to audition for a show my junior year. I asked some friends about what to expect and apparently got confused. I showed up to the audition nervous and stressed out of my mind that I had only memorized just over half of the lines for the character I wanted... only to find out that it was a cold reading with provided scripts. I went on to love the theater, and DSU built the foundation of that love. Margaret Barnhart ’89 I’ve been associated in one way or another with DSU for so many years that it is difficult to pinpoint a favorite moment. Here are some little moments: 1. Involvement in Sosondowah Summer Theatre. The venue was fantastic, the people wonderful, and the audiences for our shows so receptive. I especially enjoyed the summers of Shakespeare. 2. Performing as Miss Moffatt in The Corn is Green, I received the highest compliment an actor can hope for: my own husband, watching the play, said, “I actually forgot it was you on stage acting. You made the character so real.” 3. Being awarded Outstanding Senior Graduate in 1989. My father was so proud that he postponed necessary open-heart surgery just so he could watch me cross the stage to get my diploma. 4. Being asked by then-department chair Dave Solheim to teach a section of Comp. I in 1992. Twenty-six years later, I’m still at it. 5. Writing and narrating most of the 2014 TR Symposium Chautauqua show. It was the first time a DSU president took notice of my work and gave me a thumbs-up gesture after the performance.
Musician Third Class (Aviation Warfare) Alyssa (Spratta) John is a Dickinson State University (DSU) alumna who is living her dream, playing trumpet with the U.S. Navy Fleet Bands. John is currently stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, with the Pacific Fleet Band, which just finished its deployment with the Pacific Partnership 2018 mission. During this mission, she played the trumpet their rock band, Pipeline. As a high school student, John attended several Northern Plains Music Festivals hosted by Dickinson State. It was there at a festival that her dream of being a trumpet player began to take shape. “I remember my last Northern Plains that I attended as a senior,” said John. “There was a concert put on by the DSU Brass Choir. They sounded so great, and that is when I knew I really wanted to be a part of the music department and definitely a part of the brass choir.” John went on to graduate from Dickinson State University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Instrumental Education. We had the opportunity to ask John about her time at DSU and about the impact the University had on her life after graduation. What are you most proud of when you look back at your time at DSU? I am proud of all that I accomplished while at DSU. I pushed myself as far as I could go and found new goals and dreams through that and through the people I encountered along the way. What is a favorite memory you have of your time as an undergraduate student? One of my favorite memories from my undergrad is the holiday potluck we would have in the music department. The Christmas holiday season is always a busy one for musicians, especially with juries when you are in your undergrad. After all the juries and finals were over, the music department would put together a little Christmas potluck. It was such a fun time to celebrate a successful semester and to spend time with friends and teachers before the Christmas break. Was there a certain professor who made a big impact on your life? Yes! Mr. James D Thorton. He was my private instructor for trumpet my first year of undergrad, and he continues to be a close friend and mentor. What was the most difficult thing for you as an undergraduate, and how did you overcome it? I think the most difficult thing for me as an undergraduate was my self-doubt. I was always feeling inadequate as a musician or that I couldn’t do all I was setting out to do, but I had amazing mentors and friends who encouraged me every step of the way. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. What did you enjoy most about being a Blue Hawk? I enjoyed the community and family feeling that being a Blue Hawk promotes. It is great to be connected with such a sense of pride for the institution. What would you tell someone who is considering joining the music program at DSU? I would highly encourage them to pursue it. I have had the best memories from the music program at DSU. After talking to a lot of my colleagues, the wide range of experiences that I had while at DSU was very special. Not very many musicians get such a hands-on and varied musical experience at other colleges. That is what makes the DSU music department such a special place.
Elena (Malysheva) Stickel ’09 I attended Dickinson State University from 2004 to 2009 and played volleyball for the Blue Hawks. My favorite memory is the win over National American University (Rapid City, South Dakota) Oct. 31, 2007. Their entire team consisted of Brazilian players and we just could never win. That Halloween night the game was amazing and we finally pulled off the win in DSU Scott Gym which was full of Blue Hawk fans. Tamar (Wright) Rodney ’08 There are so many favorite memories to choose from, but the one that comes to mind is preparing the nursing float for the homecoming parades, especially my last one. It’s pretty special because not many schools do that, where the students are so involved. Just being in the Ag building preparing the night before, I loved that. The nursing program is quite challenging, and we didn’t have much time together because we were always working or studying, so making the float outside of class—at night—was really fun. It was supposed to be serious, but we were always goofing around, and it was competitive, too, because we wanted our float to be the best.
Did DSU help shape your decisions for your path after you graduated? If so, how? DSU definitely helped shape my career path. The teachers I met in the music department inspired me to pursue my career goal of being a musician in the military bands. Without their inspiration and encouragement, I would not be where I am today. They set me on the right path and gave me the tools I needed to achieve my goal. How did your time at DSU help you to be successful in your later pursuits? DSU gave me a lot of insight about what it takes to be a musician. We have to have many tools in our toolbox and be able to call upon them in a moment’s notice, or someone else will take the job for us. At DSU, I had the privilege of performing in many different ensembles, many of which were right alongside my teachers. I learned so much from each experience and each person. I carried all of their lessons and expertise with me along the way, as I chased my dream. Do you have any plans for the future you would like to share? Right now, I am just enjoying the moment. I have been working hard towards attaining this job/goal for a while. It feels amazing to have set out on a goal and to have had enough determination and grit to make it happen. As of now, my plan is to stay with the Navy Bands for as long as I can and just keep living the dream.
DSU NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
DICKINSON STATE’S DIGITAL ARCHIVE
Are you keeping up with what’s going on at Dickinson State? You’re in luck! Our news and announcements just became even more accessible. The latest happenings can now be found right on our website’s homepage. Visit www.dickinsonstate.edu and see for yourself!
We are excited to announce the launch of our fully searchable digital archive. From yearbooks and newspapers to theatre programs and Impressions publications, new materials are added regularly. You’re sure to find something that piques your interest. Visit www.dsuarchive.com and take a look today!
COLLECTION INCLUDES: Prairie Smoke Yearbooks
a special THANK YOU to our community partners for your support during the 2018 Dickinson State All Class Reunion
The Western Concept Newspapers
Theatre Posters and Programs
Impressions Publications
Commencement Programs
Maude Klinefelter Scrapbook
EVENTS July 14
Praxis Exams
8am
May Hall, Room 1
July 16
Google in the Classroom (West River Teacher Center)
8am
Murphy Hall, Computer Lab 159
July 17
Google in the Classroom (West River Teacher Center)
8am
Murphy Hall, Computer Lab 159
July 17
BAC Outdoor Movie Night - “Lego Ninjago Movie”
7pm
Biesiot Activity Center
July 20
New Student Orientation
8am
All Campus
July 25
President’s Open Forum
2pm
Klinefelter Hall, Beck Auditorium
8am
All Campus
August 3 New Student Orientation
DSU Events - www.dickinsonstate.edu/events
Athletic Events - www.dsubluehawks.com
ADMISSIONS EVENTS NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION July 20 - 8 a.m. August 3 - 8 a.m. All events are held in the DSU Student Center.
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A big thank you to Fireflour Pizzeria & Coffee Bar in Bismarck for providing a friendly place for our staff, faculty and students to spend time together, and for your continued support of the University. Thank you for displaying and promoting Blue Hawk pride in your community!
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The Blue Hawk Bulletin is a publication created by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs at Dickinson State University. dsu.communications@dickinsonstate.edu 701.483.2787