New DAR Chapter honors area residents

Hank Frawley

Four residents of the northern Black Hills were honored today (9/20/14) by the Daughters of the American Revolution for their individual accomplishments in historic preservation and community service.  They were guests of honor at an afternoon recognition tea at the Whitewood Community Hall.  The event was sponsored by the Catherine Thybo DAR Chapter, which is based in Belle Fourche.

Leading the list of honorees was Henry J. (Hank) Frawley, who was awarded the National Historic Preservation Medal for his long and enduring work in historic preservation.  The 77-year-old Frawley has been a nearly life-long resident of the Centennial Prairie area between Deadwood and Spearfish.  His grandfather Frawley was a frontier attorney in the early days of Deadwood and expanded his interests to mining and ranching.  Once the largest ranching operation in Lawrence County, Hank Frawley has worked tirelessly to preserve significant portions of what remains of the original "Frawley Ranches,"  the Centennial School, a pioneer dugout, and more.   His efforts resulted in the Frawley Ranch being listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

Lynn Namminga

An Historic Preservation Recognition Award was presented to Deadwood resident Lynn Namminga, whose restored Victorian home at 12 Lincoln Avenue is considered one of the "jewels in Deadwood's historical crown."  By the time he bought the home more than 10 years ago, it had fallen into major disrepair.  From the foundation to the roof, major repairs and restorations were made, and the home has been finished and furnished in a manner reflective of elegant homes at the beginning of the 20th century.  (Take a quick photo tour of our Namminga Gallery). Namminga continues to offer his skills for other community restoration projects, and he serves on both the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission and the Lawrence County Historical Society board of directors.

Al Shaw of Belle Fourche and Mary Gallup-Livingston of Whitewood were presented Community Service Awards from the DAR.  Both have long and impressive records of volunteerism in their communities.

Community Service award recipients
Al Shaw and Mary Gallup-Livingston

Gallup-Livingston was a key organizer for the 125th Anniversary of Whitewood's incorporation in Dakota Territory.  She served as chair of the Legacy Committee, which completed a major legacy activity for each month of 2013.  Her volunteerism has ranged from working with both the Whitewood Senior Citizen Association to young people alike.   She was instrumental in getting the "Tree City USA" designation for Whitewood and also is a member of the Genie Club, which provides volunteer genealogical work.  She serves on the board of directors for the Lawrence County Historical Society and was lead writer for Lawrence County Town Timelines.

Shaw is a World War II vet whose list of volunteer activities is also long and diverse.  And having served as ball turret gunner on a B-17, he has never forgotten the plight of less fortunate veterans.  Shaw has chalked up thousands of miles driving a Disabled Veteran's Van for veterans needing to get to Fort Meade and Rapid City.  He has served as part of a military color guard for many years and has been a classroom speaker regarding his experiences.  Among his most gratifying volunteer experiences was serving some 30 years as a member of the Belle Fourche Volunteer Fire Department.   He has been a regular volunteer with "Meals on Wheels" and a long-time member of the Belle Fourche Lions Club, assisting with projects like the picnic shelters in city parks.

This was among the first initiatives of the relatively new Catherine Thybo Chapter of the DAR.  For a few additional photos, visit our Black Hills Gallery.

In 2015, the DAR will be celebrating its 125th anniversary.  Organized in 1890, it is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women's service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America's future through better eduction for children.  It is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

LCHS elects three new board members

We're delighted to have three new members joining the Lawrence County Historical Society Board of Directors.  All three were elected during the Annual meeting held in May at the Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center in Deadwood.

Mary Gallup-Livingston is no stranger to folks who were on our Spring Tour to Whitewood.  She was a key player in helping to coordinate events for what was another of the many great tours our members have enjoyed over the year.  A descendant of grandparents (and a great grandfather) who homesteaded in South Dakota, Mary was born and raised in Rapid City.  With a BA degree from Black Hills State University and an MS from South Dakota State University, Mary says she's always had a passion for history -- particularly South Dakota history.  She's now researching the history of Whitewood and plans to compile that history into a small book that will be the start for a more comprehensive volume.  Mary has been a resident of Whitewood for the past eight years, but since she's long had three grandsons in the vicinity, she's been visiting here every month for more than 22 years.

 Cynthia Harlan is a native of western Washington state and graduated from Washington State University with a BSN, followed by a career of some 20 years in nursing -- mostly in New Mexico.  "We were fortunate enough to land in the Black Hills ten years ago," says Cynthia.  Her husband, Tim Olsen, is a native of Deadwood, and his ancestors have been in South Dakota for several generations.  He works as an RN at the Veteran's Hospital in Sturgis.  Cynthia says Lead is a remarkable community and it "feels like home."  Her new career choice also seems to be a perfect fit, she says about her role as Library Director at the Phoebe Apperson Hearst Library in Lead. "It seems I was born to be a librarian!"

Dr. Joanna Jones of Spearfish has been a teacher for some 40 years, teaching in public schools in Texas, Arizona and South Dakota, as well as teaching at the university level in both South Dakota and Arizona.  In the last three years, she has focused on writing children's books that emphasize the history of the Black Hills.  She's also helped children to record and public histories of their schools.  Joanna tells us that she's now helping 6th Grade students at Whitewood Elementary School complete their school history book for the town's 125th Celebration, which is slated for June 28-30.

Congratulations to all three of our new board members!

Three new board members elected at May meeting

Three new directors were elected to the LCHS board of Directors last weekend (5/19/13) during the annual meeting of the Lawrence County Historical Society.  They included Cyndie Harlan of Lead, JoAnna Jones of Spearfish, and Mary Gallup-Livingston of Whitewood.  We'll be telling you more about these new members in our next posting.

Mike Bender

Keynote speaker for the meeting was landscape architect Mike Bender who works out of Rapid City for KLJ Engineering, discussed restoration of St. Ambrose Catholic Cemetery in Deadwood.  The project is being undertaken with financial support from the Deadwood Historic Preservation Fund.

About 37 members and guests attended the luncheon meeting catered by Dave Brueckner and the folks from Cheyenne Crossing -- always a big hit.  

The society last month conducted another of its highly successful LCHS Tours.  This time, members and guest enjoyed beautiful weather for a wonderful tour that took us through old Crook City and into Whitewood, where we enjoyed a great lunch and dessert -- and had a great tour of several historic Whitewood locations.  (See  story below.)