South Dakota Hall of Fame announces 2023 inductees

The South Dakota Hall of Fame has announced their inductee class of 2023. This year’s selection of ten individuals that helped shape South Dakota and the nation for a better tomorrow showed a drive for agriculture and healthcare development, as well as for philanthropy projects and community building endeavors.

Walt Bones, for example, is known for his reputation of “a humble servant leader — one who listens before he speaks,” said the South Dakota Hall of Fame in its press release, which called him “A caring advocate for agriculture.”

Bones is known for his business trips to China, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya to assist local farmers. Back home he promoted a stress hotline for farmers and ranchers, said the Hall of Fame.

Continuing their recognition of support for rural development, the Hall of Fame highlighted Thomas Dean, Ph.D.,  as “A voice for rural healthcare.”

Dean, known for his decades-long service in the local clinic system, believes that for the best medical care a physician should be able to practice in a community for the long term, and so has strived to develop a healthcare system responsive to individual needs in underserved areas, according to the release.

Mental healthcare was also a focus with Robert Arnio, Ph.D., being honored for “A profound impact on mental health” for his mental health services on both the state and national levels.

Arnio founded mental health services organizations that offer an integrative and collaborative approach to treatment of psychological, learning, and language needs. He also helped to craft state and federal legislation to increase the number of qualified mental health providers in South Dakota.

In addition to instructing and mentoring medical school students, psychologists, counselors, and teachers throughout his career spanning more than 32 years, Arnio brought nationally-known experts to South Dakota to train the next generation of educators and professionals.

Educational efforts were further highlighted with José-Marie Griffiths, Ph.D., who was called “a powerful leader in higher education” and Pamela Homan, Ph.D., honored as “a trailblazer in child welfare.”

Griffiths is best known as the president of Dakota State University (DSU) for transforming it into a leader in cyber education and research.

Homan, who served as the first female Superintendent of the Sioux Falls School District has built a reputation of the most effective and innovative administrators in K-12 public education “the state has ever known,” as the Hall of Fame noted.

Community building efforts and leadership were also honored in the business sphere with Bruce Bad Moccasin recognized as “a dedicated community builder” and Hani Shafai awarded for “building a sustainable future.”

Bad Moccasin gained recognition as an advocate of STEM education for Native American youth. His leadership in the Indian Health Service (IHS) as an engineer and as an area director, allowed him to improve funding of Native Americans reservations and to connect tribal leaders and health boards to IHS.

Shafai, who envisions a community where all people can sustain a living wage, work in jobs they love, and thrive in their communities, has worked tirelessly to provide sustainable employment and housing opportunities for young professionals, veterans, and vulnerable adults, according to the Hall of Fame.

He is also working to fight homelessness in the Black Hills area by helping establish the OneHeart Transformation Campus and expanding services at the Cornerstone Rescue Mission.

The philanthropy aspect was also highlighted in arts and entertainment with Gary Mule Deer honored for “giving back through his art.” Having performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Royal Albert Hall, Mule Deer never forgot the needs of fellow South Dakotans, said the Hall of Fame.