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GO BIG RED
SIOUX EMPIRE CORNHUSKERS
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Member Spotlight.... Mary Dick
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Madam President…
Dr. Mary Dick originally hails from Canistota, SD. Mary grew up on a farm and graduated from Canistota High School in 1978. Mary always knew she wanted to be part of the BIG RED, it just wasn’t the BIG RED of UNL, not yet anyway.
Mary went off to Vermillion and USD to study accounting and the sciences, eventually walking away in 1982 with a degree in Biology.
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Mary & Nathan Dick |
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While there, Mary found the endless friendship and lifetime support of sorority life as a member of Alpha Xi Delta. Even today, Mary maintains a strong tie to her collegiate chapter.
Reflecting back on her Coyote days, Mary always thought she would go to medical school. She took her dental school entrance exam with the plan of using it as a back up in case medical school didn’t work out. As it turned out, when she went to take her MCAT, she found out she was a week late to take the test and get admitted for the fall...so dental school it was!
Orthodontics were her first thought, as she had developed a crush on Dr. Drake, the man who had done her ortho work growing up. Mary finally applied to dental school amid the thoughts of her own doctor dreamy. Her first dental school visit/interview was at the BIG RED of UNL. She applied there because she had a sorority sister who lived in Lincoln.
Before arriving, a representative of the Dental College called her, made sure she had a place to stay, and gave her directions. Once on campus, this same rep met her before the interview, put her at ease, and gave her a tour of campus. She was henceforth accepted into the program at UNL going into an interview with the University of Minnesota. Lets just say they were less than caring and neglected to make sure she had directions or a tour of campus. Sorry Gopher State, your buck teeth just weren’t enticing enough for this dental student!
Many a day passed with accusations of football being the only reason why Mary went to UNL. A love for the BIG RED did develop, but it certainly was not the reason for her decision. Four years quickly went by and Dr. Mary Dick received her walking papers in the spring of 1986. Upon graduation, Mary became an associate in a group practice in Rapid City. Mary practiced dentistry at this location from 1986-1991.
In 1991, a unique opportunity became available. Mary was searching for a practice to purchase, she wanted to be closer to family, and she had given birth to her pride and joy, daughter Kristin. As luck would have it, the dental practice in Salem, SD was available.
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Mary jumped at the chance, immediately going to the bank with nothing to her name. A Salem banker gave her a chance and like they say, the rest is history. Mary celebrated 15 years at McCook County Dental this past year...what an accomplishment! Mary is most proud of the fact that working in Salem means she gets to care for the people who cared for her growing up. In some cases, Mary is currently serving three generations of patients. There’s nothing like coming home to the community that you love.
It was back in 1996 or 1997 that Mary made her first appearance at the Sioux Empire Cornhuskers Alumni Chapter. She attended a picnic and a couple of bus trips before officially joining the group and its board. As Mary says, “one board meeting in 2001, I went to the bathroom and came back President!” Always the stoic volunteer, Mary has lead this group ever since.
Mary maintains an active presence in her daughter’s life. Kristin is currently a sophomore exercise science major at the University of Sioux Falls. Kristin tried UNL for one year, but found it to be too big and too far away from Mary. People always ask if she’s going to go into dentistry with her mom. The standing response is “no”. Kristin says she’s sucked enough spit and blood to last a lifetime! Kristin has had the pleasure of serving as Mary’s emergency back up dental assistant-what are daughter’s for right?!
These days are especially exciting for Mary as she is portraying the role of Loretta Black in Tony & Tina’s Wedding! This is Mary’ first acting experience, but sure to not be her last! Mary had seen the show 4 times before trying out. Prior performances were always held in the fall which as you may know, interfered with Mary’s season tickets for Husker football! Lucky for her, a spring run of the show was put into place. Who knows, maybe Saturday Night Live will be knocking at her door!
Mary’s life has taken many different paths over the years, but one thing is certain, she is very proud of her alma mater. UNL and the College of Dentistry have maintained their excellence and strong ties to their alumni. What a great organization to be a member of.
Thanks Mary, your dedication and tireless efforts make you one in a million!
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by M.Dick
NU vs. MU Bus Trip
About 30 faithful Sioux Empire Huskers boarded the bus at 5AM, Saturday November 4, 2006. Spirits were high because this was in all reality, the game for the Big 12 north division.
Donuts, rolls, muffins, and assorted beverages were enjoyed on the trip, and everyone had a sack lunch when they departed the bus in Lincoln. The day turned out to be wonderful in several ways....the weather was great for a November day, and the victory was SWEET!
The excited fans boarded the bus to head home, munching on Valentinos pizza on the way, when an alarm went off in the bus. At first, the driver reassured us it was just one of those dumb alarms that mean nothing, but after several more alarms, he decided to stop and check it out.
The bus had a problem with the engine/fan belt/thingamajiggy...so the faithful fans waited, finished the pizza and snacks, enjoyed a fall evening, and waved to fans along I-80 as the back-up bus came to rescue them several hours later. Several of the not-so-patient fans called friends en-route to Sioux Falls, and hitched rides; but about 20 people waited to be rescued. Overall, the game was great, the bus driver extremely apologetic and courteous, and the Husker faithful had a great day and raised money for the scholarship fund.
GO BIG RED GO BIG RED GO BIG RED GO BIG RED GO BIG RED GO BIG RED
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by J.Lambert
Summer Picnic/Senior Sendoff 2006
It happened again August 10, 2006, everybody generally agrees summer is fun, but about August every year University of Nebraska Alumni, friends and aspiring students start turning their thoughts to those great fun times spent strolling around the UNL campus getting tours from admissions staff, then during their college years or while as visitors attending major campus athletic or cultural events.
On August 10, about sixty UNL alumni and guests gathered at Sertoma Park in Sioux Falls for the annual Sioux Empire Cornhusker picnic: there was lots of red clothing, door prizes, an abundance of superbly prepared picnic favorites such as brats, hotdogs, and the trimmings plus a renewal of old acquaintances and the beginning of many new friendships.
There were several special guests: current and previous year scholarship winners and their parents, Chris Andersen, Director of University of Nebraska Alumni Chapters and Career Services, and UNL Admissions Counselor Kristi Decker.
Sioux Empire Cornhusker President Mary Dick welcomed the group and made several announcements, including information about the annual football migration bus trip for the Missouri game. She then introduced graduating high school seniors who were about to become UNL freshmen and gave them gift bags of items to help jump start preparations for their transition to campus life.
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A special project again this year at the picnic was the collection of personal hygiene products for donation to the St. Francis house, a homeless shelter in Sioux Falls that has been our local community service project.
A “BIG RED” thanks to all who attended the picnic this year; come back next year and bring a friend!
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Dr. Brian Wiswall, Dave Fleck & Phil Johnson
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The third annual RED Gala was held on January 19, 2007 at the Hilton Omaha. The Nebraska Alumni Association with the assistance of UNL administration, alumni, and friends hosted this event. Sioux Falls Construction and the Sioux Empire Cornhuskers sponsored a table to help students Realize their Educational Dreams.
Several members of the Sioux Empire Huskers were represented at the RED Gala. To begin the night, RED Gala participants had a chance to bid on various items during the silent auction. A wide variety of items were available, ranging from an IPOD to golf packages. There was something for everybody’s interest. Following the silent auction was a fantastic dinner. During this time, there was also an awards presentation. The award winners were: Sen. Ben Nelson, The Gallup Organization, Dr. Don Benning, and Ms. Jill Rosno. To close the night, a live auction took place. It was neat to see the bidders raise each other in order to purchase their item.
The net proceeds from the auctions are used to fund scholarships for students who plan to attend the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Further information about the RED Gala can be found on the University homepage, under the “Events” tab: http://www.huskeralum.com. The RED Gala 2008 will also be an exciting event. Please consider attending next year, as the experience is sure to be splendid.
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FOUNDERS’ DAY/SCHOLARSHIP BANQUET
March 30, 2007 at 6:30pm.
The annual spring banquet will be held at St. Mary’s Parish Hall, 2109 S. 5th Ave, Sioux Falls, SD. The cost is $30 / person for adults and $12 for students. Please RSVP to Mary Dick, PO Box 549, Salem, SD 57058 by Sunday, March 25.
This year’s event will be catered by Old Town Catering and our guest speaker will be Diane Mendenhall, NU assistant athletic director for development. We will also be honoring our latest scholarship winners:
- Lucas Frohreich-Yankton
- Alex Bohlmann-Brandon
- Heidi Senst-Aberdeen Central
- Allison Kahler-Dell Rapids Public
- Elizabeth Pflueger-Brookings
- Allysa Freidel-Mitchell
ST. FRANCIS HOUSE SERVICE PROJECT April 5, 2007 at 6:00pm. Contact Brooke White at 371-3744 to help volunteer for this event.
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I attended the Volunteer Leadership conference in October, which was open only to chapter presidents and vice-presidents. The VLC has always been a great connection between chapters-exchanging ideas of programs and activities, but this last conference was a very close-up review of what’s happening at the University.
We had speakers from admissions, research, student life, athletics, development and the chancellor that updated the group on what’s happening at UNL, and what the future holds. Some very exciting projects are the new Quilt studies center, which will be world class, and house the largest collection of quilts in the world. The university has had requests for tours from overseas-and the ground breaking only occurred recently.
The new center for Virology studies will be a collaboration of disciplines across campus under one roof for the study of viruses.
The Diocles laser is the most powerful laser in the country, housed at UNL. The list of world class accomplishments in education and research goes on and on. It was a great discovery weekend to learn about all of the “bragging rights” of UNL.
I think my “reign” as president is coming to a close. There are no “term limits” with this position, but I think its time for some new blood. I plan to continue as a board member and volunteer, but its time for new leadership.
My dreams for this group would be to have a cultural migration to Lincoln besides the bus trip. The Lied has great theater and concerts, not to mention touring the quilt center when that is complete. I would also like to start an alumni book club and have social events quarterly. It would also like to follow our scholarship winners throughout their college careers.
Semester care packages or notes throughout the school year would be nice. I think we have a fabulous group, you have been great friends and volunteers!! Thank you for your help along the way!
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UNL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Do you want to be a part of the BIG RED experience? Are you an Alumni, friend, or fan of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln? Check out membership options at www.huskeralum.com. Membership in the Sioux Empire Cornhuskers Alumni Chapter is FREE with your paid membership to NAA (Nebraska Alumni Association). If you’d like to be a part of our mailing list or group email list for updates on all upcoming events, please send your name and pertinent information to Mary Dick, PO Box 549, Salem, SD 57058. If you have questions you can email Mary at bigredsmama@triotel.net or call her at (605)360-3404.
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