Gay Kingman Inducted into South Dakota Hall of Fame

RAPID CITY – “It feels great after 61 years of working, and then to be recognized for the work that has happened.” That is A. Gay Kingman (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe) speaking about her induction into the South Dakota Hall of Fame Class of 2024. Kingman has spent her life teaching and leading the Oyate in various capacities. She deserves to sit back and take a rest but she instead uses the moment for advocacy, “It gives me the opportunity to feature those things, all the years that I taught, the years that I worked in Washington, D.C., the people that I worked with and the gains that we made for Indian tribes. My life has always been to work for the people, whatever I can do to protect sovereignty.”

The South Dakota Hall of Fame held a private event in Rapid City hosted by 2023 Inductee Rapid City resident Hani Shafai at his home. About 50 people gathered, most of them already members of the South Dakota Hall of Fame, to hear the announcement of the two West River 2024 inductees which included Hugh Ingalls, a respected farmer and rancher from Meade County, South Dakota, who was inducted for his contributions to agriculture and the beef industry. CEO Laurie Becvar said East River inductees would be announced at a similar event there.

Becvar explained that Kingman was inducted into the Education category for her defense of tribal rights and sovereignty. “She has dedicated over six decades to the rights of American Indians. She began as an elementary teacher and became a college President.”

During her time as President of the Cheyenne River Community College, Kingman worked toward accreditation for the College. But she did much more than that. “A career that spans 25 years as a teacher, principal and tribal college president, she is also the Executive Director of the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association (GPTCA) as well as the Coalition of Large Tribes (COLT).

She was also the Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and Public Relations Director of the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA),” said Becvar. “She played a pivotal role in establishing the National Indian Gaming Association. When she returned to Rapid City, she started the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association. This organization unites 16 tribal nations, in collaboration to advance shared interests. She is known for her hard work and results-driven approach. She is a trail-blazer. Please help me congratulate A. Gay Kingman.” Those gathered stood for Kingman and gave her a resounding applause.

“This is prestigious recognition bestowed upon those individuals who have made significant contributions and achievements in their field or industry,” explained Becvar. “Induction tells us this person has reached the pinnacle of excellence. Our process to choose is rather elaborate. It includes a nomination process and a voting process. It is thorough and in-depth.”

The 50th anniversary induction ceremony is scheduled for September 13 and 14 in Chamberlain. At that time, Kingman will join the other 782 total honorees who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame across 11 categories: Agriculture, Arts and Entertainment, Business, Education, General, Historical, Inventor, Philanthropy, Political, Professional and Sports.

Becvar said the South Dakota Hall of Fame, which is a 501c3 non-profit organization, is dedicated to honoring, inspiring and preserving excellence and teaching others how to excel. “We need to remember our greats. And it needs to be permanent. That’s what the Hall of Fame does, we retain the legacy in perpetuity and to validate is important. Our champions need validation and commemoration of their contributions that they made to this state. We need the history of how they shaped our state. Overall, the South Dakota Hall of Fame is important because it celebrates excellence, preserves legacy and most importantly it inspires future generations to strive for greatness in their own pursuits.”

Becvar said honoring their inductees is their main service but they also have other programs of recognition, “Perhaps a nominee doesn’t rise to being inducted but could still be recognized for extraordinary acts of service.” The Hall also has the Legends and Learning program, “where we showcase a legend by writing a curriculum, then we have teacher resources, so teachers can embed our resources into their curriculum.”

Established in 1974, the South Dakota Hall of Fame’s main program is the Hall of Fame itself, called the Legacies of Achievement. Every year, 50 to 70 South Dakotans are nominated and only 10 are inducted.

Becvar explained there are two focal areas for this 50th year and their vision for the future of the Hall. They would like to repair the Visitor and Education Center because there has been some foundation settling and is in need of other repairs. She said they also have plans to transform the exhibits. She explained to members the need to update and be more engaging. “We want to invest in technology. For instance, we are studying holograms. We can make into holograms our inductees to tell their life lessons and stories which will provide a much richer experience.”

Because South Dakota has a practice of erasing the Oceti Sakowin from the State’s history, inclusion in the South Dakota Hall of Fame is essential recognition of the contributions and influence of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota.

When asked how Kingman brought 16 tribes together to create the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association Kingman told Native Sun News Today that collaboration is tradition. “It started because they approached me as they were trying to put together a collective way to have dialogue with one another. We have tremendous leaders. Our leadership deal with so many things. They carry the weight of the people on their shoulders. And then we come together collectively and we help each other and learn from one another. Unity helps. Arvol Looking Horse has come to our meetings.” Looking Horse is the nineteenth Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe and a spiritual leader of the Oyate. Kingman said, “He told us that we must unify, that we must work together. Years ago, all of the Sioux tribes were together. So, I think its happening.”

(Contact Marnie Cook at staffwriter@nativesunnews.today)

The post Gay Kingman Inducted into South Dakota Hall of Fame first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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