Distinguished Alumni
Cindi Walsh
Distinguished Alumni
Cindi Walsh graduated from Northern with a business degree in 1981. She was hired by First Bank, which is now known as US Bank, and gradually worked her way up from Operations Officer to District Manager. In April of 2004, she was named the Regional President of US Bank.
Cindi is currently volunteering both her time and her leadership talents to assist a number of organizations in the Aberdeen community. She is an active member of the Northern State University Foundation, of which she is the past president. She is co-chairperson of the Long Range Planning Committee for Aberdeen, president of the Chamber of Commerce, volunteer and past president of Homes Are Possible, Inc., vice president of the Roncalli Foundation, Treasurer for the Adjustment Training Center Board. She also serves on the Board of Directors for both Absolutely Aberdeen and the Education Assistance Corporation.
She and her husband, Mike, who is a retired NSU faculty member, reside in Aberdeen with their two sons, Michael and Ben.
Ben Victor
Graduate of the Last Decade, Gold Award
A gift from God is how Benjamin Victor describes his natural ability to sculpture detailed works of art, large and small. Victor joined the ranks of Michelangelo, Bernini, Daniel Chester French, and Maya Lin by receiving his first large commission at only 23 years old. At age 26, he became the youngest artist ever to have a sculpture in our Nation’s foremost collection of figurative sculpture, the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol.
Art critics and organizations, including the National Sculpture Society in New York City, continue to recognize the aesthetic and conceptual integrity of Benjamin’s artwork.
Ben graduated from NSU with an Art degree in 2004. He and his wife, Julie, live in Aberdeen with their three children, Caleb, Audrey, and Joshua.
Hall of Fame
Cary Hornaman
Cary received his B.S. in Education from Northern in 1980. He was a stand out athlete in both baseball and basketball receiving numerous conference, district and regional awards.
Cary started for three years on the Wolves baseball and basketball teams, being named to the All-Conference and All-Tournament baseball teams in 1976 & 1977. He was also selected to All-Conference and All-Tournament teams in basketball in 1980. Cary was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 1977 and later began teaching and coaching in Florida. He was also recognized as one of Aberdeen Roncalli’s Athletes of the Century in 2000.
Chuck Keeler
Chuck received his B.S. in Education from Northern in 1969. Another two sport athlete, he wrestled and played football for the Wolves. Chuck was known as a tremendous competitor, wrestling at the upper weight classes and playing defensive end.
Chuck’s achievements in wrestling include winning a conference champion at 191 pounds and helping the Wolves win a conference title. In football, Chuck was a team captain and part of three conference championship teams, which included an undefeated regular season and a NAIA national playoff game. He was named to the District 12 All-Defensive team as a junior and senior.
Jane (Konz) Hanson
Jane played basketball for the Wolves from 1987-1991 and received her B.A. in English in 1998. Jane also received a nursing degree after leaving NSU.
Jane was part of three national playoff teams in basketball, serving as Co-Captain her Jr. and Sr. seasons. She was selected to the All-Conference team three years in a row and was All-District her senior season. Jane ended her career at NSU ranked in the top ten in career scoring, career rebounding, career field goal percentage and as NSU’s all time leader in blocked shots.
Amy (Elllis) Scepaniak
Amy received her B.S. in Special Education in 1993. She was a two sport athlete participating in volleyball and track & field.
Amy started all four years on the Wolves volleyball team and was a stand out jumper and thrower on the track & field team. In track & field she was NSU’s all time record holder in the discus and was an All-American as a senior, placing sixth at the National Track and Field Meet. In volleyball she held NSU’s individual season solo blocks record and NSU’s career total blocks record.
Kretchman Coaching Award
Terry Small
Terry Small graduated from Blunt High School in 1962. After playing for Coach Bob Wachs on the Northern State basketball team, he graduated in 1967. He immediately began working in the Aberdeen public school system where he coached the Golden Eagles boys basketball teams from 1967 to 1997, a 30 year span in which he was the head coach for 21 seasons. His teams had a record of 330-140, winning the highly competitive Eastern South Dakota (ESD) title eight times and the State AA boys title twice. His teams qualified for the state tournament 17 times.
Coach Small earned a number of honors: the South Dakota Basketball Coach of the Year Award in 1988, the South Dakota High School Activities Association Distinguished Service Award in 1998, and was inducted into the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1998.