Six graduates of South Dakota State University representing five different decades and four states were honored as Distinguished Alumni by the SDSU Alumni Association at the Legends and Leaders banquet on Hobo Day Eve, Oct. 28.
They were:
Darrel Bjornson ’67, Goodyear, Arizona
Linda Daugaard ’75, Garretson
Jean Hunhoff ’76, Yankton
Kevin Moe ’88, Sioux Falls
Robert Streeter ’63, Fort Collins, Colorado
Michael Torrence ’00/M.S. ’01, Cookeville, Tennessee.
Bjornson, a pharmacy graduate, was an award-winning clinical research pharmacist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., before finishing his career as a pharmacy faculty member at Drake University.
Born in Litchfield, Minnesota, Bjornson started school in a one-room school in rural Dassel, Minnesota, and graduated from Granite Falls High School before enrolling in the five-year pharmacy program at what was then South Dakota State College.
Bjornson served 24 years in the U.S. Army, initially as a medical service corps officer. When he retired in November 1992, he was doing HIV research at Walter Reed, a 1,000-bed hospital.
Daugaard earned a degree in physical education and gained a teaching certificate. She spent much of her career as a school librarian and distinguished herself as South Dakota’s first lady from 2011 to 2019.
As first lady, she was an advocate for children and families. She traveled the state to promote reading to third, fourth and fifth graders and facilitated a statewide book exchange. During her eight years in Pierre, she visited 313 schools and 22 libraries, reading to more than 28,000 children.
She chaired the Governor’s Infant Mortality Task Force and shared the results by promoting safe sleeping environments for babies. 
Hunhoff, a nursing graduate, had a 33-year career at Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton and Avera@Home. She served in a variety of patient care positions including hospital and nursing administration as well as being a leader in the home care/hospice field. She also has served in the state Legislature since 2001 and is a former mayor of Yankton.
Hunhoff first got involved in politics in 1991, when she was elected to the Yankton City Commission. She served four years before a two-year term as mayor (1995-97). In 2001, she was elected to represent District 18 in the state House. She has represented District 18 ever since in the state House (2001-07, 2016-2020) and state Senate (2007-15, 2021-present).
Moe earned degrees in computer science and mathematics. During his 28-year career at IBM, he was heavily involved in employee recruiting and also served on SDSU advisory boards. He continues in those roles in his present job with KBR, which is the primary contractor supporting EROS Data Center.
Lew Brown ’84, former dean of the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, called Moe “one of the most engaged alumni I have ever met.”
During his time at IBM, he volunteered to be the campus recruiting manager for SDSU. “For many years, Kevin drove to Brookings twice a year … to recruit at our engineering career fairs. He has an uncanny eye for finding talented students, and IBM greatly benefitted from his years of recruiting and volunteer mentoring,” Brown said.
Streeter, a wildlife management major, had a 30-plus year career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Ducks Unlimited, where he distinguished himself in wetlands conservation. He also served in the U.S. Air Force, held faculty appointments at Texas A&M and Colorado State universities and was appointed to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission.
Among his career highlights was serving as assistant director for refuges and wildlife with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington, D.C. He testified before congressional committees on budget and policy questions and guided major growth of the National Wildlife Refuge System in 1995-98.
The Madison native earned graduate degrees at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and Colorado State University, where he did research on bighorn sheep.
Torrence, who came to State after serving in the military, played basketball for the Jackrabbits and earned degrees in English. He became a college faculty member, went into academic administration and in May 2018 became president of Motlow State Community College in Tennessee.
In 2019, he was awarded the Inclusive Leader Award presented by GlobalMindEd. The award recognizes a higher education leader for their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Additionally, Torrence received a Phi Theta Kappa Paragon Award for New Presidents. The award is presented to up to 25 new college presidents who have demonstrated strong support of student success by recognizing academic achievement, leadership and service.
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Torrence spent four years in the U.S. Air Force before arriving at SDSU in 1996. He played guard for Coach Scott Nagy, averaging 3.2 points in a reserve role in his 1998-99 senior season.
Dave Graves
