The University of SouthDakota wants students, alum-ni and the university commu-nity to “Join the REDVOLU-TION” for Dakota Days 2010.The REDVOLUTION, thisyear’s Dakota Days theme, is aplay-on-words describing theevolution of USD’s curriculumand campus to Division I inacademics and athletics.

The Dakota Days commit-tee invites students, faculty,staff and the community to bea part of the movement andbecome more involved withthe university and the Vermil-lion community.There will becompetitions throughout theweek for faculty, staff and thecommunity to show theirschool spirit and participate inthe REDVOLUTION.

The parade marshal for the2010 parade, at 10 a.m. onSaturday, Oct. 2 on MainStreet in Vermillion, is United

States Senator John Thune, R-SD.Thune was born andraised in Murdo, and devel-oped an interest in publicservice at an early age. Hereceived his graduate degreein Business Administrationfrom USD in 1984 and hasserved in both the UnitedStates House of Representa-tives and the United StatesSenate since 1996.Thune andhis wife, Kimberley live inSioux Falls, and have twodaughters, Brittany and Laris-sa. Brittany is a college gradu-ate and Larissa is a collegejunior.

Dakota Days week beginswith a kick-off concert onMonday, Sept. 27 by The SpillCanvas with opening actREZA. Other highlights forthe week include Coronationand a Pep Rally at 7 p.m. onTuesday, Sept. 28; Prairiefestat 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept.

30, and presentation of the AlNeuharth Excellence in theMedia Award at 7 p.m. at theWayne S. Knutson Theatre;women’s volleyball vs. UtahValley at 7 p.m. on Thursday,Sept. 30; the All Alumni Din-ner and Award Presentationsat 5 p.m., and the D-DaysDowntown Bash at 10 p.m. onFriday, Oct. 1 with a live per-formance by Avian Sunrise;and the 96th annual Dakota

Days parade and the home-coming football game at 2 p.m.against the University ofNorth Dakota on Saturday,Oct. 2.

For a complete list of Dako-ta Days events, includingevent and activity sponsors,please visitwww.usd.edu/dakotadays orcontact the committee atdakotadays@usd.edu.

www.plaintalk.net LOCAL NEWS Vermillion Plain Talk • September 17 • 2010 • 3A

Vermillion School District has the following open positions

for the 2010-2011 school year:� Special Education, Educational Assistant — full time position, working one on one with student at Jolley Elementary. Any questions, please contact Marianne Upward at 677-7025 regarding this position.

� Assistant Gymnastics Coach — Any questions regarding this position, please contact Jason Huska at 677-7035.

� Positions are open until filled.

Call for required district application form and send materials to:

Cindy KnudsenAdministrative Office

17 Prospect StreetVermillion, SD 57069

605-677-7000Application can also be found on the school district’s website

at: www.vermillion.k12.sd.usIf you are completing application on the website you “MUST”

print the application out and mail to the address above.E.O.E.

The family of Carol Hubert would like to express

our sincere appreciation for all of the cards,

flowers, food, and monetary donations to Sanford

Hospice, in honor of our Mother. We would like to

especially thank Dr.William Dendinger and his

staff at the Vermillion Medical Clinic, the staff at

Sanford Vermillion Hospital, and the unique and

compassionate Sanford Hospice ladies.You have

helped us all through the difficult journey of losing

out Mother, and we will be forever grateful.

The Hubert Family

Thank You...

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BY TRAVIS GULBRANDSONtravis.gulbrandson@yankton.net

VERMILLION — ForAndrea Cooper and her hus-band Mike, New Year’s Eve1995 can only be described as“absolute horror.”

The Colorado residents hadjust returned from a partywhen they discovered their onlychild, Kristin, dead. The 20-year-old had committed suicide.

As part of National SuicidePrevention Week, Andrea Coop-er shared her daughter’s storyat noon Thursday at the AlNeuharth Media Center, and at7 p.m. at the Muenster Univer-sity Center Ballroom at theUniversity of South Dakota.

USD’s observance of Nation-al Suicide Prevention Week willculminate with the fourthannual Nikki’s Fund 5KRun/Walk at Prentis Park onSaturday, Sept. 11.

Cooper said she had onebasic message for those who arethinking about committing sui-cide.

“Please go talk to a coun-selor. ... I really think that torecover from a trauma of anykind, you need to talk it out,”she said during the noon pres-entation.

At the time of her death,Kristin was a sophomore at aKansas college and visiting herparents over winter break.

“She appeared to be really,really happy,” Cooper said.

Kristin said she planned toleave for a party at about 10p.m., and her parents left for aparty of their own at 7:30.

“I just told her good-bye,”Cooper said. “It was just a nor-mal good-bye. Sadly, we didn’thave that custom that somefamilies have of always saying,‘I love you.’ If you don’t do that,I would really recommend you

adopt that tradition, becauseyou don’t know when the lasttime is you’re going to see some-body.”

At 8 p.m., Cooper calledKristin and spoke to her onefinal time.

“I said, ‘Kristin, when yougo out, take my cell phone,’”Cooper said. “She said, ‘Oh,mom, I’ll be fine.’ And those arethe last words I ever heard hersay.”

When the Coopers returnedhome at 2 a.m., Kristin’s carwas still parked outside theirhouse. Andrea found her lyingon the floor in the family room,with music playing.

“She looked very comfort-able, like she was sound asleep,”Cooper said.

Then she noticed her daugh-ter wasn’t breathing.

“Then I walked all the wayover to her to feel for the pulsein her neck, and she had nopulse, and (I saw) that she hada gun in her hand,” Cooper said.

On a previous visit home,Cooper said her daughter wasupset over having broken upwith a boyfriend. While this wastrue, police discovered some-thing else when they inspectedKristin’s diary.

That August, Kristin wasraped at a party, and she wasalso battling depression.

Cooper said that one-thirdof women who are sexuallyassaulted contemplate suicide.

“Had Kristin been more sta-ble psychologically, she proba-bly would have survived therape and the boyfriend break-up,” she said.

After their daughter’s death,the Coopers underwent intensecounseling.

“You can really torture your-self,” Andrea said. “As a par-ent, you think if your childchooses to end their life, that

you did something wrong.That’s really hard to get over.”

One thing Mike Cooperstruggled with was the fact thathis daughter committed sui-cide with a handgun he pur-chased.

“He had it so well hidden,”Andrea said. “It was in a lockedbox in the top of our closet.Kristin was shorter than (5-foot-6), so she would have hadto spend a lot of time climbingon something, looking around.

“The key was in the box with25 other keys. The keys werenot marked. He didn’t evenhave the real key for it. He justhad a key that you could jimmy.So she had spent a lot of timethinking about this.”

In Kristin’s diary, investiga-tors discovered a three-pagesuicide note written in Octo-ber.

“I think she had been plan-ning to do it then, but she wasonly home for a short weekendbecause of a snowstorm, so shedidn’t have the chance,” Coop-er said.

She also gave some adviceon how to help someone if theyadmit to having been sexuallyassaulted or suicidal.

“Don’t question. Just listen,”she said. “The mistake thatmost people make is they startasking too many questions. …The best thing to do is just say,‘You tell me what you want totell me, what you feel liketelling me.’”

However, Cooper did saythat if someone admits to beingsuicidal, action must be taken.

Kristin herself even told oneof her sorority sisters beforeChristmas of her plan to killherself.

“That sister told no one,”Cooper said. “She’s still so upsetI cannot ask her why, becauseshe’s still so tortured by that.But I think she was afraid shewould get Kristin mad. ...

“Don’t worry about makingthem mad. I tell students,‘Would you rather have a madfriend or a dead friend?’”

For more information, visitwww.kristinsstory.com.

Daughter’s Suicide Story Shared With Students

DAVID LIAS/VERMILLION PLAIN TALKAndrea Cooper shares the story of her daughter Kristin’s suicideduring a presentation in the Al Neuharth Media Center at theUniversity of South Dakota on Thursday. Cooper appeared as partof National Suicide Prevention Week.

Vermillion High School Class of 1960 held reunion August 13 & 14.Pictured are: (left to right) LeMars Versteeg, Linda Glass Walz,Denna Cleland Massey, Dan Johnson, Jerry Walz (right behindDave) Karen Hughes Gibbs, Ramona Ruellae Bye, Denny Claussee,Delores Towne Versteeg, Mary Beth March Robell, Karen Nelson,Karen Rabusch Pekas, Karen Stedronsky Page, Arlene ManningOlson, Richard Johnson, Doreen Swenson Blackburn, RobertFullerkamp, James Danielson, Jane Heckenlively Langworthy,Kenneth Wastlund, Ida Marie Norton Snorteland, Robert Beruston,Karen Nygaard Warner, Linda Piersol Lillibridge, and KennethBergren. Our teacher, Don Rasmussen (91) is seated in the front.Not pictured is Elizabeth Merrigan, Kathy Mitchell Weisz andDennis Weisz. Very good attendance; a great time was had by all!

VHS CLASS OF 1960s

Dakota Days 2010 at USD: Join the REDVOLUTION

The Centerville Communi-ty Arts Council, Inc, is pleasedto present the musical comedy‘Nunsense’ Oct. 7, 9, and 10 inthe Centerville School GoldGym, Centerville.

The Little Sisters of Hobo-ken have gathered to put on abenefit to raise money to burysome of the sisters who wereaccidentally poisoned by theconvent cook, Sister Julia(Child of God). Cast membersinclude Sister Mary Regina(Gail Palmer), the model Moth-er Superior; Sister MaryHubert, Mistress of Novices(Jacquelynn Skotvold), digni-fied, yet ready to kick up herheels; Sister Robert Anne(Vonni Knutson), a streetwisenun with a heart of gold; Sis-ter Mary Amnesia (DeidraRahn) has forgotten her namesince a crucifix fell on her head;and Sister Mary Leo (CandyBennett), the nun ballerina.These talented women havebeen rehearsing since July to

entertain you. “Nunsense,” amusical comedy, is filled withjokes and music sure to makeyou laugh.

Performances will be Thurs-day, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct.9 at 7:30 p.m.and Sunday Oct.10 at 2 p.m. in the Gold Gym.Tickets are $8 for adults and$5 for students and may bepurchased at the door.A dinnertheatre performance is set forSaturday, Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m.Ham and cheesy potatoes din-ner will be served, along withAngel Food and Devil’s Foodcake for dessert. Tickets forthe dinner theatre are $15 andmust be purchased by Oct. 1.Tickets will be available at theCenterville Library and FirstMidwest Bank.

“Nunsense”book,music andlyrics by Dan Goggin, is pre-sented with special arrange-ment with Samuel French, Inc.and with support from theCenterville Rotary.

Centerville Arts Councilto present ‘Nunsense’

Quilters from Vermil-lion and area are spon-soring a Quilt Show withthe opening day sched-uled for Sept. 18 at theW. H. Over Museum inVermillion. The hourswill be from 11 a.m. until4 p.m.

An opening day quilt-ing demonstrations willbe held. Vendors will bepresent.

A quilt made duringthe Civil War made by a

gentleman will be a fea-tured quilt loaned by theClay County HistoricalSociety for the show.

The show will runthru the Sept. 25. Hoursopen during that timewill be 1 to 4 p.m.

Donations of $2 aresuggested.

Additional quilts fromthe community may beadded. Cal Ann (605)624-3548 for more infor-mation.

Quilt show begins Sept. 18

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