Sever L. Eubank Papers

Dr. Sever Eubank, hailing from Mississippi, became Chair of the Social Science Division at Black Hills State College at the onset of the 1962-1963 school year, and served as chair until 1985 when he retired. A delegate to the South Dakota Democratic Convention in the 1960´s, Eubank became Chairman of the state Democratic Platform Committee in 1968. In April of 1967, Dr. Eubank ran against the Extension Director, Don Young, in the Spearfish mayoral race and lost. However, he later served on the City Council with Don Young as mayor. When the Commissioner of Higher Education proposed limiting the scope of Black Hills State College´s programs to training teachers and junior college curricula, Dr. Sever Eubank backed this proposal. In 1976, still chairman of the Social Science Division, became curator of the Case (Special Collections) Library. In 1984, Eubank earned the title, “Lawrence County Democrat of the Year.” A member of many local and regional historical societies, he was also president of the South Dakota Social Science Association. Eubank was also very involved in the community and was president of the Spearfish Chamber of Commerce Board and president of the Lion´s Club. Dr. Sever Eubank died in February 2007, at the age of 85. Friends and former co-workers remember him as a “fine southern gentleman.”