Eminent Homemaker
County: Fall River
Mary "Maizie" Homelvig, Oral, takes pride in being a modern woman and a genuine homemaker. She grew up in a complete family circle where she never doubted her personal value within the family and she passed that heritage of love to her four children: Kathy Jass, Rapid City, Mike Homelvig, Hot Springs and Susan Jorgenson and Pat Homelvig, both of Denver, Colorado.
As she grew up in the Hot Springs area, she developed an in-born commitment to give of herself and to be active within the community. That unspoken pledge has led her to unrelentless community service. She was a 10-year volunteer 4-H leader, a member of the Futures of South Dakota Task Force under the direction of then Gov. Richard Kneip and the first woman Fall River County Commissioner. She was the first Democrat to be elected in 30 years, where she served from 1978-82. Homelvig's husband, Clifford, is now on the commission. They both know what it means to serve.
She has volunteered her time and talents to St. John's Lutheran Church, the Angostura Homesteaders Extension homemakers club, the Angostura Irrigation District, Hot Springs School Board, Business and Professional Women's Club, Fall River County Democrats, Western Junior Home Economics Show, County Extension Homemakers Council, Hot Springs Centennial, County Extension Board, Senior Citizens, Northeast Fall River Historical Society, South Dakota Women's Caucus, VFW and American Legion Auxiliaries and the Royal Neighbors of America.
She has worked on the staff of the Hot Springs Star, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Black Hills Ordnance Depot and currently is the administrative assistant for the Hot Springs West River Mental Health Center.
She considers the honor of Eminent Homemaker to be an ultimate tribute to the art of homemaking. She said, "I am a woman's libber in some ways. Women need freedom. Women need their rights and deserve equal pay and equal treatment. Women are as good as men; we can do everything a man can do and more--we can have children. I have been blessed with the love of family and the freedom to go beyond the family to the community at-large. I have a responsibility to use that blessing to the best of my abilities."