Garrys Pay It Forward for Jackrabbit Nation

Emotion fills Jerome Garry’s voice as he reflects on his football days at SDSU.

“I formed lifelong friendships,” said the retired high school football coach. “When you play at the college level, you spend so much time together working out, practicing, and traveling to games, that your teammates become your family.”

It’s a family that Jerome and his wife, Elaine, remain in close contact with 45 years later. For decades, his teammate, Virg Polak, organized annual reunions for the “Players of the ‘70s.” Teammate Dana Dykhouse made sure everyone had game tickets.

The Garrys say the connection has enhanced retirement. “Most of us returned to South Dakota at retirement,” Jerome said. “SDSU is this common link that connects us.”

The couple met in Mathews Hall as freshmen. It wasn’t until Elaine’s summer internship in Sioux Falls and living in Jerome’s hometown of Garretson that they reconnected while playing softball. Jerome and Elaine married in 1979, weeks after graduation.

Elaine grew up on a farm near Revillo. Both came from large families and were raised by parents who valued education, but lacked the means to help cover tuition. Elaine and Jerome were able to assist their four children with college; the Garrys retired at 62.

“We both feel very blessed with our lives, our family, our careers. We talk about the fact that, had we not gotten our education at SDSU, our success and feeling of being blessed in retirement – we just would not have that today,” Elaine said. “This is the reason we chose to fund endowments.”

The Garrys established an estate gift to fund scholarships for students in football, civil engineering, biology, and chemistry. A portion of their gift goes to fund lab equipment in civil engineering.

The Garrys’ gift is from a testamentary charitable remainder unitrust. After they pass, their estate gift benefits their children, SDSU, and a few additional charities.

Careers that build others up

Elaine, a civil engineering graduate, credits her high school calculus teacher for her college degree. “I was one of four girls in the class, and our teacher really encouraged us all to go into civil engineering. Three of us did,” Elaine said.

When the women from Grant Deuel High School reached SDSU, they were three of only four women enrolled in freshman civil engineering classes. Elaine had a diverse career, beginning as a transportation engineer for the City of Sioux Falls, then into a management role with Sioux Valley Energy Cooperative in Colman. She retired in 2019 after more than a decade as President and CEO of People’s Energy Cooperative Services in Rochester, Minnesota.

“Management allowed me to do what I call, ‘growing people.’ Hiring them and moving them from one level to the next. … I found it very rewarding,” Elaine said. “One of my missions was to help women along.”

Jerome graduated with a biology degree and a desire to coach. “I was a better coach because I lived it, and I knew what it takes to be successful,” said Jerome, who coached Madison High School track and field athletes to 12 state championships.

Jerome began at O’Gorman High School in Sioux Falls. In 1987, Jerome became head football coach in Madison. Asked to teach chemistry, he pursued a master’s in chemistry at SDSU.

“He got his master’s, and, when he was done, I got mine,” Elaine said. “We have been good about sharing our lives and taking turns with our careers.” After retirement, they settled in Madison.

In January 2024, the Garrys joined college friends in Frisco, Texas, for the FCS National Championship. It was an emotional event for Jerome.

“As a former athlete, when I step foot in a football stadium, whether it is the Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium at SDSU or the stadium in Frisco, I still feel a part of Jackrabbit Football,” Jerome said. “Giving to future athletes makes me feel good because I am grateful for the opportunity I had, and I hope this scholarship helps other athletes have a similar opportunity.”