Haver Family Plants Seeds of Opportunity

Dashel Spurrell has dreamed of working as a farmer for as long as he can remember, dating back to his childhood days of pushing toy tractors across the floor and harvesting imaginary fields in the carpet.

Having grown up on his family’s farm outside of Irene, South Dakota, Dashel hails from small-town roots, attending a high school of just a couple hundred students. While attending college to study agriculture was on his radar, he felt that pursuing a higher education might not be feasible, both in terms of finances and in stepping outside his comfort zone.

That all changed when Dashel was awarded the Elma and Dolores Haver Scholarship from the Haver Foundation.

One scholarship recipient from the Irene/Wakonda area is selected each year to receive a full-ride scholarship, inspired by the legacy of two women with strong connections to education and to agriculture.

Born in the same year SDSU was founded, Elma Haver was a trailblazer in her own right, attending college in a time when the vast majority of women did not. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree, followed by a Master of Didactics degree, from the Northern University of Iowa at Cedar Falls in 1900. Elma began teaching in country schools near Mt. Pleasant following her graduation, but was forced to put aside her position when she married Harry Haver in 1907; at the time, married women were not permitted to teach or supplement a home with a second income.

Years later, Elma’s daughter-in-law, Dolores, had many of the same attributes, harboring a shared lifelong belief in the power of education. Dolores was born in 1918 and truly recognized the importance of learning when her parents enrolled her in Mount Marty High School in 1932 – her father, Joe, sold his best team of horses to fund her tuition. Dolores followed in Elma’s footsteps by becoming a teacher, as well, though thankfully, the shifts in society allowed her to stick with her passions and make a career of teaching. She and her husband settled on a farm near Wakonda and remained there for 52 years.

It was there that the Haver family would forge an unshakable bond with the local community and school district, and it was there that Dashel would find his saving grace for college decades later.

The Haver matriarchs ardently believed that everyone should “have the opportunity to enjoy the pursuit of learning with as few constraints as possible.”

Dashel is the epitome of that belief as the first recipient of the Elma and Dolores Haver Scholarship, with the Haver Foundation ensuring that he has the chance to study agriculture at SDSU. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for Dashel, who hopes to learn cutting-edge knowledge in the field at State, then return to his family farm to apply his degree.

SDSU’s impressive reputation for its agriculture program was what drew Dashel to the university, though he admits it was overwhelming when he first arrived. Transitioning from a small town with a population of 800 to a school of more than 11,000 was a huge cultural shock, and Dashel credits the scholarship opportunity as his motivating factor to give SDSU a chance.

“This scholarship has impacted my life tremendously, probably more than I can even imagine at this point. So much worry and stress are all taken care of, and honestly, I do not think I would still be attending SDSU without it. My life is forever changed,” reflected Dashel.

As an Agricultural Systems Technology major, the premier farming strategies and innovations taking place at State were another major factor in helping Dashel brave what felt like a grand metropolis of a university. Looking back on his freshman year, he describes being eager to dive into the academics of SDSU and gain new insight that he’ll utilize in a lifelong career of farming.

“This scholarship has allowed me to pursue some of the best technology in farming to date,” said Dashel. “The agricultural world is moving fast with technological improvements, and for me to have this opportunity and to apply it to my farm is awesome.”

Dashel hasn’t only grown in terms of financial security or agricultural know-how. His overall Jackrabbit experience has bolstered his social skills and encouraged him to step outside his comfort zone. He’s joined an intramural volleyball team, made new friends in the classroom, and hopes to join intramural basketball in the future.

After his first year at SDSU, Dashel’s managed to make the most of his collegiate journey, free from financial burdens, just as the Haver family intended.

Looking back on the moment he learned he’d been awarded a full scholarship to SDSU, Dashel found it hard to put his reaction into words.

“I also think about all the student loans many people pay for years, and I don't have to worry about a thing. It has made a huge impact, and to this day, I still can't believe it.”

Inspired by their line of trailblazing women who doggedly pursued an education and made agriculture their way of life, the Haver Foundation made it their mission to increase access to college for anyone wishing to learn. Decades after Elma and Dolores fought to earn their place in the classroom, their descendants found a way to even the playing field for future students – and the family’s philanthropy has already made one Jackrabbit’s dream come true.