2024 Catalyst Club Good Neighors host 42nd annual banquet

   The Catalyst Club will hold their 42nd annual “Good Neighbor” Banquet at 1:00 pm on Sunday, September 22nd at the Wall Community Center. The Catalyst Club originated in 1981 when Lyndell Peterson and Elnoris Kjerstad were fixing fence and having a discussion about their many good neighbors and how there should be a way of recognizing them for their good deeds.  That discussion led to the formation of the Catalyst Club whose sole purpose has been to nominate and select good neighbors each year and honor them with a banquet.   

This year three individuals and two couples will be honored. The 2024 honorees are Tim Raba of New Underwood, Alan VanBochove of Rapid City, Dr. Jeff Olson of Rapid City, Philip and Mary Kay Wilson of Elm Springs, and Jim and Arletta Schuh of Rapid City.  Honorees selected have demonstrated the qualities of being exceptionally good neighbors; those people who are always there to lend a helping hand when needed through volunteer work, community service, and just being a kind and helpful person to those who live and work around them.

   Tim Raba was nominated by Ardyce Elwood who described Tim as a very active member of the New Underwood community who pitches in to help everyone around him. Tim has been a member of the New Underwood Lion’s Club for many years and participates in all of their projects. This includes building garden boxes around the community center and benches at Sunny Haven, and selling tickets for school and rodeo events. Another project he is involved with is the collecting of eyeglasses to be provided to needy individuals. 

In 2005 Tim volunteered to be the overseer of the New Underwood Cemetery. His duties include mowing the grass and keeping the grounds looking clean and neat. He also sells lots and marks the grave sites and takes care of the registrations. As head of the New Underwood Cemetery he has taken on the task of making arrangements to add names to the Veteran’s Wall.

Tim is presently the president of the New Underwood Alumni Association. He is in charge of planning and carrying out the biennial all-school reunion. He assists in the selection and presentation of the alumni scholarships to be awarded to deserving students.

Tim has also served on the fire district of the New Underwood board of directors for 4 terms.

Tim started his own diesel equipment repair business and constructed a shop close to his home south of New Underwood He also does repair to air conditioning in the equipment and travels around doing repair work when needed.

Tim is married to Sharon and has a daughter, Amie Williams

   Alan VanBochove was nominated by Patty Brunner. In her own words Patty said it was an honor to nominate Alan because of his consistency in being a helpful, dedicated and positive person and citizen. She and Alan were co-leaders of the Shamrock Riders 4 –H Club for several years and during that time Patty said he could be counted on for being present and doing more than his share for monthly meetings, special outings, work nights, and for the one day horse camp their club sponsored. This camp took lots of planning and coordination.  When Patty’s husband suddenly passed away in 2011, Alan was one of the first to help with the manual labor of hauling and stacking hay on more than one occasion. Alan exemplifies a good citizen and a good neighbor. He is always ready to do his part and then some. He is organized and is a good mentor for youth and adults alike. He has demonstrated throughout his whole life on how to be a good neighbor. When growing up he was always willing to help out the neighbors whenever they needed it; unloading hay, rounding up livestock that got out, and during harvest time.

Alan is a long-time member of Calvary Lutheran Church. He has been a youth group chaperone. Alan and his family gathered donations from community businesses and went on a one week long medical mission trip to Haiti in 2015.  

As a journey lineman Alan has excelled to the level as a line superintendent with Black Hills Energy where he has played a significant role and has had responsibility of Rapid City neighborhoods having minimal power interruptions. He has served on the Rapid City Electric Board. He supported community events through Black Hills Energy, including Walk for Warms, Touch a Truck, Home weatherization, the Power of Trees and the Black Hills Home Show. 

Alan has been and continues to be involved in a number of volunteer service organizations. He was heavily involved in 4-H as a youth and this led him to be a 4-H leader in Pennington County. He was also secretary for the Pennington County 4-H and the Pennington County Extension Advisory Board. He assisted with 4-H camp. He was president for multiple terms of the water association of his housing development. He is a member of Back Country Horsemen; He was a Ring Steward for the Black Hills Quarter Horse Summer Circuit for many years. He is a past and current president of the Rapid City Quarter Horse Association. He is a member of the Custer Trail Riders. He is also a soccer coach for 4th & 5th grade and a basketball referee when needed. 

Alan is married to Lorie. He has two chilidren, Breanna and Adam.

   Dr. Jeff Olson was nominated by Linda Eisenbraun who said she nominated Dr. Olson “because he has saved a huge number of people’s lives by digging water wells in Africa, and he has started and continues to support numerous organizations that provide food and support for his fellow South Dakotans.” Dr. Olson has devoted much time and effort to help the needy. When visiting the remote villages of Mozambique he was amazed to learn that 60 percent of children died before they were one year old. Adults and children often lost their lives to dangerous animals. Getting access to food and water was a challenge. Taking note of these challenges prompted the Mozambique well project. For this project Dr. Olson helped cut roads in the jungle in order to get medications and other supplies to the remote villages. He also helped build schools in the area, and provided dental services to the residents. He said one of the easier projects was putting in a well as all they had to do was pump water from the Zambezi River to a well. Villagers often were attacked and killed by hippos and crocodiles when going to the river to get water. Dr. Olson said they solved that problem by simply moving the water source away from the river.

Dr. Olson is very active in a variety of community organizations.

1. He is active with the Newman Center at the School of Mines where he helps fund their missionaries on campus.

2. He helps at the ST. Francis Mission Dental Clinic on the Rosebud Indian Reservation to provide free dentistry to the residents. Their office there treats Medicaid and Medicare patients. Dr. Olson received the humanitarian of the year award from the SD state board of dentistry.

3. Dr. Olson is the chair of the SD Sportsmen Against Hunger Program. He founded this program 21 years ago. This program just hit a milestone of providing over 4million meals to those in need in South Dakota. Dr. Olson also serves on the Black Hills Sportsmen Club and the Black Hills Fly Fishers board of directors and currently works as the program chair for both organizations. Both groups raise funds for conservation programs. He currently has two kids he mentors in the SD Youth Hunting Adventures program. As a past commissioner with SD Game Fish and Parks, he sits on a number of working groups that represent sportsmen and landowners on differing issues. He is also on the South Dakota Wildlife Federation Board of Directors of which the primary role is dealing with legislation that affects sportsmen and landowners in Pierre. Dr. Olson said of his nomination that it is an honor to be nominated and he really enjoys giving back to the community.

Dr. Olson is married to Lynette. Their children are Avery and Jack

   Philip and Mary Wilson were nominated by Alma Crosbie who stated: “Philip and Mary Kay Wilson have always made themselves available with their time and talents. They are always willing to help their neighbors or anyone who is in need.”

Philip has served as a Eucharistic minister at St. Margaret’s Catholic Church, served on the church counsel, been on the finance committee, and helped maintain the building and grounds.  Mary Kay has played the organ at First Lutheran Church in Wall and St. Margaret’s for 32 years. 

 Besides Sunday services and choir, she has played for many funerals and weddings as well as accompanied soloists for special occasions. She taught weekday school for many years too. Philip and Mary Kay were members of the Jaycee’s and Jaycette’s in Wall when the organizations were active. They were both 4H leaders for the Elm Springs Ranchers club with Mary Kay finishing after 24 years.

Philip has served on the Elk Creek Conservation Board for 38 years, 12 as chairman. He has been elected to the state board and is now serving his second term representing the Hills Area Conservation districts.

Mary Kay served on the Wall Ambulance Service for 12 years, part of the time in charge of employee scheduling. Eighteen summers were spent at the Wasta Information Center helping anyone who needed questions answered. For six years she taught music at several of the rural elementary schools in the area. 

Philip is a member of the Elm Springs Fire Department currently serving as secretary. He feels it is important to share his knowledge, and he helped build the new fire hall in 2003. He is also on the Smithville Township Board of Directors and helped with the remodeling of the Children’s Chapel for the Elm Springs Church. He loves handyman work and has helped with different projects with neighbors on their homes and out buildings. Philip especially likes it when younger members of the community call and ask for advice on different projects. He feels it is important to share his knowledge with them and learn new info from them. 

Mary Kay has served on the Elm Springs Hall Board as treasurer and was involved with the extensive remodeling project which helped save the building. She also volunteered with the FCCLA organization and gymnastics program when needed in the years she was available. Alma summed up her nomination of Philip and Mary Kay: “They are friendly, helpful and kind to whomever they meet. They have lived in the same community all their married life, and consider themselves blessed to have so many good neighbors.”

Children of Philip and Mary Kay: Amy, Beth, Patrick, and Pam

   Jim and Areletta Schuh were nominated by Gloria Gunn

Gloria explained :”Jim and Arletta Schuh’s lives are dedicated not only to God, but to their family and friends and to anyone in need of help. Even with occasional health issues, they have continued to do what is needed. They spend countless hours giving to the greater good with grace and happy hearts. They are true role models for all of us.’’

Jim and Arletta are very active in their church. Jim builds faith chests which are given to infants when they are baptized. They serve on committees (currently the finance committee).They act as substitute greeters and communion servers, along with helping with funeral lunches and singing in the choir.  

For community service activities, Jim organized a men’s weekly breakfast group and Arletta organized a monthly retirement medical group gathering. Both have provided socks and gloves to the homeless. The Schuh’s are members of the Cosmopolitan Club in which they are very active. They are Summit Arena Activity Coordinators. They volunteer for other Cosmopolitan activities such as Rush Hockey,Theatre, Marshall’s Indoor Football and Summer Nights. Arletta sends out sympathy, birthday, and get-well cards to Cosmo members. Jim and Arletta also volunteer at Chapel in the Hills in the summer, greeting the tourists and working in the store. In addition to all the community service they provide, they make time to care for their neighbor’s homes when they are gone, provide rides to elderly friends, and shovel sidewalks. For years the Schuh’s  have sponsored two needy children . Currently they sponsor one in Ethiopia and another in India

Jim Schuh was a well regarded 6th grade teacher and later an elementary principal in the Rapid City School District.

Arletta Schuh was a dedicated clinical nurse in internal medicine. She still provides support to family and friends in need of help.

Their children are Tori Doehing, Traci Carson, and Tim Schuh.