Fayette native Dr. Robert T. “Tad” Perry is among 10 new inductees into the South Dakota Hall of Fame. 

The Class of 2022 will be celebrated across the state in the coming months. These inductees will join over 700 South Dakotans already enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame’s mission is to “Champion a Culture of Excellence” and is built upon the recognition, celebration, and preservation of the stories of South Dakotans instrumental in establishing that culture.

Perry graduated from Fayette High School in 1961 and Central Methodist College in 1965. He served as Chair of the CMU Board of Curators from 2014 until 2021. 

Perry retired as executive director of the South Dakota Higher Education Board of Regents. Prior to that, he was assistant provost and a longtime political science professor at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Perry was the guest speaker for last year’s Central Methodist commencement ceremony.

Perry’s career in higher education lasted nearly 40 years. When he retired as executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents in 2009, his 15 years of service made him the longest-serving state higher education executive officer in the nation. To this day, his service is the longest of any South Dakota chief executive in the Regents’ history. His priority, whether as a public servant, elected official or community volunteer, is to create new opportunities that keep young people in South Dakota. Evidence of Perry's impact on South Dakota’s higher education is found anywhere one turns on a university campus today. However, the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship will serve as one of his most visible and enduring legacies.

Other inductees to the 2022 South Dakota Hall of Fame class include Randell Beck (Professional), Dennis Daugaard (Political), Paul Gnirk (Business), Charles Hart (Medical), Shantel Krebs (Political), Grace Martin Highley (Professional), Ronald Reed (Education), Mark Shlanta (Business), and Beverly Stabber Warne (Medical).

The Class of 2022 will be celebrated across the state of South Dakota in the coming months.