Alumnus Bernie Hunhoff celebrates 40 years of storytelling in the "South Dakota Magazine"

Alumnus Bernie Hunhoff '74 has always had a love for a superb story and has accomplished much since graduating from Mount Marty, including creating the "South Dakota Magazine," which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

Hunhoff grew up on a family farm just north of Yankton that has been part of the Hunhoff family since 1883. Hunhoff and his brothers were exposed to writing and the value of a good story from a young age, as their mother was a writer and a poet, and their father liked to read. Hunhoff said their house always had magazines, newspapers and books to look at, and his mother would even let them skip household chores from time to time if they agreed to read a book. "We're proud that the seventh generation of Hunhoffs is there today on the same farm and scattered all around Yankton County," said Hunhoff. 

When it came time to get a college education, Hunhoff found his way to Mount Marty for a degree in both communications and journalism. "Even then, Mount Marty had strong English and arts departments," said Hunhoff. He mentioned learning photography from John Day, writing from Larry Hoyle and Donna Henseler, and media from Dick Reddy. "Sister Ann Kessler was also a mentor for me in politics and government. All of the sisters were quiet but powerful mentors and advisors for us." During his time at Mount Marty, Hunhoff became active with the college Democrats club as he was excited for George McGovern, a South Dakota native, to run for president in 1972. "McGovern was a champion of the small family farms, so I liked him right from the start," said Hunhoff. "He was a close friend of Sister Ann and other sisters, so we really felt like we were part of the movement that McGovern inspired." Hunhoff was also involved in the school newspaper titled "The Moderator," which was published weekly. "We even tangled a bit over journalistic freedom with Sister Evangeline Anderson, the wonderful college president from the 1950s to the 1970s. Today, I wonder if she didn't try to gently 'censor' us just to give us a lesson in independence. She was a wise and wonderful woman." Overall, Hunhoff said he had nothing but fond memories of his college years, where he was able to make lifelong friends, gain valuable skills in journalism, and be surrounded by great role models.

Following graduation, Hunhoff ventured to Washington, D.C., to work for U.S. Representative Frank Denholm. It would happen that one of Hunhoff's work tasks would be escorting many South Dakota visitors to the office of his favorite democratic presidential nominee from his college years, McGovern, who was a U.S. senator at the time. Hunhoff said McGovern reminded him of home while he was deep in the Washington political scene. "He was a preacher's son from Avon, a small-town guy who dearly loved the farmers and ranchers," explained Hunhoff. "Looking back today, he seemed to have what I now see as the servant heart of the Benedictines. He was more like the people I grew up with." Unfortunately, Denholm lost his election, so Hunhoff returned home and worked for the daily newspapers in Watertown and Madison. From there, Hunhoff accepted a position where he promoted the idea of a four-year medical school at the University of South Dakota before he and his wife, Myrna, started a weekly newspaper in Yankton County titled "The Observer." This publication is still running to this day in Yankton. A few years down the road, Hunhoff and his wife were able to sell "The Observer" and used that money to launch the "South Dakota Magazine" in 1985.

The creation of this magazine was a labor of love that required Hunhoff to wear many hats, including writer, designer, photographer, marketer, secretary and even custodian. "It was a one-man operation for the first year or two, although Myrna helped quite a lot," explained Hunhoff. "It started very small. We had a small farm by then, and, once or twice, I had to sell a favorite cow to pay a printing bill. But, before long, the magazine was paying for the cows. … The real reason the magazine survived and grew is this: South Dakotans recognized that it was important to our state's culture, and they supported it with readership, subscriptions, goodwill and advertising from the business community."

Over the last 40 years, more than 240 issues have been published, with six going out each year. "I wasn't that happy with the first issue, but by the time the first one was off the press, we were already deep into creating the next and the next." Hunhoff said he and his team were dedicated to making each issue of the magazine the best it could be, and that is still true today. "We've always believed that there's no reason South Dakota can't have one of the world's best magazines."

When asked what Hunhoff's writing strategy looked like, he said, "The best way for me to write is to spend a lot of time out on the road. Writing is far easier and far more fun if you have good material, and the best way to find material is to go looking for it. I've found that the more time you spend researching and exploring, the less time you'll spend staring at a keyboard." He also said the most significant change he experienced over the years regarding the magazine since its start was technological advancements. "We kept track of subscribers on 3-by-5 cards when we started, and our first computer was a Comp IV," said Hunhoff. "It was a big blue machine, about the size of a washing machine, and it couldn't do 2% of what a cheap iPad can do today, yet it cost us $10,000."

Hunhoff said he is most grateful to have a magazine that unites people and their shared culture. "I had no idea that such a thing was possible when we started the magazine 40 years ago," said Hunhoff. "I just thought it would be fun and challenging to give South Dakotans a first-rate magazine. We've since learned the importance of good storytelling. The stories bring us together as a people. They help us understand who we are as a place and a people. They give us a sense of place, and that makes life more enjoyable and more meaningful." 

Hunhoff's daughter, Katie, has worked with him on the magazine for the last 22 years. She is now the owner and publisher of the magazine. With Hunhoff's daughter at the helm and a dedicated and experienced team of individuals working for the success of the magazine — including Roger Holtzmann, who also attended Mount Marty and has worked with the magazine for 35 of the 40 years — Hunhoff says, "The magazine is in good hands. Our brand of journalism — which is finding common ground in our culture and bringing people together through storytelling — is more important today than it was 40 years ago."

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About Mount Marty University

Founded in 1936 by the Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery, Mount Marty University is South Dakota's only Catholic, Benedictine institution of higher education. Located along the bluffs of the Missouri River in Yankton, with additional locations in Watertown and Sioux Falls, Mount Marty offers undergraduate and graduate degrees focusing on student and alumni success in high-demand fields such as health sciences, education, criminal justice, business, accounting, recreation management, and more. A community of learners in the Benedictine tradition, Mount Marty emphasizes academic excellence and develops well-rounded students with intellectual competence, professional and personal skills and moral, spiritual and social values. To learn more, visit mountmarty.edu.