BROOKINGS – Family members help Helen Sterud observe her retirement from South Dakota State University after an incredible 50 years. Pictured, from left, are Marilyn Oppelt, her mother; Joyce Kepford, a sister; Sterud; husband and fishing partner, Curt; and Janice Kampmann, a sister, of Elkton. All others are of Brookings.
Sterud was honored Tuesday at a reception on the first floor of Morrill Hall. She spent her entire career working on the second or third floor of the administration building. The final day for the accounting assistant in accounts payable was Wednesday.
Sterud was hired Feb. 27, 1967, as clerk-typist II at an annual salary of $2,600. She has always worked in the business/finance area. Prior to 1990, one of her duties was to compare employee phone logs with the university's phone bills to be sure personal long-distance calls were not being made. If they were, she had to collect the funds.
The only current employee to have been at SDSU longer than Sterud is Jane Dvorak, a program assistant II in collections-loans, who marked 51 years in February.
