The South Dakota Genealogical Society has named Kay Hendricks of De Smet as the 2022 Genealogist of the Year.

Hendricks has been active in the Kingsbury County Genealogical Society (KCGS) for 35 years. She was one of the founding members and was nominated for the honor by the local society. The first slate of officers included Kay Hendricks as the Vice President. Over the years, she has served as the president and secretary too

Pat Tvinereim, president of the Kingsbury society, said Hendricks was selected for this honor because of her enthusiasm and passion for genealogy.

“Whenever we had a query, we contacted Kay first,” Tvinereim said. “She became our ‘go-to’ person for information. Kay and her husband were life-long residents. She knew the history of the county and had many contacts. Even though it might not concern her family, she knew who to call. She had visited with enough people about family connections and knew those who had Irish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Australian, or German ancestors.”

You can read more in an article in the Huron Plainsman at https://bit.ly/3yJ0ORA.