Sagen scholarship goes to Central grad
Serri Graslie, a sophomore at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., is the second recipient of the Peg Sagen Memorial Scholarship.
The scholarship honors Peggy Sagen, the former editor of the Rapid City Journal. Sagen died of cancer in August of 2006.
Graslie, a 2006 graduate of Central High School, spent a summer as an intern at the Journal while she was in high school and knew Sagen.
“I really enjoyed my time there four years ago,” Graslie said. “In retrospect, it was more influential than I thought.”
A sophomore at Hamline, Graslie is the entertainment editor and part-time production manager of Oracle, the student newspaper. Working on the newspaper has given her a better understanding and appreciation of the university she said.
“It’s the newspaper that has made me like this place,” Graslie said. “Making a lot of new friends, getting involved in journalism is really what’s made this year great for me.”
As a member of the Oracle’s senior staff, Graslie has assisted in the layout of the entertainment section that is “snowballing into a redesigning of the whole newspaper.”
“We’re thrilled to honor Serri with this year’s Peg Sagen Memorial Scholarship,” said Journal editor Mikel LeFort. “Her love of journalism and dedication to improving her college newspaper exemplifies Peg’s spirit.”
Graslie will use the $500 scholarship to continue her education at Hamline, a liberal arts university. Although the school does not offer a degree in journalism, its student newspaper is one of the best in its regional division.
Sagen was influential in shaping Graslie’s interest in journalism.
“It is not a stretch to say that she made quite an indelible mark on me,” Graslie said. “Without her words and support, it is unlikely that I would still be pursuing a career in a journalistic field today.”
Graslie hopes to combine her interests in journalism and cultural anthropology once she graduates.
“I find myself shaping my future plans around it (journalism) and getting more and more involved,” Graslie said.
Graslie is the daughter of Tom and Carol Graslie of Rapid City.
Sagen became editor of the Rapid City Journal in 1995, returning to South Dakota after more than 25 years away. She grew up in Sturgis, graduating from high school in 1967. She moved to California in 1969.
Her journalism career included reporting and editing at newspapers in California and Utah. Before becoming editor of the Journal, she was assistant managing editor of the Blade-Citizen, a 65,000-circulation daily in Oceanside, Calif.
After her cancer diagnosis, Sagen continued working for 2-1/2 years. She retired in June 2006, and died that year on Aug. 21.
The first Peg Sagen Scholarship was awarded to Brittany Westerberg, a Philip native, attending South Dakota State University.
Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com
