Donor Spotlight: Cleon Diers ’64 – A Lifetime in Education

After a career spanning 35 years in education it's hard to imagine there was a time where Cleon Diers (’64) didn’t know if he should attend college. Growing up on a farm just outside of Dickinson, Diers started his education in a one room schoolhouse. One day he decided that a college education would be important for his future and so Diers started a degree in engineering before graduating in 1964 from Dickinson State Teachers College, now Dickinson State University (DSU), with a degree in mathematics and minors in physics and the industrial arts. Spare time was in short supply for Diers at DSU while he worked part-time during the schoolyear and full-time every summer to pay for his education and graduate debt-free.

Diers spent 10 years teaching at a high school in California before teaching a few night classes at a community college and finding a passion in higher education. Through the help of a scholarship program in California, Diers earned his master’s degree at California State University -Fullerton and spent the next 25 years teaching at the college level at San Bernardino Valley College, where he was twice named an Outstanding Professor.

Recognizing the changing landscape of higher education for students, Diers decided to pass on some good fortune to current DSU students in the form of the Cleon Diers Annual Scholarship. “Being in education all my life, I saw some very talented students that wanted to go onto college but just didn’t have the means to do so, and tuition is higher and it is more difficult to work part-time now. A lot of good students just need extra help, and I decided it would be nice to help them get through college and into the world,” said Diers. He hopes to support students who work hard, are honest and creative in their endeavors, and care for others.

“Having once faced the same challenges as today’s students, Cleon knows the difference a scholarship can make. His gift to DSU blends his passion for education with his compassion for others,” noted Ty Orton, DSU Heritage Foundation Executive Director.

Cleon Diers now spends his time giving back to his communities. Starting in April and into the early weeks of November Diers works with the Rapid City Woodworkers Association, who donate some 4,000 handcrafted wooden toys to organizations to supply Christmas presents for children. Three months out of the year Cleon and his wife Adare escape the worst of the winter weather in Florida. Having just returned this summer from a trip to the Scadinavian countries, the Diers are now plotting a trip down the Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans.

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Written by Sarah Griffis – DSU HF Content Writer