Robert Francis Karolevitz (April 26, 1922 – June 17, 2011) was an American author and humorist from Yankton, South Dakota. His writing focused on biography,

humor Humour (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humorism, humoral medicine of the ancient Gre ...

, and history, among other topics. He has been described as "one of South Dakota’s most prolific authors."

Biography

Karolevitz was born in Yankton, South Dakota, to Frank and Martha Karolevitz (née Rathjen). He grew up in Yankton, where he attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from

Yankton High School Yankton High School is a public high school in Yankton, South Dakota, United States. It serves students in grades 9-12 for Yankton School District 63-3. Notable alumni * Tom Brokaw, news anchor * Leroy V. Grosshuesch, World War II flying ace * ...

in 1940. He fought in the United States Army Infantry in both

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and the Philippines during World War II. He earned his bachelor's degree from South Dakota State University and his master's degree from the University of Oregon. In 1971, he received the Wrangler Award from the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 American West, Western and Native Americans in the United States, American Indian art works and Artifact (archaeology), ar ...

. He served as chairman of South Dakota's State Regional Advisory Group for Comprehensive Health Planning, a member of the Committee for Medical Advancement in South Dakota, a trustee of Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton, and a South Dakota State Historical Society board member. He played a major role in the establishment of both the medical school at the University of South Dakota and the Lewis and Clark Health Education and Service Center. In 1973, he became one of the first people to be inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame. In 2006, he received the Robinson Award from the Governor of South Dakota. In 2014, he was named a "health pioneer" by the South Dakota Department of Health.

Personal life

Karolevitz married Phyllis Gunderson on January 4, 1951; they remained married until his death. They had two daughters: Jan Marie and Martha Jill. Robert Karolevitz died on June 17, 2011, at Avera Sister James Care Center in Yankton.

References

1922 births 2011 deaths People from Yankton, South Dakota Writers from South Dakota American humorists United States Army personnel of World War II South Dakota State University alumni University of Oregon alumni 20th-century American writers 20th-century American historians 20th-century American male writers United States Army soldiers American male non-fiction writers American expatriates in Japan American expatriates in the Philippines {{US-nonfiction-writer-stub