The man who helped lead Rapid City through the most perilous period of its more than century long existence will be the commencement speaker at graduation of ceremonies at National American University on May 23.

Don Barnett, who served as mayor of Rapid City from 1971-75 and was mayor during the June 6, 1972 flood that killed more than 200 people, will present his address at the Don Barnett Arena at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

The event will include graduates of the Rapid City, Ellsworth and distance learning campuses of NAU.

"Barnett was highly acclaimed for his efforts as mayor in the aftermath of the great flood of 1972, which killed 238 people," John Quinn, campus director of NAU's Rapid City campus, said in a news release.

Barnett was just 29 years old at the time; he was the nation's youngest mayor.

Graduating from Rapid City High School in 1960, Barnett earned a degree from South Dakota State University and pursued graduate studies at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, and served as a captain in the Medical Service Corps in Vietnam, where he earned a Bronze Star. He has lived in Colorado since 1983, where he owns Barnett Consulting, which develops various development projects throughout the nation. His wide-ranging career has also included developing and owning 17 small town cable television systems, and he was national marketing director for a firm that financed and built 19 municipal golf courses.

Barnett and his wife, the former JoAnn Bauman of Sturgis, have been married for 36 years and have two daughters and three grandchildren. JoAnn is a graduate of the National College of Business, which was later renamed National American University.

"It will be a tremendous honor to hear from such a great Rapid Citian and great South Dakotan to inspire our graduates. He faced tragic circumstances and led this city through a very troubled time. Both of us were high school debaters and credit our (Rapid City High School) debate coach, the late Hazel Heiman, for much of our subsequent success," said Quinn, a former schoolmate of Barnett.

Title: Rapid City Flood of 1972 Date: May 24th, 2008 On the night of June 9, 1972, one of the worst floods in the U.S. history ripped through Rapid City, leaving 238 people dead and thousands injured. VIEW PRESENTATION »