Don Barnett, Rapid City's mayor from 1971-1975, including during the 1972 flood, will be the commencement speaker at National American University's graduation ceremonies Saturday, May 23.

The event, which includes graduates of the Rapid City, Ellsworth, and distance learning campuses of NAU, will be held in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center's Don Barnett Arena, named in his honor.

"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 debate coach, the late Hazel Heiman, for much of our subsequent success," John Quinn, campus director of NAU's Rapid City campus, said in a prepared release.

A 1960 Rapid City High School graduate, Barnett earned a degree from South Dakota State University and pursued graduate studies at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. He served as a captain in the Medical Service Corps in Vietnam, where he earned a Bronze Star.

He was 29 - the nation's youngest mayor - during the June 1972 flood and its aftermath.

He has lived in Colorado since 1983, where he owns Barnett Consulting, which gives input to various development projects throughout the nation.

He also has been involved in developing and owning 17 small town cable television systems, and was a 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. She graduated from National College of Business, which became NAU.