PRESERVATION THURSDAY: FROM PROBLEM TO PRIZE-WINNING

DEADWOOD – Deadwood History, Inc. and the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission will host a presentation by Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center Director Kelly Kirk and Director of Outreach and Culture for Sanford Underground Research Center (SURF) Deb Wolf will explore the partnership that eventually led to a Nobel Prize and a place in physics history on Thursday, November 2, 2023, at the Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center (HARCC), 150 Sherman Street, Deadwood. The event is free for members and $5 for non-members. Please feel free to bring your lunch. To become a member and take advantage of these and many more opportunities, memberships can be purchased at DeadwoodHistory.com or by calling 605-722-4800. Every form of support, whether it is an individual membership or a donation, is deeply appreciated.

An exterior support ring for the solar neutrino experiment, known colloquially as the Davis ring, is visible to all who drive by the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center in Lead. This ring is merely one section of a 100,000 gallon tank that was placed at the 4,850 level of what was then the Homestake Mine. Just as this structure is one piece of the much larger solar neutrino experiment, so too, was Ray Davis only one of the scientists involved in this multi-decade experiment. This presentation will explore the collaboration between John Bahcall, Ray Davis, and others, a collaboration that eventually led to a Nobel Prize and a place in physics history.

Inspired by place, Kelly Kirk has spent her career as a historian discovering and sharing local stories. After over a decade at Black Hills State University, Kirk is now the director of the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center, a space where history, community, and world class science collide. Active in the South Dakota woman suffrage centennial celebration, she continues to focus her research and writing on women’s political history in the Black Hills. She currently serves on several local and regional boards.

Deb Wolf is the director of outreach and culture for SURF, guiding the Education and Communications teams as they translate the world-leading underground science research into learning opportunities for students, teachers, and the general public. In her 30 plus years in education, Wolf has been a high school science teacher in California, Nevada, and South Dakota, teaching everything from biology to AP chemistry and has loved working with each group of students. She served as a science instructional coach, an administrator, and worked for the South Dakota Department of Education as the state’s education innovationist prior to joining the SURF family. Wolf’s hobbies take her outside hiking in the beautiful Black Hills, watching the wildlife, and reading on the deck at her home. Often joining her on the deck are her husband, Brad, and their two cats, Howard and Stuart.

Preservation Thursday is made possible by the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission, Deadwood History, Inc., Adams-Mastrovich Family Foundation, Deadwood Chamber & Visitors Bureau, and the Black Hills Pioneer.

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Deadwood History, Inc. preserves and presents the history of Deadwood and the Black Hills through exceptional places, interactive exhibits, and engaging events.

Adams Museum, Days of ’76 Museum, Historic Adams House, Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center (HARCC), The Brothel Deadwood, and Historic Black Hills Studios.