HURON — Fair City Sertoma Club has chosen Teri Mack as the recipient of the 2016-2017 Sertoman of the Year Award.
Mack joined the Evening Sertoma Club on Aug. 8, 1999, which later merged with Huron Noon La Sertoma Club in September 2008, to form the current Club.
During the past eight and a half years, she has been an active member of Fair City Sertoma, serving as Sertoma Club president from 2015 to present. She has also served on the spring fundraiser, inaugural/social, and Fair City Scholarship and Sponsorship committees.
She has been integral to coordinating donations and also volunteering time to the Cub’s sponsorship of the Huron Post Prom, Huron High School Music Department, Pie in the Park, South Dakota State Fair Scholarship Pageant and Plus One Guidance Center.
She has been instrumental in securing information for the Speech and Hearing committee projects and lining up interesting, informative and relative programs for the noon meetings.
Teri (Peterson) was born and raised in Plattsmouth, Neb., she graduated from Plattsmouth High School and Northeast College of Business in Omaha. She then worked as an administrative assistant for several law firms in Omaha.
During her childhood, her family spent a lot of time with the Mack family after her brother, Jim, married Barry’s sister, Colleen. Teri and Barry spent time together as children, but sparks really ignited when they reconnected at a Mack family wedding in Watertown.
She married Barry Mack in 1985 and moved to Watertown. The Peterson/Mack families include her two brothers and four sisters, and his five brothers and six sisters.
Her uncle Gil Peterson was a standout football player and had a brief stint with the 49ers. He was a highly successful football coach and Athletic Director starting at Huron College in 1954, where he had a 33-game winning streak and numerous conference championships.
In 1991, the Macks moved to Huron and founded Barti Metal, their scrap metal business, and two years ago formed Mack Metal Sales, new steel business.
They have three grown children: Beau works in the family business and is engaged to Megan Nelson, a pharmacist at Lewis Drug; Carter works in the family business and is also a talented musician; and Sloane, also a talented musician, is in her junior year at South Dakota State University in Brookings.
The Macks have developed deep roots in Huron and are very giving of their time and support to their family, church and community.
She is an active member of Holy Trinity Catholic Parish and supporter of the Holy Trinity Catholic School. She helps with the annual Diamonds and Denim fundraiser, lines up the Meals on Wheels program and serves on the school advisory committee. She devoted much of her time while her children were young to the school, volunteering as a teacher aide and taught CCE (Continuing Catholic Education) for 20 years.
Mack also devoted a lot of her time to numerous Huron High School activities, the Huron Post Prom Committee and is currently a voluntary adviser for the Huron Youth Advisory Committee.
She has volunteered as chaperone on high school band trips and three years ago, she was a chaperone for the Mid-West Music Ambassadors of Music Symphonic Band and Concert Choir delegation trip to Europe.
She also chaperoned an SDSU Choir trip to Spain last year, and spearheaded a new scholarship for the SDSU Music Department.
Mack has expanded her dedication to area youth the past few years by serving on the Board of Directors of Our Home, Inc., a local youth treatment agency that helps troubled young people and their families.
In September 2016, Mack established a scholarship in memory of her friend, Mary Ellen Vaillancourt, past executive director of the Miss S.D. State Fair Scholarship Pageant. The Mary Ellen Vaillancourt Kindness Award is presented to the contestant exhibiting a “positive, genuine impression of kindness in the eyes of the judges.
“On behalf of members of the Fair Sertoma Club, in our eyes, Teri Mack exhibits the positive, genuine qualities worthy of Sertoman of the Year,” said Ben Meyer, who volunteers each year to emcee the Fair City Sertoma spring fundraiser and act as auctioneer.
Fair City Sertoma meets the third Tuesday at noon at Ryan’s at the Huron Event Center (September through June). New members are always welcome!
