HURON — Because of the late William “Bill” Keith Kingdon’s generosity, nonprofits in the Huron area will reap benefits for years to come, through the William K. Kingdon Charitable Fund, a sub-fund of the Huron Community Foundation (HCF) held with the South Dakota Community Foundation (SDCF).

Bill attended Jefferson Elementary School, Huron Junior High and Huron High School, graduating in 1963.

He graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1967 with a degree in music education.

“He always wanted to return to Huron,” said his older brother, Dick Kingdon. “He very much loved the community.”

Bill joined the Peace Corps in 1967, and spent two years in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Following that, in 1971, he went to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, teaching music, math, and reading to the Navajo Indian Students at Fort Wingate School near Gallup, N.M.

He retired in 2001 and lived the rest of his life in Gallup, passing away in September of 2023.

Bill was an accomplished pianist, singer and guitar player. His musical abilities brought acclaim from students and friends alike who knew him.

His brother, Dick commented, “After his passing, I was very happy to find recordings Bill had made of him singing and playing guitar. He was very talented.”

Because of his ongoing gift to HCF, the local advisory council will make distributions to local charitable causes and nonprofits for years to come with preference given to musical efforts.

To learn more about the William K. Kingdon Charitable Fund and Huron Community Foundation, please visit https://www.sdcommunityfoundation.org/local-impact/community-foundations/huron-1