On Nov. 16, 2023, Clayton Miles Lehmann passed away following a tragic accident. We remember him as a loving son, brother, father, and uncle, a cherished husband, and a devoted teacher.
Clayton was born on Dec. 15, 1955 to Darlas and Donna Lehmann and raised on a 400-acre farm outside of Hurley, S.D. He rose from attending a one-room schoolhouse with 28 students to teaching for 35 years at the University of South Dakota while regularly turning the Greek Mediterranean into a classroom.
Growing up on the farm, Clayton collected chicken eggs for a penny-a-flat (about 30 eggs), played with his beloved sisters Julie, Peggy, and Sandy, and was always found with his nose in a book — a habit that his parents encouraged, although they were perhaps less encouraging when he dismantled the radio to figure out how it worked.
Clayton attended Augustana College and received his bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature, History, and Greek in 1978. He was a member of the Augustana Concert Choir, the Brass Choir, and played in a rock band called Spectrum. It was at Augustana that his linguistic talents manifested, and he spent his life devoted to the study of Ancient and Modern Greek, Latin, Spanish, German, and French. A post-graduation trip with his first wife, Erika, to Germany, Italy, Greece, and Yugoslavia introduced him to Europe. He earned a master’s degree at the University of Maryland in Ancient History and Classics (the study of the languages, literatures, and cultures of Ancient Greece and Rome) in 1980, fellowships at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens from 1982 to 1985, and his PhD in History at the University of Chicago in 1986. These academic achievements would allow him regularly to return to Greece and to share his love for its history, culture, geography, and food with family, friends, and students.
Clayton spent the majority of his academic career in the Department of History at the University of South Dakota while raising two children, Hilary and Christian. He was an early adopter of digital education and created one of the first class-related websites on campus. Clayton served on numerous committees, among them the College Promotion and Tenure Committee, Graduate Council, and the University Honors Committee. He was also the History Department Coordinator of Graduate Studies (1996-2001) and the Secretary/Treasurer of the Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa (2006-2017). In 2004, Clayton created the interdisciplinary study abroad program, “The Isles of Greece!” which he co-directed with Nelson Stone and Brennan Jordan. Clayton received the Richard and Sharon Cutler Award in Liberal Arts in 2008 and delivered the Harrington Lecture in 2015.
Clayton met his wife, Ángela Helmer, in Athens, Greece, where they both shared their passion for the classics and archaeology. Not only did they enjoy teaching at USD together, but they traveled the world for their research and their love of languages and cultures. After a decade of investigation, writing, and translation, their co-authored book Francisco López de Gómara’s General History of the Indies will be released at the end of November 2023 by the University Press of Colorado.
In addition to being formally trained in classics, history, and archeology, Clayton was a passionate and gifted self-taught carpenter, scuba diver, and sailor. But it was music to which he devoted his life most singularly. Donna and Darlas encouraged their children to explore music from a young age. Clayton sang, played the guitar, bass, and piano. But his passion was the trumpet, an instrument that he dedicated himself to and would play regularly in churches, with a brass quintet, as a substitute in the South Dakota Symphony, and appearing often in the pit band for the musicals put on by the USD Department of Theatre.
Clayton enjoyed traveling with his wife Ángela and visiting their friends across the globe, especially in Peru where they maintained a second home in Lima, as well as Germany and Greece.
For Clayton, something experienced alone could not be beautiful. It was necessary to share it with others. Whether it was a meal, a museum, a vista, or teaching himself to build a wooden boat on a whim to take others out, Clayton gave to the world and left it and the people behind changed and more able to see the beauty around us.
Clayton is survived by his mother Donna Lehmann; his sisters Julie (Jim) Ellison, Peggy (Jon) Beihoffer, and Sandy (Krishnan) Moten; his children Hilary and Christian Lehmann; his wife Ángela; his step-children Fabio and Carla Laermanns; and his nieces and nephews Ryan, Ashley, Will, Joshua, Matthew, Samuel, Jack and Veda. He was preceded in death by his father Darlas and his nephew Peter. Clayton also touched the lives of thousands of students during his 35 years as a professor at USD.
A celebration of life was held Tuesday, Nov. 21 in the ballroom at Muenster University Center, University of South Dakota. In lieu of flowers, family requests memorials be made to the Habitat for Humanity or United Way of Vermillion in Clayton’s honor.