Gildemaster family gifts $50,000 to Wolsey Community Foundation
An act of compassion shown by the Warbirds basketball team planted a seed that continues to grow, now bearing fruit for the Wolsey community through a $50,000 gift On Nov. 13, 2025, Larry Gildemaster honored the memory of his wife, Carol, with a $50,000 donation to the Wolsey Community Foundation, establishing the Carol Curtis Gildemaster Fund to support Wolsey-Wessington School District and the Wolsey community.
For Gildemaster, the gift is deeply personal, rooted not only in a lifetime connection to Wolsey, but in a moment of kindness that left a lasting imprint on his family.
When Carol became ill in 2016, navigating from the gymnasium to the car became more difficult. After a Warbirds boys basketball game, Larry left the gym to bring the car closer so Carol wouldn’t have to walk as far. When he returned, he found the entire team lined up, one by one, waiting to give her a hug.
“They were all just standing there, one by one, giving her a hug,” Gildemaster said. “That meant so much to her. It just completely brightened her up.”
That team, the 2016–17 Wolsey boys basketball team, which went on to finish as state runner-up, continued to check on Carol, greeting her with hugs whenever they saw her in the stands. The bond endured long after the season ended.
The impact of that kindness is not lost on those who were part of the team.
Austin Kemnitz, a senior on the 2016–17 squad and now head boys basketball coach, athletic director, and K–12 physical education teacher at Wolsey-Wessington, said the relationship went both ways.
“The extreme kindness and effort their family put in to support our team was immeasurable,” Kemnitz said. “Even when Carol was ill, her, Larry, and their family would do anything possible to support our team and be at the games.”
“She showed us what it meant to be resilient,” he added. “We were just trying to do the right thing by thanking her support. She was for sure part of our Warbird family.”
That connection was evident again in 2022, when members of the Wolsey boys basketball team served as honorary pallbearers at Carol’s funeral, an act that, Larry said, meant more than words can express.
Carol Gildemaster was a lifelong Wolsey resident with deep roots in the community. She grew up on a family farm originally homesteaded by her greatgrandfather, graduated valedictorian of her Wolsey High School class, and later became a teacher before dedicating herself to raising a family. She and Larry were married for 56 years.
Though there were no girls sports during her high school years, Carol was a three-year cheerleader and a devoted sports fan, especially basketball.
Asked what Carol would think of a fund bearing her name, Larry smiled.
“She wouldn’t,” he said. “She’d say to do the gift, but not for her. She never looked for praise of any kind.”
The Carol Curtis Gildemaster Fund will be managed by the Wolsey Community Foundation, with interest income used to support community and school needs. While Larry expressed a preference for the school, he emphasized that he trusts the foundation’s board to guide the fund wisely.
Jim Babcock, a Wolsey Community Foundation board member, said the gift brings the foundation within $9,000 of its $100,000 goal. Reaching that milestone by December 2026 would unlock a $25,000 matching grant from the South Dakota Community Foundation.
“It’s a perpetual way to give,” Babcock said. “It ensures the community is cared for long into the future while honoring Carol’s memory in a meaningful way.”
Founded locally in 2017 and formally split into separate Wolsey and Wessington foundations in 2023, the Wolsey Community Foundation has already begun making an impact, including a recent $4,000 donation to the Wolsey Ambulance.
For Larry, the gift is both a thank-you and a hope.
“I just hope Wolsey can continue to be the nice, friendly town it is,” he said. “Those kids showed us something special. I want them, and others, to know how much that meant.”
Donations to the Wolsey Community Foundation can be mailed to Jim Babcock, American Bank & Trust, 265 Commercial Ave. SW, Wolsey, or made by contacting a board member: Jim Babcock, Melva Beals, Donna Haeder, Ted Haeder, or Robert McGillivray.