Sara Frankenstein

Name:  Sara Frankenstein

Hometown: Redfield and Tulare, SD (I grew up on a farm between the two with a rural Redfield address but in the Tulare school district)

Local SDRW Club:  Pennington County

Where were you born? Fremont, NE

Occupation: attorney

Tell us about your family:  My husband Lew Hoyt owns and manages Double H Masonry, which we began from nothing to becoming the largest masonry contractor west river.  My son Elijah, age 15, attends Rapid City Christian High School.  Judah is 13 and attends St. Paul's Lutheran.  Our miracle girl, Gabrielle, age 11, survived Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome after numerous open-heart and other surgeries.  She continues to defy the odds, with God's protection.  We love to attend the kids' sporting and school events, church activities, and seeing our family back in the Redfield area.

Tell us why you belong to SDFRW and feel free to share any special activities and/or committees you have been involved with: I am the current 1st Vice President of Pennington County Republican Women, and will become the chair in January.  As a lawyer, I enjoy working with our club’s bylaws, contracts, other legal matters, and lining up speakers.  I greatly enjoy emceeing and singing, and make that a part of my contributions to PCRW whenever I can. I enjoy teaching the membership a bit about the Bill of Rights amendments at each membership meeting.

Hobbies and other volunteer organizations:  When not working or running to my children's events, I enjoy singing, emceeing, sewing, crochet, and jogging.  I'm the executive director and producer of the Miss Rapid City Scholarship Organization, and volunteer with the Miss South Dakota and Miss America Organization.  I've been an entertainer at the Miss South Dakota Pageant most of the last 20 years, and sing for other charity events.  I greatly enjoy mentoring young women and teaching them interview skills.  I have served on the Rapid City Main Street Square Board of Directors, and I currently serve on the Sentinel Federal Credit Union Board of Directors.  I am the Vice Chair of the South Dakota State Advisory Committee which studies civil rights issues and reports to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

List a few fun or interesting things about yourself: I was Miss South Dakota 1998 and spent a year touring the state, speaking up to seven hours a day in schools    

and sang and spoke at community and media events in the evenings and weekends.  See my bio for my professional accomplishments (below).

Who is your favorite Republican and why? My favorite Republican is my grandmother Phyllis Jastram.  Grandma Phyllis was a missionary and pastor's wife, raising five children while living in Japan for 24 years, witnessing to a very different culture.  Upon return to the U.S., Grandma Phyllis continues to influence the way I and others view the world, primarily with a Biblical world view.  She reminds me that my opinions should align with God's word, and that world view aligns with Republican values.

Favorite quote or Bible verse:  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:13.

Sara Frankenstein is a partner of Gunderson, Palmer, Nelson & Ashmore, LLP. She practices in the areas of Civil Litigation, Civil Rights, Employment Law, Election Law, Municipal Law, Construction Law, Personal Injury, and Insurance Defense.  Sara earned her B.A. and J.D. from the University of South Dakota. She served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Richard H. Battey, U.S. District Court, South Dakota in 2001 and 2002.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights recently appointed Sara to a four-year term on the South Dakota Advisory Committee as the Vice-Chair, which reports to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.  Sentinel Federal Credit Union, which has eight locations across South Dakota, also recently appointed Sara to its board of directors for a three-year term.  Sara is the city attorney for three towns and represents a number of charitable organizations, individuals, and businesses in the Black Hills area and beyond.  Sara has successfully argued before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals en banc (all eleven judges), successfully briefed a case to the United States Supreme Court, and won the smoking ban election law trial which was the lead South Dakota news story for 2009.  Sara has been selected as a Super Lawyer for the last five years in the areas of Legislative & Governmental Affairs.  Sara serves on a number of other boards and enjoys singing, emceeing, speaking, and other involvement in her church and community. She and her husband Lew have three children.