Chester Bidwell McVay

McVay grew up in Yankton and later graduated cum laude from Yankton College. He then attended the Northwestern School of Medicine, receiving a doctorate in gross anatomy. He trained for surgery at the University of Michigan.

McVay became an internationally known surgeon and a pioneer in the field of hernia repair. He was considered one the world's leading authorities on the topic, having 57 articles published in medical journals and textbooks.

After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he came home to Yankton and, from 1946 to 1980, served as Chief of Surgery at Yankton Clinic and Sacred Heart Hospital. He was also a member of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine staff. He became chairman of the school's Department of Surgery.

He was named Yankton's Citizen of the Year in 1976.

He died in 1987 at age 76.