A Life Dedicated to People, Tourism, and South Dakota with Johnny Brockelsby

In 2025, Johnny Brockelsby was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame for his lifelong commitment to hospitality, tourism, and community advocacy. Known warmly across the state as Johnny B, he has dedicated decades to building meaningful connections, strengthening South Dakota’s tourism industry, and promoting values of kindness, respect, and service. “It has been a very humbling experience for me,” he shared. The honor is one that brings him deep gratitude and pride, especially as he joins his father, Earl, who was inducted twenty-five years earlier.

Growing Up at Reptile Gardens

Johnny’s story begins at Reptile Gardens, where he learned the rhythms of hospitality from the time he was just eight years old. His father founded the attraction in 1937 at just twenty-one years old, armed with a small shack, a gravel parking lot, and an inventive idea to draw travelers off Highway 16 in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

As a child, Johnny worked as the “tortoise boy,” sharing facts with visitors who stopped to admire the park’s giant tortoises. By age fourteen, he was learning to wrestle alligators, carefully marking the ones he stood a chance of winning against. His father encouraged him to explore life outside the family business, and Johnny spent a decade in Colorado gaining experience in construction, hotel work, and management. In 1988, his father called and asked if he would return to help with public relations. Johnny moved home, and from that moment on, he knew he had found his perfect fit.

Building a Career in Tourism

At Reptile Gardens, Johnny embraced the values his father taught him: treat every guest with courtesy and respect, uphold exceptional cleanliness, and make customer service a core priority. He shared these principles with generations of young staff, reminding them that these skills matter in every field. “Customer service will suit you and improve you in any vocation,” he often told them.

Johnny soon realized that the success of Reptile Gardens depended on the success of South Dakota’s tourism industry as a whole. If more people visited the state, more people would visit the gardens. That insight sparked a lifelong dedication to statewide tourism leadership. He joined the Rapid City Convention and Visitors Bureau, served on the Governor’s Tourism Advisory Board, and worked closely with partners across the state to unify efforts in promoting South Dakota.

He became known for bringing people together. When Rapid City and Deadwood found themselves in competition after gaming became legal in Deadwood, Johnny helped both communities recognize that collaboration, not rivalry, would lift the entire region. He played a similar role in easing tensions between East River and West River leaders, reminding them that success in one community is success for all.

One of his most significant contributions came through the creation of the Visitor Industry Alliance, a group that worked to secure dedicated tourism funding. Their efforts helped establish the tourism tax and secure a stable budget for the Department of Tourism, ensuring long-term growth and strength for the industry.

Honoring People, Service, and Community

Johnny’s values are rooted in kindness, respect, and a genuine love for people. He credits his mother for shaping his outlook, recalling how she insisted on compassion even when he was tempted to speak critically of others. “You don’t know what that person has been through,” she would remind him. Johnny carries that perspective with him to this day.

His passion for service extends beyond tourism. As a high school student, he helped organize a hunger hike from Rapid City to Mount Rushmore, raising ten thousand dollars for hunger relief. That experience solidified a strong commitment to supporting organizations like Feeding South Dakota. He is also a dedicated advocate for the Lakota people, proudly wearing beadwork to support Lakota artisans and working with partners to expand tribal tourism with the hopes of creating new opportunities for Native communities.

Optimism is at the heart of Johnny’s leadership. Even in challenging tourism years, he keeps his focus on the future and on the potential that lies ahead. He believes that South Dakota’s welcoming spirit, paired with its iconic landmarks like Mount Rushmore, will continue to draw visitors from around the world.

A Lasting Impact

Johnny’s imprint is seen everywhere in South Dakota tourism. It is present in the young people who have learned to greet visitors with confidence. It is felt in the partnerships formed between cities and regions that once competed. It is embedded in statewide funding structures that support tourism today. And it is reflected in his ongoing advocacy for respect, unity, and kindness.

Perhaps most meaningful of all is the personal significance of joining the South Dakota Hall of Fame alongside his father. “Anything I can do that would be like my father is something that I am extremely proud of,” he shared.

Johnny Brockelsby’s story is a testament to hospitality, optimism, and the power of bringing people together. Learn more about Johnny’s legacy at the South Dakota Hall of Fame: sdexcellence.org/Johnny_Brockelsby_2025 

Watch the full interview with Johnny Brockelsby, hosted by Shawn Martin, Manager of the South Dakota Hall of Fame Visitors & Education Center, to hear these stories in his own words.