 Vern grew up on a farm in Flandreau, South Dakota. He completed both his undergraduate and obtained his law school degree at the University of South Dakota. Vern moved to Alaska right out of law school.
In Alaska Vern worked as a private attorney, a Magistrate Judge and as a Public Defender for the Alaska State Court System. He spent many of these years in “bush” Alaska where he fell in love with the people and sled dogs.
 In 1983 Vern ran his first Iditarod to see if he could complete the “Last Great Race on Earth.” He married Susan in 1986 in Nome, Alaska after driving his dog team over 1000 miles on the Iditarod Trail.
For 21 years he has raced the Iditarod or Yukon Quest. He has placed in the top 5 of the Iditarod three times and the top 10 eight times.
Vern is the 1990 Yukon Quest Champion and the 1989 Yukon Quest runner-up. He is dedicated to raising, training and racing the Alaskan Husky.
Over the past 10 years Vern has visited and spoken to over 400,000 students and teachers in South Dakota, North Dakota and western Minnesota.
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