Three standout Silver Streaks athletes, a veteran educator and coach, a longtime booster club leader, and one of the program’s great track teams make up the Galesburg Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
The new Hall of Fame members that will be inducted during Saturday’s ceremony are:
- Beau Shay, Class of 2000
- Ardith Johnson, Class of 2001
- Ethan Meeker, Class of 2016
- Rodney Bunch, Class of 1958
- Ron Spring, Friend of Athletics
- 1999 Boys Track & Field Team
The 38th annual induction ceremony is set for this Saturday, Nov. 29, at Galesburg High School. A reception begins at 4:30 p.m. in the High School Commons. The ceremony starts at 5 p.m. in the Hegg Performing Arts Center with Steve Cheesman as Master of Ceremonies. The new inductees will also be recognized at halftime of Saturday’s boys basketball game against Little Village.
This year’s class:
Beau Shay, Class of 2000
A 6-time varsity letterwinner (three in basketball, two in football, one in track), Shay was a key reserve on GHS’s 1997-98 boys basketball team that finished second in the Class AA State Tournament. He earned all-state honors in both basketball and football, and was All-Western Big 6 Conference twice in basketball and once in football. Shay set the school mark for most touchdowns in a season passing. He went on to play basketball at Clemson University (2000-03), earning ACC All-Academic Team honors. Today, he is a podiatrist and orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon with MercyOne Genesis hospitals in the Quad Cities.
Ardith Johnson, Class of 2001
A standout in girls track and field, Johnson qualified for state all four years at GHS. Her junior year, she placed fifth in the 100-meter high hurdles and fourth in the 300-meter low hurdles. As a senior, she earned third in the high hurdles and fourth in the low hurdles. She set three GHS records (100-meter high hurdles, 300-meter low hurdles, and 400-meter relay) and was named to the Illinois Prep Top Times All-State Team and Western Big 6 All-Conference. Johnson continued her career at Iowa State University, earning Big 12 First Team All-Academic honors all four years. She is co-founder and chief designer at Bandit Running.
Ethan Meeker, Class of 2016
A four-year basketball letterwinner and starter for the Silver Streaks, Meeker finished third on GHS’s all-time scoring list with 1,768 points and set the school record for career 3-pointers made (282). He was a three-time All-Western Big 6 Conference selection and ranked sixth on the all-time WB6 scoring list. Meeker earned 2016 AP Class 3A Honorable Mention All-State honors. He played college basketball at Kirkwood Community College and Knox College before attending the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He now practices internal medicine at the University of Iowa Department of Internal Medicine.
Rodney Bunch, Class of 1958
A two-year letterwinner in football and track at GHS, Bunch was a member of the 1956 undefeated football team and the 1957 Elite Eight basketball team. He qualified for district in track and field. After playing football at Tennessee State University, Bunch taught in CUSD #205 for 21 years, Chicago Public Schools for five years, and East Moline Correctional Center for eight years. He coached football, track, and basketball at Churchill Junior High School, and freshman, sophomore, and varsity basketball at GHS. Bunch was a longtime Streaks Dad Mentor and GHS resident.
Ron Spring – Friend of Athletics
A lifelong supporter of Silver Streaks athletics, Spring coached Little League Baseball for many years and was a fixture at GHS events with his wife, Mary, as their sons participated in sports. He served as vice president and president of the Galesburg Athletic Booster Club in the 1990s, playing a key role in raising over $150,000 for the original Wicall building. Spring was GHS ticket manager from 1999-2010, helping transition to electronic transactions and record-keeping.
1999 Boys Track & Field Team
Sectional champions who finished sixth at the IHSA State Meet in a two-class system with only eight qualifiers, the team earned multiple state medals: Alfonso Pugh (sixth in long jump, eighth in 200-meter dash), Calvin Opgenorth (eighth in 110-meter hurdles), and Pierre Woods (third in 400-meter dash, eighth in high jump). Relay medals included fourth in the 4×100-meter, eighth in the 4×200-meter, and eighth in the 4×400-meter, with contributions from Justin Brown, Doug Lindstrom, Calvin Opgenorth, Alfonso Pugh, Lorenzo Pugh, Julius Sargent, Jordan Watson, and Pierre Woods. The team still holds three individual school records (Opgenorth in 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles, Woods in high jump).
The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.
