Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that Sally Rynott’s tenure at District 205 ran from 1968 to 1985. An earlier version listed 1986 as her final year, based on the committee recommendation letter. The correct end date was confirmed during the June 8 board meeting.
Sally Rynott came to Galesburg in 1968 and built something the city had never seen — a high school band program that competed nationally, traveled internationally, and produced generations of students who still, decades later, describe her the same way: she changed my life.
Now more than 100 of those former students — attorneys, professors, band directors, and business leaders from across the country — are asking the District 205 Board of Education to put her name on a wall at the school where she spent nearly two decades turning teenagers into musicians, and musicians into better people.
The vote is scheduled for the board’s regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, June 8 at district’s administrative center, 940 W. Fremont St.
The proposal would name the new wing south of the Hegg Performing Arts Center — housing the band and choir rooms — after Rynott, who served as director of bands and coordinator of music education for District 205 from 1968 to 1985. She died in November 2022 at age 84 after a lengthy battle with Lewy Body Dementia.
The exact name — whether Sally Rynott Music Wing or Sally Rynott Fine Arts Wing — will be determined pending the board’s vote and further consultation with alumni.
How it came about
The effort was organized by John Larson, a GHS Class of 1976 graduate who assembled letters of support from alumni across the country and submitted a formal naming request to Superintendent John Asplund.
Cynthia M. Leonard, who was hired in 1971 as part of a team of five instrumental music teachers in Galesburg and later served as assistant director of bands under Rynott, also submitted a letter of support.
“It was my good fortune, as a first-year teacher, to be under the mentorship of Sally,” Leonard wrote. “Sally set high standards for her students, not only for musicianship, but also for excellence of character in whatever they endeavored.”
Asplund followed the district’s standard process, convening an ad hoc committee to evaluate the request. The committee included Dena Baity, director of bands; Jean Ann Glasnovich and Evan Massey, former teachers; Ellen Spittell, a former administrator and teacher; Rodney Phelps, a District 205 board member; and Lucy Rieke, director of choirs. They met and voted to recommend approval, passing the request to the board without amendment.
“Our committee enthusiastically recommends the new wing south of the Hegg Performing Arts Center that houses the practice rooms for choir and band to be named the Sally Rynott Music Wing,” the committee wrote in its recommendation. “Our hope is that the naming will help to continue to inspire young musicians by making them aware of the program’s legacy of excellence.”
“The committee accepted it as it was presented,” Asplund tells WGIL. “They recommended the request be approved as submitted — to name the new wing of the junior/senior high school after Sally Rynott.”
If the board approves the naming Monday, Asplund said signage would go up on a section of wall at the entrance to the hallway, and a header above the corridor would carry the name. The district would begin referring to the wing by its new name at the start of the next school year.
Asplund said the honor carries personal meaning for him.
“Growing up here, I certainly knew of Sally Rynott,” he said. “Galesburg’s bands were extremely successful and very disciplined. Because of the buildings we’ve closed, we really don’t have much left that’s named after females. I think it would be great to have something named after a woman who came up through this school district.”
Asplund noted that Rynott may have been among the first female directors of a band of that size in Illinois — and that the tradition she started continues today.
“We have a highly successful band now led by a female, and a highly successful choir led by a female,” he said. “I’m proud of that for our school district.”
‘She changed my life’
The alumni letters submitted in support of the naming run more than 20 pages and arrive from across the United States — from attorneys and professors, band directors and business leaders, all tracing their discipline, their work ethic, and in many cases their careers, back to one woman’s rehearsal room on Fremont Street.
Mary Beth Erffmeyer Shomos, GHS Class of 1979 and a drum major under Rynott, put it plainly.
“She was a brilliant musician and she had a fierce personality,” Erffmeyer Shomos wrote. “Band takes the strongest player, the weakest player and all those in between and puts us in a group where we must learn to work together in order to achieve a common goal.”
Kevin McOlgan, Class of 1975, went on to teach band for 35 years — first at Laraway Junior High School in Joliet, then at Riverside Brookfield High School. He credits Rynott as the reason.
“Not a day went by during 34 years of teaching that I didn’t feel her impact — visceral, haunting,” McOlgan wrote. “When situations arose, I thought, ‘What would Sally do, think, say?’ She changed hundreds of lives and paved the way for, and inspired, females to serve as band directors. Truly, Galesburg had never seen anyone quite like her. She put our beloved hometown on the map for sure.”
Robin Eiker Green, GHS Class of 1974, came to the band as a twirler who was handed a clarinet and a book and told to learn it — or lose her spot. She did learn it, went on to major in music education at Western Illinois University, and spent 33 years as a band director.
“I never gave up on a student who was ‘behind,'” Green wrote. “How could I, after starting my musical journey as a sophomore?”
Gail Hannam, Class of 1972, became a band director herself and wrote that Rynott’s impact was the reason.
“Sally could bring out the emotion of a piece like no other director I ever had in my life,” Hannam wrote. “To this day when I tell people I was in band, they ask, ‘Were you one of Sally’s kids?’ I proudly say, ‘Yes, I was.'”
John Larson, Class of 1976, who led the naming campaign and also worked alongside Rynott as an adjunct percussion instructor, described the moment at her memorial service when the pastor asked any of “Sally’s Kids” in attendance to stand.
“The vast majority of the room rose to their feet,” Larson wrote. “We had students from her first year at GHS to her last year at GHS in attendance from all over the United States.”
Brad Nelson, Class of 1978, recalled the announcement that the band had been invited to perform in Rome.
“It seemed to us all like ‘no way that will happen,'” Nelson wrote. “But just a few months later, after tons of hard work and wonderful support from the Galesburg community, she told us that yes, the trip to Rome would become reality. That trip remains one of the most amazing experiences of my life.”
Cindy (Bailey) Shanahan, Class of 1977, remembered a moment that showed the other side of “Sgt. Sal.”
“After my sister died in a car accident around Thanksgiving, I was slated to play in the band for the basketball Turkey Tournament,” Shanahan wrote. “Miss Rynott came out of her office and asked why I was there. She called me into her office and comforted me. I will never forget her kindness.”
What others said
Dozens more alumni added their voices to the record. A sampling:
Mark Johnson, vibraphone, professor at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden: “Sally’s vision for the program and her ambition led us to heights that no one in the city had dreamed of. I want to emphasize that after all these years, I realize that Sally’s dream and vision wasn’t really about trophies and fame. It was about her students.”
Robert Erffmeyer, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Class of 1972: “The lessons we all learned back then included the value of practice, determination, attending to details, working toward a goal, accepting criticism, winning, losing and perhaps most meaningful, teamwork. She led us with discipline and love.”
Cheryl Gherna, French horn, Class of 1974: “Dedication, hard work and struggle, teamwork with camaraderie, and perseverance all come together to achieve amazing results. She led us with discipline and love. I have played in various band ensembles over the years, none of which have matched the level of depth and height experienced under the direction of Miss Rynott.”
Dolores Mueller, GHS Class of 1975: “It is very difficult to describe her with words — you had to have experienced her as a teacher to understand the impact she had, simply by walking into the room and stepping onto the podium for rehearsal. There was total quiet from the band and all eyes were on her, waiting for direction.”
Gregory E. Cox, attorney, GHS Class of 1978: “I became an attorney 40 years ago and one of my first calls upon learning that I had passed the bar was to Ms. Rynott, to thank her for instilling the drive and commitment that had, in part, made that accomplishment possible.”
Katherine Janssen, oboe, GHS Class of 1976: “During my teaching career I came across many colleagues who, when they found out I had attended Galesburg High School, would tell me what a great band we had and would ask me about Miss Rynott. Her reputation for requiring excellence extended well beyond the Galesburg city limits.”
Kevin Lentz, bari sax, GHS Class of 1976: “Ms. Rynott created a legacy our community could be proud of. But more than that, more than a great high school band program, she created a family.”
Stephanie Pyatt, GHS Class of 1976: “I’m certain that Miss Rynott would be honored to know that her career had been so impactful that it culminated with the recognition of her accomplishments by being a permanent part of GHS.”
Suzanne Masterson Pedroza, percussion, GHS Class of 1981: “Miss Rynott saw our individual potentials and she wouldn’t let us give up on ourselves. She showed up every day for us and we now have an opportunity to say ‘Thank you’ and give a daily reminder to present and future students that we care about them and their potential by naming the music wing in honor of a great Galesburg teacher, Sally Rae Rynott.”
Julia E. Allee, GHS Class of 1981: “Her true legacy isn’t found in trophies. It is found in the doctors, teachers, community leaders, and parents who still carry the ‘Rynott Standard’ of discipline, collaboration, and self-confidence into their lives today.”
The District 205 Board of Education meets at 7 p.m. Monday, June 8 at 940 W. Fremont St. in Galesburg. The full board agenda is available here. WGIL will have coverage of the vote.
Read all of the testimonials submitted in support of the naming in the board packet linked above.
