May 1, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

10 things you don’t know about me… The Gary Olson Family

The GARY OLSON FAMILY is being inducted into the SJO Hall of Fame tonight.

  1. Gary and Nancy Olson and their three children, Ory, Isaiah and Bria are all SJO grads.
  2. Gary graduated in 1980. He played basketball and was a member of FFA, serving as president his senior year.
  3. Nancy graduated in 1983 and was a cheerleader all four years.
  4. Ory graduated in 2005. He played basketball all four years, football and track each one year. He was also involved in FFA, serving as president his senior year.
  5. Isaiah graduated in 2007. He was a three sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball. His senior year he was captain of basketball and football, which was the 2006 Runner up state team.
  6. Bria graduated in 2010. She was a three sport athlete in volleyball, basketball and track. She was captain of both the volleyball and basketball teams her senior year. She still currently holds the school record in high jump.

    7.Nancy and Ory both graduated from Parkland College. Isaiah and Bria both graduated from the U of I.
  1. Nancy was an SJO Cheer coach for several years and helped start the student cheering section, Maroon Platoon. Gary, Isaiah and Bria all coached basketball at the St. Joseph Grade and Middle Schools for several years. In addition Gary and Isaiah coached freshmen
    basketball at SJO for a few years.
  2. They have previously received the SJO Friend of Education award for their countless hours of volunteer service they have given to SJO.
  3. Gary and Nancy have been married for 37 years. They have nine grandchildren. They all operate the family farm together and reside North of St. Joseph.
in Life, People
Banner
Related Posts

SJO FFA holds petting zoo

February 21, 2019

February 21, 2019

An annual tradition is taking place at St. Joseph-Ogden High School today—the SJO FFA petting zoo to celebrate National FFA...

Beth’s 15 Safety Tips for the International Traveler

July 1, 2019

July 1, 2019

Considering traveling out of the country? Congratulations! It’s a big, wide world out there and who doesn’t want to explore...

Talk of the Town with SJO Superintendent Brian Brooks

May 9, 2019

May 9, 2019

Every week we ask a village mayor, school superintendent or board member three questions. This week we talked to St....

White Christmas on tap for area

December 23, 2022

December 23, 2022

This Christmas could be special weather-wise. Steve Hilberg, the Retired, Director of the Midwestern Regional Climate Center, said this won’t...

Kids Say… What does a farmer do?

January 17, 2020

January 17, 2020

We asked students what they think a farmer does all day. Here are their answers. Brady: I think a farmer...

SJO student creates program to help the food insecure

December 23, 2021

December 23, 2021

Kirsten Schaefer wants to help feed her neighbors. Schaefer, a junior at St. Joseph-Ogden High School, created the Feeding Your...

Generous family man Fisher suffering from major health issue

January 24, 2019

January 24, 2019

Luke Fisher likes to solve problems. The assistant public works superintendent does everything from work at the sewer plant to...

Work continuing on Rail Trail

June 27, 2022

June 27, 2022

Ogden, IL – The Champaign County Forest Preserve District is poised to construct 1.5 miles of the Kickapoo Rail Trail...

Acklin named acting mayor of Ogden

November 3, 2023

November 3, 2023

Jim Acklin is the acting mayor of Ogden. Acklin was selected at the Nov. 2 meeting by the Ogden Village...

Plotner to be honored with scholarship

January 22, 2019

January 22, 2019

Mary Derenne decided to start the new year right. Even though she had been thinking about it for a few...

SJO community mourns death of Glenn Fisher: ‘He had a heart of gold’

January 12, 2021

January 12, 2021

Glenn Fisher liked to tease people. Whether he was telling the newly hired football coach at St. Joseph-Ogden High School...

Harper brings Wednesday Addams to life

April 2, 2022

April 2, 2022

The characters in the Addams Family are well known. But that didn’t stop the actors at St. Joseph-Ogden from putting...

Family hoping for second miracle

February 7, 2019

February 7, 2019

The Rosnett family is hoping for a second miracle. Earlier this year, Angelique and Cole Rosnett were faced with an...

What are some good ways to deal with stress?

November 10, 2021

November 10, 2021

By Jeanelle Murphy, DO Stress is part of life and the human body has a built in system to deal...

Remembering Ross Booker: ‘We are missing something special now that he’s gone’

March 8, 2022

March 8, 2022

Before responding to an accident that would ultimately claim his life, Ross Booker made a point to roll down the...

Comments
Leave a Reply