SJO dedicates athletic complex to long-time supporter

Former St. Joseph-Ogden Athletic Director and head football coach Dick Duval speaks during the dedication of school's athletic complex to district long-time employee and volunteer Glenn Fisher. A close and respected friend of Fisher for 32 years, Duval regaled stories of his extraordinary dedication in the caretaking of school's athletic fields, scoreboards and facilities.

"He has wired every scoreboard here, inside and out, and the controls and the power for them. He installed play clocks. He installed locker room clocks. He installed the lights around the basketball backboards," Duval told spectators before the start of SJO final home football game of the 2020-21 season. "Glenn has done it all because he loved SJO. He loved doing things to benefit the kids, no matter what it took."

Fisher passed away at the beginning of the year on January 7.

Duval also underscored Fisher's humility.

"Glenn is up there in heaven shaking his head at us because he did not want this," he said, relating a story about the moment he and the group shared with his old friend the school board's decision to name the facility after him. "In my 32 years of knowing Glenn, I never heard him swear until that day. He swore at me. He didn't think he deserved it. He didn't want it."

"I told him tough," Duval said. "It's already done. It's gonna happen."

The athletic complex includes the track and football field, the football practice field and the gym as well as both the softball and baseball fields located on the school grounds.

SJO FFA plant sale coming soon

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School FFA plant sale will be April 29-May 1, May 6-8, and May 13-15.

"We chose to push it back a week from last year to allow us to get a little closer to our Illinois frost free days, and because I have students this year that are working the greenhouse," wrote FAA faculty advisor Darcy Nekolny on Facebook. "We look forward to seeing everyone in two weeks!"

Photo by Amir Esrafili/Unsplash

This will be the organizations third installment of the plant sale. It is a chance for students at SJO to get practical horticultural experience. Proceeds from the sale is to support the school's greenhouse operation help expand students practical knowledge on agriculture and growing practices.

Vegetables that will be available include San Marzano Roma tomatoes, Better Boy tomatoes, a yellow tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, cucumbers, broccoli and cauliflower. There will also be a selection of herbs including red basil, basil, rosemary, thyme, and spearmint.

Decorative flower and ornamental for sale include coneflowers, daylilies, hostas, begonias, impatiens and more.

Credit card only pre-orders will be taken via the same ChedderUp platform used last year. Shoppers can purchase plant in-person with cash or check only.

More information will be available on the FFA's Facebook page.