Oak Park and River Forest High School’s new weight room will be named after former football and wrestling coach Gary Olson, who died in 1999.
He served as a wrestling coach from 1974 to 1979, and as football coach – primarily varsity – from 1983 to 1991. He returned for the 1997-98 season, OPRF records show.
The naming was authorized by the school board at its Oct. 24 meeting. The Imagine Foundation, the nonprofit raising funds for OPRF’s construction projects, is looking to raise $250,000, and a matching grant from a donor could raise that to $500,000.
The Imagine Foundation initiated the naming recognition for the weight room, largely motivated by the foundation’s board president Stephen Schuler’s personal connection to Olson, who coached him at OPRF.
“Stephen often talks about the tremendous impact Coach Olson had on his life, both on and off the field,” said Heidi Ruehle, executive director of Imagine Foundation. “He felt naming the weight room after Coach would be a fitting tribute, as it was a space where Olson spent a lot of time helping athletes develop and grow.”
Fred Arkin, vice president of the school board, said that while he personally did not have Olson as a coach or teacher when he was a student at OPRF, he remembers the positive impact he had on the community.
The foundation is hoping to raise $15 million for OPRF’s Project 2.
Ruehle noted that those who have spoken about Olson highlight his exceptional teaching skills, saying that he was both inspiring and an outstanding coach.
“We also made a point of speaking with Coach Olson’s family – his wife and two adult children –to ensure they felt good about this and had their blessing. They were overwhelmingly honored and very happy to support it,” Ruehle said.
When asked about the legacy Ruehle hopes this recognition will create for future generations of Oak Park and River Forest students and athletes, she said, “Future students will see his name and hopefully want to learn about him, allowing him to continue making an impact even though he is no longer with us. The same goes for any other spaces that are named.”
The weight room renovation project is projected to be completed by the end of summer 2026, after which planning for the installation and unveiling events will begin.
Correction, Oct. 28, 4:17 p.m.: The article was updated to reflect that the $500,000 is a fundraising goal that has not yet been met. We apologize for the error.
Correction, Oct. 29, 11 a.m.: The article was further updated to reflect that the foundation, not the school district, is raising funds for Project 2. No naming rights are being sold.
