Illinois High School Glory Days Website
The Illinois High School Glory Days website will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. The Glory Days website became an active internet site on February 05, 2005. The site was developed to memorialize the histories of closed or defunct high schools in the state of Illinois. For the past 20 years we have been collecting memories, photos, and facts regarding high schools that are no longer in service.
The Glory Days website has posted information of more than 1,200 now defunct or closed high schools in Illinois. The most important aspect is sharing the memories that were made in these schools. Each school was an important part of their community. Though it seems that the impact on smaller towns has been most difficult, it is true that no matter the location of your high school, it is a devastating feeling to have it close.
The Glory Days website staff consists of site creator Dave Nanninga along with authors Kev Varney, Phil Shadid, Cody Cutter, Roberta VanBriesen, and Beau Spencer Thompson. The technical support staff includes Margie Nanninga, Kay Pericht, Anne Nanninga, and Dave’s sidekick and son Johnny Nanninga. Also instrumental in the growth of the website was the late Monsignor Richard Soseman.
The website has had more than one million unique visitors and nearly 10 million page views over the past 20 years. On average 115 people visit the site each day with about 400 pages being viewed. Among the most popular pages are the “Mascots & Nicknames” page and the “Closed Schools by County” page.
Some examples of the accomplishments and broader impact of the Glory Days website are listed below:
*The Glory Days website was recognized as the best historical website in Illinois in 2022 by the Illinois Historical Society in Springfield.
*The Glory Days website staff coordinates with the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association during events in which closed high schools are honored.
*The Glory Days website is considered a valuable resource by the IHSA regarding information about closed high schools.
The Illinois High School Glory Days website continues to add information to pages currently on the site and, unfortunately, new pages regarding recently closed high schools. The site has been a fluid entity allowing it to grow weekly and allowing those who peruse the site the opportunity to add information or items to individual pages.
The Glory Days website is a public internet site that is free to browse. There are no advertisements or fees needed in order to look through the site. It truly is a site developed out of passion and desire to memorialize an important part of Illinois’ history. Each page of the site includes a brief history of the town and school district represented. The page will also include items of interest for the individual school such as athletics, band, clubs, student government, and other activities.
The Glory Days staff wishes to thank you for your continued support for the site. It has been a great ride which will hopefully continue for many more years.
www.illinoishighschoolglorydays.com
Illinois High School ‘Glory Days’
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Dave Nanninga – Site Creator
(773) 315-0556
dpnanninga@gmail.com
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