SIDNEY — Charles G. Rhyan was known as “Chuck” during his days in the Sidney City Schools (SHS 1961). More recently he’s been known as “Charlie.”
When it came time to choose a profession, he knew he wanted to coach basketball, which would also entail being a teacher. Though his coaching and teaching didn’t last all that long, they got him into the educational field where his level of achievement has propelled him into the Sidney City Schools Hall of Honor, whose 23rd induction is set for Friday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the SHS auditorium. The annual event will be followed by a gymnasium reception, with both open to the public. Rhyan’s 2016 classmates include fellow Sidney alums Rob Decker (1978), Marj Dunnavant (1954), and Kathy Lindsey (1967). This foursome will increase Hall membership to 119.
Rhyan loves basketball. His Sidney senior season included a 34-33 road upset of mighty Fairmont which saw him steal a pass from future University of Dayton football coach Rick Carter and convert it into the winning basket. He was also part of the powerful small college program at Wittenberg University.
His first coaching/teaching job out of college was at Westmont High School in Darke County where he was a one man athletic department as the administrator and coach of all sports including both varsity and reserve basketball. In those days there were no girls interscholastic athletics. After four years, Westmont was merged into the current Tri-Village and Rhyan moved on to Miami East as a teacher, basketball coach and athletic director. His first Miami East team paid a visit to Sidney and threw a scare into the Yellow Jackets in 1970 before coming up short. “That was both fun and a thrill,” he said recently. “Sidney was very good with players like John Wiggins, Mike Flanagan, and Jeff Collier. That game was already on the schedule when I got to Miami East.”
From Miami East he stayed in Miami County to join the Piqua City Schools from 1974-91 including 14 years as a building principal. On his watch, Wilder Junior High was named a Hall of Fame School.
He was superintendent at Anna Local Schools from 1991-97. His tenure included many technological advancements along with the advent of the Anna Education Foundation to fund scholarships and other programs. He worked on high-level technology projects with both Microsoft (nationally) and the State of Ohio. After three defeats prior to his arrival, Rhyan helped pass a $6 million bond issue to construct a new elementary building that was soon to be awarded an elite Certificate of Merit from the National School Boards Association.
During the bond issue campaign, Fanning/Howey Architects and Engineers of Celina noticed how the Anna Superintendent engaged the entire school community in the process and decided to hire him in 1998 as a consultant for future projects, and that relationship has endured. He’s been involved in 27 separate successful campaigns that resulted in new school facilities. In many of these cases he facilitated the local meetings that defined the needs and desires of the district, modified the original plan, and generated the needed “buy in” to pass the bond issue.
Rhyan has been involved in public service throughout his career. He was an Edison State Community College trustee when the current Piqua campus was designed in the mid-1970’s. He’s very proud of current Sidney based board affiliations with both Compassionate Care and the Alpha Community Center. He’s remained professionally active as Assistant Director of the Western Ohio Computer Organization in Sidney since 1999, serving area school districts.
Charles G. Rhyan and his wife Ann reside near Sidney and are the parents of two adult children. He’s the fourth member of the 1961 graduating class to be elected to the Hall of Honor joining Rebecca Crimm, Robert L. Zielsdorf, and Stephen J. Huxley PhD.
