Geneseo’s Board of Education on Thursday approved naming Geneseo High School’s Career and Technical Education Center after lifelong educator Ted McAvoy.
The approval was in accordance with board policy 4:152 (Naming Building and Facilities).
McAvoy spent more than three decades at GHS, serving as an industrial arts teacher, coach, vocational director, and principal. He was instrumental in developing what is now known as career and technical education.
“Ted McAvoy's remarkable career exemplifies a lifelong commitment to empowering students, advancing vocational education, and strengthening his community,” wrote Travis Mackey, CTE Director, in his nomination letter. “His leadership and vision have made a lasting impact on Geneseo and beyond.”
McAvoy, a 1960 graduate of Geneseo High School, was named as one of the high school’s distinguished alumni earlier this year. In 1964, he began teaching at GHS, instructing students in welding, machine shop, woods, electricity, and mechanics. He helped develop a metal trades curriculum for the Illinois State Board of Education and launched the Cooperative Occupational Education Program (COOP) in 1970, guiding students in work-based learning for 20 years.
As vocational director from 1971-1990, McAvoy introduced innovative programs in building trades, power mechanics, agriculture, and FFA. He transitioned into administration in 1990, serving as dean and later principal of Geneseo High School before he retired in 1999.
More information on the naming of the Career and Technology Education Center, and a closer look at McAvoy’s life, professional journey, and many contributions to vocational education and Geneseo's schools, will be shared in the coming months.
Below: Ted McAvoy is joined by other Geneseo educators in a photo taken from the 1982 GHS yearbook.
