When the “Average Joe” graduated from Kankakee High School in the 1920s, his most likely job opportunity was working “on the line” at Florence Stove Company or another local factory.
His sister, “Average Josephine,” would probably (if she didn’t marry soon after graduation) go to work at the Bear Brand Hosiery factory, or find a job clerking downtown at a retail establishment such as the Fair Store.
Ms. Mary M. Gallagher was convinced that Joe and Josephine could do better, qualifying for more skilled, better-paying jobs that could develop into satisfying careers.
“The young people who are making good today are those who are trained for their work,” she wrote to a prospective student. “Suppose it does take from nine to 12 months to complete a course? At your age, that is a very short time, and you will be investing time, money and effort in capital that will pay you dividends the rest of your life. ... To be really successful, you must have the very best preparation possible for your line of work. ... When you are ready to come to school, come with the idea of finishing your course and finishing it right.”
The “school” to which she referred was a privately owned institution, The Gallagher School of Business, devoted to training young people for secretarial positions and other office occupations. During a period of almost 60 years, the Gallagher School and its predecessors provided an estimated 10,000 students with skills in secretarial, accounting, and related job fields.
Founded in 1892 by N. L. Richmond as the Kankakee Business College, the school advertised itself as “A Live, Practical School, Conducted by Experienced Teachers, Expert in their Work.” It offered classes in bookkeeping, shorthand, typewriting, spelling, penmanship and business correspondence.
Early in 1913, Richmond sold his school to George W. Brown, of Jacksonville, Ill., who operated a chain of more than 20 business colleges in Illinois and Missouri. Later in that year, Brown hired Mary Gallagher, a 29-year-old teacher at his Rockford school, to manage the Brown’s Business College in Kankakee.
In January 1914, Ms. Gallagher purchased the Kankakee school from Brown, with an agreement to operate under the Brown name for five years. The title actually would continue to be used for more than a decade, with Ms. Gallagher listed as “manager.” At the end of five years, however, the Gallagher name began to be prominent in advertisements: “Miss Gallagher’s Business Training School is recognized as ‘The School of Results’” was the headline on a Sept. 10, 1919, ad for Brown’s Business College in the Kankakee Daily Republican.
In 1925, the school’s name was changed to “The Gallagher Business School” (later, the “Gallagher School of Business”), when the institution moved from the Arcade Building to a new two-story brick building at 158 S. Indiana Ave. The top floor of the new structure on the west side of Indiana Avenue would be used for classrooms and offices; the first floor was rented to an auto dealership operated by A.E. Gray.
In an article announcing the name change and move, the Daily Republican described the new facilities: “Wide hallways, large windows admitting a flood of light and fresh air, a modern artificial flood-lighting system for the Evening School, complete equipment in every department —these are but a few of the points which make an appeal to the discriminating young man or young woman who is seeking for the ideal school.”
Students could enroll in one of three programs: business administration, complete accounting, and secretarial science. One of the school’s promotional brochures noted that “Gallagher courses have been reduced to absolute essentials. Non-essential academic subjects such as history, foreign languages, higher mathematics, literary work and the sciences are eliminated from our curriculum, thus permitting the student to finish in a comparatively short time.”
Gallagher graduates seldom had difficulty obtaining jobs, even during the Great Depression. In a 1937 article announcing the opening of a Gallagher Business School in Peoria, the local newspaper commented, “It is a notable fact that in the last six years of depression and uncertainty, she has [placed] every graduate in a responsible position.”
In addition to the work of the school’s placement office, Ms. Gallagher sometimes played a personal role in helping a student find a suitable position. She was known for actually accompanying graduates to a job interview.
“She did a lot of placement work,” remembers one Gallagher graduate, “You were pretty well assured of getting a job if you finished.”
Attending the Gallagher Business School wasn’t “all work and no play,” however. Students were encouraged to become involved in a variety of activities, including a student council, various clubs and organizations, a band and a basketball team.
The sports team competed successfully in a local YMCA league with strong support from students and alumni.
“Many high school stars of the past season will be seen in a Gallagher uniform during the coming season,” noted a school brochure from the 1930s.
The Gallagher School of Business closed its doors in 1951. The business school concept was revived in Kankakee in 1958, when local entrepreneur Romy Hammes opened Marycrest College at 1757 E. Court St. The curriculum at Marycrest was similar to that offered by the Gallagher School, emphasizing business administration, accounting and secretarial classes. In 1967, the school opened an enlarged facility in a colonial-style two-story building at 185 N. St. Joseph Ave. Marycrest College closed its doors in the early 1990s, ending a century-long tradition of privately operated business education in Kankakee.
Both the Gallagher School building on Indiana and the Marycrest College building on St. Joseph Avenue are still in existence. What are they used for today?
Answer: The Gallagher building, now owned by the Daily Journal, is used for storage, while the former Marycrest building is headquarters for the Kankakee County Housing Authority, which operates low-income housing facilities for adults, seniors, and the disabled.