Rudolph, Sally

In an age when women’s career choices were limited, Sally Rudolph’s parents gifted her with the “freedom to be me.”  This led to not only a career as a pharmacist, but more importantly, it inspired her active role in local government and civic engagement.

Sally was the daughter of Willard and Madeline Harford. She was raised in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, where her father was a rural mail carrier and served in various offices of township government for 45 years. Sally was her high school class valedictorian and was always scientifically oriented. This led her to study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she completed her pharmaceutical studies. This was also where she met her future husband, Lee Rudolph, who was studying agriculture at the university. The two married a month after graduation in 1961. Lee’s position with the Illinois Farm Bureau brought them to McLean County in 1965. Sally and Lee raised two children here; Heidi and Paul.

A life-changing eight-word invitation from Ruth Prenzler engaged Sally in a lifelong interest in politics. “You should join the League of Women Voters.” And with that invitation, as Sally said, “the rest is history!” She joined the League in 1969 and has been an active member ever since.

Alice Ebel would suggest that Sally run for the County Board. Ebel was the first woman elected to the McLean County Board in 1961, and a political scientist at Illinois State University with an expertise in local government.

In 1970 the McLean County board was reorganized. Previously, it consisted of township supervisors and was not representative of the population. This shift made it possible for Sally to run for a seat on the board representing District 10, which she did, and won, in 1972. She called county governments in Illinois at the time “the unwanted stepchildren of state government.” During Sally’s service the county hired its first full-time administrator, established Comlara Park, voted to repair and maintain the McBarnes Memorial Building, constructed the McLean County Law and Justice Center, and reconfigured county administrative services. Her tenure on the County Board lasted until 1980 when she declined to run for re-election. Sally has also served on the Parklands Foundation board and on the Board of Directors for the YWCA.

Zoning was an issue that intrigued her, and in 1992 she began serving on the McLean County Zoning Board of Appeals. For 25 years, Sally listened to long hearings on windfarm sitings, gravel pits, and drilling for oil. In particular, she was instrumental in establishing the procedures for hearings on windfarms in McLean County. Sally also ensured that housing development was consistent and not randomly sited. As chair of the board of appeals from 1999 through 2016, she worked hard to respect citizens and their voice in the process, noting that coming to a zoning hearing may be the first time people interact personally with local government. “We were able to get through these hearings with dignity,” she said.

Sally also found fulfillment in organizing political campaigns and motivating others to engage in politics, especially by uniting people to form coalitions. She assisted Carol Reitan in her races for mayor of Normal and Illinois State Senate, and was especially proud of fighting to “Zap the Caps,” which brought together the League, the McLean County Chamber of Commerce, McLean County Farm Bureau, and labor unions to fight against tax caps in McLean County in 1997. McLean County was one of only 9 counties that rejected the referendum to cap taxes. In the 1980s, Sally fought during Illinois’ valiant effort to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. And her League involvement included helping to publish citizen’s guidebooks to local government and multiple civic educational programs. At its May 23, 1985, meeting, the local League proclaimed, “Sally Rudolph evening,” at the completion of her four-year presidential term, saying, Sally “has complained little and smiled lots, even charming” local politicians who opposed League positions. She is a 2006 YWCA of McLean County Woman of Distinction recipient and received the Illinois League of Women Voters’ Carrie Chapman Catt Award for local leadership and commitment to promoting the civic and educational mission of the League in 2017.

Her daughter Heidi attended many meetings with Sally; the political exposure must have rubbed off because Heidi is now the village president of Western Springs in suburban Chicago.

Relaxation for Sally includes playing piano. She’s in a piano “30 fingers” trio, where all the musicians play on the same instrument. That musical influence shows in her son Paul, a Vocal Music Director with Sesame Street, and three Emmys to his credit. His wife, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, is a talented puppeteer for “Abby Cadabby” on the famed children’s television show. Sally and Lee even appeared in a Sesame Street episode as extras in 2013.

Looking at her legacy, her quiet leadership shows through. “I influenced my children without even knowing it,” through her political and musical involvement. Those eight words – “You should join the League of Women Voters” – brought her into multiple local volunteer opportunities, an invitation she still makes to a younger generation.

See video presentation about Sally here