Cora Belle (Norris) Ryman
History of Illinois and Her People
by Professor George W. Smith, M. A.
Volume 1
Published by The American Historical Society, Inc.
Chicago and New York 1927
pp 217-218
"Mrs. Cora B. Ryman, county superintendent of schools of Macon County, comes of a family of educators, and she returned to her former vocation soon after the death of her distinguished husband who fell overseas in one of the concluding battles in the great war.
Mrs. Ryman is a native of Pendleton County, Kentucky, daughter of J.P. and Maggie Norris, her father a native of Ohio and her mother of Kentucky. Her father devoted a lifetime of more than half a century to educational work. He moved to Illinois in about 1885, locating in Vernon. He and his wife both died there. They had a family of five children: Garnett E., a teacher at Centralia, Illinois; Ernest M., principal of the London Mills Community High School at Peoria; Iula M., wife of S. C. Bushong of Topeka, Kansas, she having had eighteen years of experience as a teacher; Cora B., and John B., cashier of a bank at San Jose.
Cora B. Ryman was educated in Illinois schools. attending the Vandalia High School, and subsequently was a student in the State University of Kansas getting a year and a half training in the Kansas Normal School at Emporia, and one year at Normal, Illinois. She taught school for thirteen years.
She was married to Captain Herbert D. Ryman, who went overseas with the 107th Field Artillery, and was mortally wounded in the second battle of the Marne on August 7, 1918. He was buried overseas and later was brought home and laid to rest in the Arlington Cemetery at Washington.
Mrs. Ryman has three children: Christine, who is now in her senior year specializing in household economics at the Millikin University at Decatur; Garnett Lucille,is in the junior class, specializing in Bible history at Millikin University; and Herbert D., Jr., is attending high school. Mrs. Ryman, after the death of her husband, located at Decatur. In November, 1923, she was elected county superintendent of schools on the democratic ticket. Macon County normally has a majority of seven thousand republicans, and her election was a tribute to her special ability as a leader in educational affairs. Mrs. Ryman is a member of the Central Christian Church, the Eastern Star, the Woman's Relief Corps, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Woman's League of Voters and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union."
Cora was born 6 July 1876, in Pendleton County, as stated above. She passed away at the age of 86 years in Los Angeles County, California on 9 January 1963 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Her 3 children also died in Los Angeles County.
