If you’ve ever stepped onto the baseball field in Byron, odds are you’ve walked across something Reed Spaulding helped build—or repair. Maybe it was the dugout roof, the batting cages, or the pavilion that used to stand just beyond the outfield fence. Reed’s fingerprints are all over town, even if you wouldn’t hear it from him.

“I don’t do it for the credit,” he says. “I do it because it matters.”

He graduated from Byron High School in 1988, but his connection to the district—and the town itself—runs far deeper. His father, Larry Spaulding, was a legendary teacher and coach in Byron for more than three decades. His mother, Ann, also taught English in the district. And Reed? He grew up with keys to the gym and an open invite to shoot hoops or play tag with his brothers whenever the school was quiet.

“Larry would open it up for us and say, ‘Bring a friend,’” Reed recalls. “We were just kids being kids—but it was in these halls, in that gym, where a lot of who I am got shaped.”

He played cross country, basketball, and baseball during his time at Byron, hitting the weight room hard junior and senior year. He remembers being part of the first group to enjoy Byron’s then-new high school building—complete with a swimming pool and an exceptional track and football field. “It felt like we were part of something being built,” he says.

Turns out, that wouldn’t be the last time.

After a stint at Rock Valley College, Reed made the decision to stick with what he loved—sheet metal work. He’s now spent 32 years in the trade, working in the Sheet Metal Union as a tinner, installing ductwork and mechanical systems in hospitals, schools, and other commercial buildings across the region. On any given day, you’ll find him in Palatine, DeKalb, or wherever the job takes him.

“I learn best by watching,” he says. “Give me the chance to see it done, and I’ll figure out the rest.”

He’s raised a family rooted in that same ethic of care and capability. His son, Quintin, is now a jet and helicopter mechanic in the U.S. Marines, stationed in South Carolina. Quintin recently became a father himself, and Reed made the trip to Florida to meet his newest grandchild—a moment he says he’ll never forget.

He’s also a grandfather by marriage, part of a blended family that includes multiple stepchildren, Brenna, Hunter, and Kaitlyn and five grandchildren. His youngest son, Ryder, is currently a sophomore at Byron High School, continuing the Spaulding legacy in town.

And if the name Spaulding sounds familiar in Byron, it should.

This year, the baseball field Reed grew up playing on—and later helped maintain—will be re-dedicated in honor of his late father, Larry Spaulding, alongside longtime coach Joe Parks. Reed, along with other members of the Byron Lions Club, helped replace the roofs on the girls’ dugouts and the old pavilion before the full renovation and naming.

But his father’s influence didn’t end at the field’s edge.

Shortly after Larry’s passing, the family established the Larry Spaulding Scholarship Fund, awarded annually to a graduating senior who played four years of baseball, held a B average or higher, and showed commitment to their community. With a generous match from Country Financial, the scholarship has grown to offer $1,000 annually, helping students with books, tuition, or whatever their next chapter requires.

“It was my wife’s idea,” Reed says. “She said we didn’t need the funeral donations for ourselves. So we found a way to make it matter.”  Reed’s wife, Karen, another Byron graduate, has also donated countless hours of service to the school district and community.

Reed still lives just five minutes from Byron High School. He’s active in his union, his community, and in the kind of quiet, sturdy work that holds a place together without needing applause.

Ask him what advice he’d give his younger self, and his answer is practical: “You don’t need to chase prestige. Learn a skill. Work hard. Be the guy people can count on.”

That’s what he’s done for 32 years—and counting.