Panther Prowl

Distinguished Alumni Award
Distinguished Alumni Nomination form
Elyria Catholic Honors
2008 Distinguished Alumni
Ellen Naughton-Basinski ‘57 and Bill Rice ‘62 were inducted into the
Elyria Catholic Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame at an awards dinner
held on February 28, 2008, at the Elyria Country Club.
Ellen has made significant contributions to Elyria Catholic and the
community for more than 40 years. She was involved in the Elyria
Catholic Endowment Fund and was one of the founders of EC Bingo,
lending her support for over 20 years. Ellen has been a key to
fundraisers at EC, particularly in her work with the James Kolopus
Memorial Scholarship Fund benefiting Elyria Catholic students.
Ellen and her husband, Judge David Basinski, raised five sons, all of
whom are graduates of Elyria Catholic. Her leadership and dedication to EC, Catholic education, and the community truly make her an Elyria
Catholic Distinguished Alumna.
Bill graduated from EC in 1962 and earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University in 1967. Upon graduation, he began
working at NASA. In 1971, he earned his Master of Science degree, also in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toledo. He retired
from NASA in 2000 following a very rewarding career spanning 34 years. He served as the NASA Chief Engineer and was responsible for
giving the NASA engineering approval for launch of several of the unmanned spacecrafts at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Under
his technical leadership, NASA achieved a 100% success rate during his tenure as Chief Engineer.
Bill is very active in and devotes much time to St. Jude Church. He also devotes a considerable amount of time to the West Side Irish
American Club where he serves on the Board of Trustees and has served as the Chairperson at the Ohio Irish Cultural festivals for the past
several years. In 1967 Bill married his high school sweetheart, Maureen Gillen (‘62) and later became the proud father to Sheila (‘88) and
Brian (‘91). He instilled in his children the importance of their Catholic faith and education.
Bill exemplifies the integrity, compassion and commitment to excellence in all aspects of his life that Elyria Catholic strives to promote. Elyria
Catholic is proud to have Bill and Ellen as Distinguished Alumni.
Elyria Catholic High School and the Distinguished Alumni Committee are currently accepting nominations for the school’s Distinguished
Alumni Hall of Fame. Elyria Catholic will continue to recognize outstanding individuals who have contributed significantly to
society and who provide a positive role model to our students.
Nominations can be made by alumni, faculty, students, and friends of Elyria Catholic High School by submitting the accompanying
form along with any additional information you have to share to the Development Office. For more information please contact the
Development Office at 440-365-1821 ext. 22 or 34.
Distinguished Alumni Nomination Form
Candidate’s Name___________________________________________ Graduation Year_____________
Candidate’s Address____________________________________________________________________
City_______________________________________________ State________ Zip____________________
Reason for Nomination____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Nominated By____________________________________________________________________________
Address________________________________________________________________________________
Phone Number_____________________________________________
(This Form may be reproduced for additional nominations.)
Please return to:
Elyria Catholic High School
Development Office
725 Gulf Road
Elyria, OH 44035