Dads' Boosters

Dads’ Boosters will receive the Exceptional Service Award for its 75 years of fundraising to support Elyria Catholic athletic facilities and programs. Established in 1947, the Dads’ Boosters spun off from the local Knights of Columbus chapter with a clearly defined purpose of helping Elyria Catholic athletes. The founders were Lorne Elbert Sr., Frank Fritz, Boyce Goldcamp, Bill Hartman, John Lydon, John Pluta, Sylvester Rothgery, Ted Seward, and Dick Teasdale. Thirty to forty men started selling tickets for a monthly cash drawing. The price of each ticket was $1, which remains the same today.

Over 900 drawings later, the Dads’ Boosters has awarded over $1.5 million in prizes to lucky winners while becoming the most significant contributor to Elyria Catholic athletic facilities and programs for 75 years. They have funded many notable projects in the stadium, the Coliseum, and the field house. During the last three years, Dads’ Boosters has supported the excavation and recrowning of the baseball outfield and football practice field, installation of a new baseball scoreboard, and establishment of an endowed fund to maintain the synthetic turf field.

Every five years, Dads’ Boosters gather in the Elyria Catholic Coliseum for a special anniversary celebration to honor the years of commitment of its many sellers. More often than not, sellers are still participating after five and six decades. Selma Fritz was one of the original sellers and is still selling tickets every month seventy-five years later. Current board members are Dennis Bruck, Dan Hornbeek, Hal Minich ’53, Ron Zidek ’63, Rob Zidek ’86, and Richard Kukucka ’74. Deceased board members include Albert Charnes, Lorne Elbert Sr., James Farrell, Ron Gilgenbach, John Lydon, John Pluta, Mary Ann Reed, Barry Stephenson, and Richard Teasdale. 

John Udvardy '54
 

John Udvardy ’54  is receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award for his significant contributions to art education and sculpture. John studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, received his BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art, and earned his MFA from Yale University. He taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Yale University, and Brown University and was Artist-in-Residence at Dartmouth College. He is a Full Professor and taught Three Dimensional Design at the Rhode Island School of Design, and served as the Chairman of the Foundation Studies Program and Director of the Summer Transfer Program for many years. For a three-year term, John served as a juror on the National Screening Committee for the Fulbright Awards at the Institute of International Education in New York. John also taught as a visiting Critic at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Rhode Island School of Design awarded John the Silver Medal Alumni Award for Faculty Member of the Year and the Gold Sophia Medallion in recognition of his 34 years of outstanding teaching and service. He is presently a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the Rhode Island School of Design. 

Charlotte Zultner Wray '83
 

Charlotte Zultner Wray ’83 is receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award for her significant contributions to patient care and healthcare leadership. In March of 2022, Charlotte Wray, MSN, RN, MBA was named the new president of Mercy Health – St. Joseph Warren Hospital in Warren, Ohio. Charlotte joined Mercy Health as President of Mercy Health – Allen Hospital in Oberlin in 2018 and served as the Mercy Health – Lorain market COO and Chief Nursing Officer in addition to her role as president. She led strategy development in growth and innovation and operational excellence while building upon the legacy of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary.  She understands the importance of providing expert, high-quality care close to home and stays ahead of industry trends, technology, and therapies.

 Charlotte has served the Lorain County community for more than 30 years as a critical care nurse, patient advocate, hospital administrator, and visible community leader. Advocating for those that are the most vulnerable has always been her passion.  She was named President of UH Elyria Medical Center in 2015, becoming the first woman and nurse to lead that organization. 

 Charlotte is a two-time recipient of Becker’s Top Women in Hospital and Health System Leaders to Know award, as well as a Greater Cleveland YWCA Woman of Professional Excellence award, and a Cleveland Magazine Faces of Care award. Charlotte holds membership in the Lorain County Community College Foundation Board, Lorain County Workforce Development Agency Board, Lorain County Chamber of Commerce Board, and Elyria Rotary. In 2017, Charlotte was the keynote speaker at our Elyria Catholic Alumni Professions Night focused on healthcare.

 Proudly earning an associate's degree in nursing from Lorain County Community College, she then pursued a baccalaureate degree in nursing from the University of Akron through LCCC’s University Partnership. Charlotte went on to earn a master’s in nursing science and business administration from The University of Phoenix and is currently completing her doctorate of nursing practice from Chamberlain University.

Alan McKinney '85
 

Alan McKinney ’85 is receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award for his many years of service to his country. Al was honored to wear the number 44 jersey his junior and senior year at Elyria Catholic, which he felt represented the community of Elyria Catholic. He said, “When 44 scores, the whole EC community scores!” Al led the Panthers to two consecutive Division III State Championships in 1983 and 1984. He was also a Class AA State Champion in the long jump and the recipient of the Elyria Catholic Lou Rotunda Award for his performance in athletics, academics, and activities. Al received the Lorain County Golden Helmet Award and was eventually inducted into the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame and the Lorain County Track and Field Hall of Fame. 

Al played football for the University of Cincinnati, where he received the Brig Owens Award for the outstanding back. He ranked 5th in the school’s history for all-purpose yardage at 4040. Al earned his B.S. in Sociology and signed to play with the Cincinnati Bengals, but shortly thereafter decided to be a part of America’s team and joined the US Army. Al completed nine tours of duty and was deployed in both Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. His tours included posts worldwide in South Korea, Oklahoma, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Germany, Arizona, Kentucky, Colorado, South Korea for a second time, and Washington State. Al earned seventeen medals and awards during his 22 years of service. He retired from the Army to the Tampa area where he earned a B.A. in Psychology from Keiser University.

Lana Durban Scott '90
 

Savanna Brown '15