Since 1990, the Bishop Lynch Alumni Association has recognized those graduates who have best exemplified the Bishop Lynch tradition and Dominican heritage of service to the community.  Each honoree should show commitment to the school and its missions and should serve as a model to all of what Christ has called us to become.

The criteria for the Alumnus of the Year Award include excellence in the following areas: service to Bishop Lynch High School, service to the community and success in his or her chosen field.

Darlene Doxey Ellison, Class of 1984, has been involved at Bishop Lynch for many years since her graduation.  She has served in multiple roles for the Athletic Booster Club, has been instrumental in the Annual Giving Campaign, and has supported or currently supports a wide-range of organizations at Bishop Lynch including the Blackfriars Guild, the Bishop Lynch Baseball team and the Magazine Drive.  She is also the parent of two Bishop Lynch alumni – Austin (Class of 2012) and Alexa (Class of 2014).

Darlene has been an active supporter of many organizations in the community, serving in leadership roles of groups as diverse as the St. Thomas Aquinas School Board, the Lakewood Service League, SoupMobile, the “Future Women in Business” Summer Internship Program, the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, and the Greater East Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

Darlene works for Veritex Community Bank as a Community Development Executive and has been a guest speaker on various small business topics and overcoming obstacles for many companies and organizations.

In addition, Darlene is an award-winning author and a nationally-known advocate for the protection of children from abuse.

In his role as the leader of an historic and well-known group of restaurants, David Campisi, Class of 1987, has given back to Bishop Lynch in many ways.  He has supported many organizations by providing excellent meals for countless numbers of events, and he has also provided financial support for those and other organizations and various building or expansion initiatives.

David has proudly served the community in a number of ways, both personally and professionally.  Among the charities that he and Campisi’s Restaurants support are the American Heart Association, the Dallas and Fort Worth Zoos, local police and fire fighters, the Salesmanship Club, and the Ronald McDonald House.  Perhaps most importantly, David offers his support to help feed those less fortunate by working with local soup kitchens and many parishes in the diocese.

Campisi’s Restaurants have been a Dallas landmark since 1946. David became the fourth generation of his family to operate the popular restaurant in 1992 and in the years since has expanded the business to 9 locations in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.  Campisi’s has won many local and national awards for Best Pizza and Best Italian Food, but David operates the company as his great-grandfather and grandfather did, with its roots in community service and “handshakes and hellos.”

After graduating from college, Jim McIntyre, Class of 1987, began his career as an educator here at Bishop Lynch, where he served as a teacher, Academic Advisor and Assistant Academic Dean.  While he was at Lynch, Jim also was instrumental in the effort to reinstitute the swimming and diving program at Bishop Lynch and was the Head Coach of the TAPPS State Swimming and Diving Champions in 1996.

Throughout his career, Jim has been a leader in his community.  Among the many examples of his service is his leadership in providing flood relief, by raising $75,000 to supplement Catholic students affected by the disaster.  He has won numerous awards for his community service, including being named the Nashville Catholic Business Leader of the Year in 2009 and a proclamation from the Nashville City Council for his leadership in providing assistance and aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Since leaving Bishop Lynch in 2000, Jim has served as the Principal of Cardinal Newman High School in Columbia, South Carolina and is currently the President of Father Ryan High School in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has served since 2007.  He serves on many boards and committees in the education industry, with expertise in areas such as school accreditation, athletic administration, and curriculum development.

Congratulations to our three, very worthy 2014 Bishop Lynch Alumni of the Year!