Dixie Heights High School and the Dixie Heights Colonels Club are honored to announce the 2023 inductees for the DHHS Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. Selected for displaying excellence in their chosen occupations, community involvement, and service to others, as well as exhibiting the qualities of a positive role model, this year’s inductees include:
• Dale McMillen, Class of 1960
• Ruth Eger, Class of 1973
• James Burger, Class of 1976
• Mark Pike, Class of 1982
• Kelli Bailey, Class of 1993
Current and former Dixie Colonels, as well as the community at large, are invited to attend the 2023 Dixie Heights Distinguished Alumni Dinner on Sunday, April 30 at the Gardens of Park Hills.
The event, which also serves as a fundraiser for the school’s Colonels Club PTO, includes a plated dinner, music, and remarks from this year’s Hall of Fame inductees. Additionally, guests will hear from retired teacher Leondus Beach, this year’s inductee into Dixie’s Distinguished Educator Hall of Fame. Event tickets are $35 each and can be purchased at DHHSalumni.givesmart.com.
“Dixie Heights High School has been a part of the Northern Kentucky community since 1936. During this time, we’ve graduated over 15,000 students – many of whom have made major contributions to almost every profession,” rsaid DHHS Principal Roddy Stainforth. “This event gives us an opportunity to recognize and celebrate this impressive caliber of alumni while also ensuring current Dixie Colonels receive a quality education and all the tools they need to be successful.”
2023 DHHS Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame Inductees:
Dale McMillen (1960)
In the 1970s and 1980s, McMillen was the voice of Northern Kentucky high school basketball and football on old WHKK-FM (now The WIZ) and Covington’s WCVG-AM (1320). He broadcast the first Northern Kentucky University basketball game in 1971 and served as NKU’s sports information director. McMillen also announced the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University basketball games on WLW-AM in the early 1980s. A member of the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame, McMillen broadcast more than 4,000 games during his career.
Ruth Eger (1973)
Eger spent almost 20 years with the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce serving as CAO, LNK Executive Director, and Executive Director of the LNK Foundation. For decades she has mentored young women, a practice she continues during her retirement. Eger was elected the first female president of the Covington Kenton County Jaycees and was recognized as one of the top ten local chapter presidents in the nation. While on the board of Kentucky’s Bicentennial Commission, Eger spearheaded an initiative to honor Kentucky leaders of the past by establishing a leadership program to grow the Commonwealth’s future leaders. First called Northern Kentucky Youth Leadership, it celebrated its first graduating class of 18 students in 1994. Now named Regional Youth Leadership, the program has graduated over 1,200 juniors in the Greater Cincinnati area since the program’s inception, including 27 Dixie Heights High School juniors.
James Burger (1976)
An employee of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for 37 years, Burger currently serves as Vice President of Facilities. Responsible for 20+ locations that cumulatively measure over 2,400 square miles, Burger has won multiple awards for his career accomplishments, including recognition by a national board of engineers. His colleagues share that he takes every single employee into consideration and is highly respected among hospital staff. Burger and his wife Cindy are active in Kindervelt, a Cincinnati-based volunteer organization dedicated to raising funds for CCHMC.
Mark Pike (1982)
Widely known for his professional football career, Pike was drafted out of Georgia Tech in the 7th round by the Buffalo Bills. He played 13 seasons with them, four of which included trips to the Super Bowl. Pike’s leadership in growing Silverlake The Family Place, Better Bodies, and youth sports in the region created numerous opportunities for Northern Kentucky students to thrive. Pike believed that if you dare to dream, find the courage to believe in yourself, and work your hardest, anything is possible.
Kelli Bailey (1993)
With degrees in both social work and gerontology, Bailey has spent the past 18 years as owner and administrator of four licensed personal care facilities in Northern Kentucky, including Regency Manor, Regency Manor North, Parkside Manor, and Shady Lawn Personal Care. Bailey also serves as Chairperson of the Personal Care Committee of the Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities and Vice President of the Ways and Means Committee of the Kenton County Republican Women’s Club.
Leondus Beach (Educator from 1966-1994)
A beloved English teacher, Beach has been described as a master at presenting difficult material in a way that is easily understood, appreciated, and retained. His expectations for student work were high but only because he showed students how to get there. Beach poured himself entirely into his work, and his curriculum broadened the world of many students who had no previous exposure to English poets and playwrights. Anyone passing in the hall received the same lesson as those in his classroom, as he belted out lines from Shakespeare.
Dixie Heights High School