Dr. Allan Ellis was inducted into the Hall of Fame to acknowledge his thirty-year career of excellence in education. While at Roosevelt, Dr. Ellis served as Mayor in his senior year and participated in football and baseball. After graduating from Harris Stowe State College, Dr. Ellis taught in the Lindbergh School District from 1965 until 1972 when he was hired by the Windsor School District in Imperial, MO. He started as Principal of the elementary school, was promoted to Assistant Superintendent, then to Superintendent. Dr. Ellis led the district of over 1900 students, 240 staff members, and an annual budget of $4.5 million.

In 1986, Dr. Ellis was hired to be Superintendent of the Bayless School District, in South St. Louis County. He is credited with leading efforts to the passage of a much needed tax increase; he remodeled the elementary school and other capital improvements, he created a junior high school; he awarded “Letters” to students for academic success; he started advanced placement classes in physics, history and literature and a gifted program; and led the district to be Triple A rated by the State Department of Education. He spearheaded efforts to enroll high school students in the State’s A-Plus Scholarship program. At the time of his retirement, Bayless had 1300 students, 78 teachers and an annual budget of $3.7 million. He retired in 1995 after 30 years as an educator.

He also obtained a master’s degree from SIUE and a PhD in Education from St. Louis University. Dr. Ellis was a volunteer with the local Red Cross responding to fires and other emergencies to render aid to first responders and victims. Harris-Stowe honored him as a “Distinguished Alumni” in 1989. Southwestern Bell awarded him its “Adult Educator of the Year,” that same year. Dr. Ellis passed away in 2024.