The Board of Regents will honor five prominent Nevadans for their contributions to higher education on May 9th at UNLV and May 11th at UNR.The Distinguished Nevadan award represents the most prestigious honor conferred by the Board of Regents, the governing body of the University & Community College System of Nevada. It is bestowed upon prominent individuals who have made significant achievements and have contributed to the cultural, scientific or social advancement of Nevada. The recipients will be honored this month at special Regents' Receptions in Las Vegas and Reno.

Honored at the May 9th reception in Las Vegas will be Alice Turner and Billy Vassiliadis. Donald Cavin, Dr. James Eardley and Dorothy Patterson Elton will be honored at the Reno reception on May 11th.

• Donald Cavin, a former Marine and World War II veteran, worked at the Naval Ammunitions Depot in Hawthorne for 35 years. He was elected to the State Board of Wildlife Commissioners in 1964. Mr. Cavin has made numerous contributions to Nevada's wildlife management effort. Among them was the implementation of a cost efficient plan to capture Himalayan Snow Partridges in Nepal and release them on Mount Grant as well as the Ruby Mountains. By avoiding delays associated with U.S. Customs, his plan saved the lives of thousands of birds that would have otherwise perished during quarantine.
  
  
• Dr. James Eardley, who served on the Board of Regents from 1986 to 1998, has dedicated nearly 50 years of his life to the advancement of education in Nevada. After serving as a 1st Lieutenant with the U.S. during World War II, Dr. Eardley pursued his dream of playing professional baseball and toured with several semi-professional leagues around the country. In 1952, he began his career in education as a teacher and athletic director for the Washoe County School District. In 1979, Dr. Eardley was appointed as the first president of Truckee Meadows Community College where he served with distinction until his retirement in 1986.
  
  
• Mrs. Dorothy Patterson Elton is considered to be an inspiration to the people of Northeastern Nevada and a guardian angel to citizens of Wells. In 1963, she and her physician husband, Dr. John Patterson, moved to Wells where they opened the only medical facility in that large rural area. Two years later, Dr. Patterson perished in a small plane crash leaving his widow to raise five sons. Faced with the greatest challenge in her life, she continued her work as a registered nurse serving the medical needs of her community. Subsequently, she met and married C.M. (Butch) Elton. After their own children left home, Mr. and Mrs. Elton opened their home to 54 foster sons whom they cared for over the past 35 years. She has been instrumental in many community philanthropies. However, her greatest gifts are considered to be the small miracles she "produces" every day. She finds wheelchairs, crutches, canes and walkers for those in need.
  
  
• Born in 1898, Alice Turner has had the rare privilege of seeing her life span three centuries. After graduating as a nurse from the first class of the St. Joseph Hospital Training School in 1920, she married Clesse Turner -- who would later become a Clark County Commissioner -- and moved to Las Vegas in 1937. After her husband passed away in 1970, Mrs. Turner, at the age of 72, focused her life on helping others through volunteerism. She was a member of the Las Vegas Child Welfare Board and has been a long-time member of the Children's Service Guild. In the mid-1980s when AIDS victims were often shunned by their own families, Mrs. Turner became a voice of comfort when she became the first hospital volunteer to work in the AIDS Unit at the University Medical Center.
  
  
• Mr. William Vassiliadis is a highly sought after communications counselor and government affairs specialist. As president of R&R Partners, he works with many distinguished clients, including the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority. In fact, he has worked tirelessly to market the entertainment, business and family attractions of Las Vegas to a worldwide audience. Over the past 15 years, he has served as the principal strategic planner for dozens of statewide, county and municipal political campaigns. As an individual, he has been very active in the community including supporting the Clark County School District's bond campaigns, Andre Agassi Foundation, Martin Luther King Committee, American Diabetes Association, Adoption Fair, Opportunity Village, Inner City Games and the Nathan Adelson Hospice. In 1998, Mr. Vassiliadis and R&R Partners were jointly recognized as the second 'Education Hero' by the Clark County Public Education Foundation.

For more information about any of the Distinguished Nevadans, please contact Suzanne Ernst at (702) 889-8426.

Comprised of two doctoral-granting universities, four comprehensive community colleges and one environmental research institution, the University and Community College System of Nevada serves the educational and job training needs of the nation's fastest growing state. As Nevada's only system of higher education, the UCCSN provides educational opportunities to more than 82,000 students.