Lee A. Ellis, a former vice president at Northwestern, a local village manager and an avid Wildcats sports fan, died Jan. 26 in his North Carolina home. He was 72.
Ellis, who died of lung cancer, and his late wife, Gretchen, moved to North Carolina after Ellis retired from NU in 1990.
Ellis’ colleagues remember his excellent leadership skills as a former village manager of Winnetka and Oak Park and as an NU administrator.
“He was real happy to move into a new challenge (at NU),” said Ellis’ oldest son, Steven, who lives in Gurnee, Ill.
Ellis made many improvements to the university in his 24-year career, current NU officials said.
“He basically addressed a lot of important areas,” said Ingrid Stafford, NU’s associate vice president for finance. “(He) improved information management systems, planned for deferred maintenance, helped (former University President Arnold) Weber with new budgetary discipline, and oversaw the growth and development of human resources.”
Ellis graduated from Kansas State University, where he also played college basketball. He was originally hired by Stafford as a staff assistant in 1977.
Ellis’ city management experience and his collegiate background gave him a unique perspective in addressing town-gown issues.
“(Ellis had) a good relationship with the city of Evanston because he understood the issues from both sides,” said Michael Weston, former NU general counsel. “He was very adaptive.”
Ellis worked with the city to create a research park that linked the university to local technology businesses. He started a project to help NU extract water from Lake Michigan that eventually saved the university millions of dollars. He also issued bonds to finance construction, modernized NU’s telecommunications system and hired new staff for the business office.
Current NU officials who worked with Ellis spoke of his laid-back approach to management.
“He had always been a Wildcat fan,” said James Elsass, who was recruited by Ellis and now serves as NU’s associate vice president for budget planning. “He was a very nice, civil person who was demanding and expected you to do your job.”
Ellis’ peers spoke of his great personality and devotion to family.
“He liked a good joke, loved his family and loved sports,” Weston said.
Steven Ellis remembered the vacations his father their family took every year, including a trip to Cape Canaveral, Fla., where they witnessed the first launch of a space shuttle bound for the moon. Steven Ellis said his father taught him the importance of being practical and correct, as well as how to maintain relationships with former colleagues.
“In his later years, he developed some life-long friends from the university,” Steven Ellis said. “He has not gone unnoticed.”
In addition to his son, Steven, Ellis is survived by his daughter, Susan Ellis Brown, and his son, John Ellis; his sister, Joan Craig, of Houston; and a granddaughter. Services were held in North Carolina.
