​I would like to thank everyone that is a part of this foundation and what they have given me for the continuation of my future endeavors.
 
In the fall of 2022, I will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.  While I am at Whitewater, I will study international business with a minor in Spanish.  I plan to travel abroad to the sister school in Barcelona to further my knowledge and education in Spanish and work in the business field as well.  In addition to this degree, I will travel for a company in different regions of the world and so much more.  After my time at Wisconsin Whitewater, I plan on working for a corporation in the hopes of pursuing a career in the business world, whether that is flying in and out of the country or working in the human resources department.
 
I am most proud of making it into the Rho Kappa Foundation, and the Spanish National Honors Society.  These accomplishments showed how dedicated I am to my school career at Lisle High School and for the future.  These will allow me to further my education in college at a higher standard.  Senorita Amy Renguso was the most influential teacher for me because she was always able to push me to do bigger and better things in my Spanish career that I hope to continue in college.  I have been able to learn the most from her out of my 4 amazing years at Lisle High School.  Even though I only had her for one year, she made a big difference in my life, especially for my future endeavors. 
 
I would like to thank the Lisle Alumni in the recognition of this award.  I am so honored to be receiving something given to me by past Lisle students.  It is amazing to think that I graduated from the same school system as my grandmother and mother before me.  With this award, I will do much to further my business career in the future. 
 
I cannot thank everyone from the Carlin Nalley Foundation enough for the support that they have given me, and I sincerely give my love to the foundation for the loss of Coach Carlin Nalley.  My heart goes out to you.
 
Best,
Haley Cassells

I would like to thank you and everyone involved for giving me the opportunity to be a part of such a high standing group of alumni and athletes. It is such an honor to be given this award. I would like to thank all the teachers and coaches that have pushed me in my life to make me the young adult I am today.
 
Throughout my time at Lisle High School, I had many very influential teachers. I would have to say that the teacher that had the most impact on me was Mr. Bamboat. He taught me that most people are willing to help you out if you ask for it. But if you have no desire to get better or pay attention, then other people are going to notice that and not put in much effort to help you. Which also leads me to my post high school plans. I will be attending the University of Arkansas and majoring in computer engineering. With this, I hope to be able to graduate in 4 years and work at a large company.
 
My most significant memory at Lisle High School has to be when I got pulled up to varsity baseball my Freshman year and I was part of the Regional Championship team. Although beating Westmont in every sport my senior year was great, this has to top that. Being part of such a fun event at such a young age really inspired me to what I wanted to do when I was older. My goal from there on out, for every sport, was to win the regional championship. The feeling that I had after holding that plaque on the way home from the game was incredible. Looking at all the players that put blood, sweat and tears into that season really showed me what I could do in my upcoming high school years.
 
Once again, I would like to thank the Carlin Nalley Foundation for giving me this opportunity and scholarship which will help pave a path for me onto my next journey in my life.
 
Thank you,
Nick Jachim

​I have always grown up wanting to be a teacher. It has always felt like my destiny. My mother was a teacher and my sister will soon be one as well. I want to carry this on and be a math teacher. With that being said, I will be attending indiana state university. I have decided to major in mathematics teaching along with a double minor in Spanish and coaching. Along with teaching I feel it is a great experience to be involved in the same school. I will be able to do that by coaching on the side. At Lisle I grew up with the majority of the coaches also teaching within the district. This is my goal. I hope to stay together with my sports and I think this is a great way to do it.
 
Following my next educational milestone (in my hopes, graduation), I would like to find my first teaching job. Growing up and getting my k-12th grade education at a small school has made me realize, that’s the kind of environment I would like to teach in. Lisle has treated me so well. I am so grateful to have had so many opportunities throughout the years. I think it is so much better for students and their education when they are able to grow closer with their teachers. I want to have
These kinds of relationships with my students. I have had so many friendships with my teachers over the years and that has been one of the most memorable parts of my education so far.
 
I have not been rewarded with many awards here at Lisle. With that being said, I am most proud of receiving this award. The Babe Didrikson Zaharias award. At the senior banquet when I heard the description of this award I turned to my sister and said, “that would be really cool to get, its a great recognition.” I said this without having a single thought of even receiving the award. Upon actually receiving it and being called up to the stage, I was speechless. I remember walking up to the stage to receive my plaque, unable to keep a smile off my face. Later that evening I was greeted and enlightened about the scholarship money that comes with it to help me through my college education. I didn’t believe what was happening at this moment. I wondered to myself, why me? Why did they choose me for this award and scholarship? I looked back on all of my achievements over the years and I realized how far I have come. It’s been so amazing participating in 3 sports for multiple years at Lisle, I couldn’t have asked for a better time. I want to take this time to say thank you for this. I feel so blessed that someone has recognized me and the hard work I have put in to my sports and teams. It’s truly a blessing.
 
Mr. Smith… This is the name of the teacher that has changed my life. I had Mr. smith for pre-calculus this year as a senior. He had not only taught me so much in this class, but also has been able to do it in a fun way. I never didn't look forward to this class. I always had fun and couldn’t wait to walk in and ask him how his day was going. Mr. Smith is the reason why I want to be a math teacher. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I wasn’t sure for what. I used to think little kids would be better but after the start of this class… I knew math was where I belong. I love math, I mean I always have, but I never thought of teaching it. I can really say that he is the reason I know what I want to do with my life, and I will never forget that.
 
To the Lisle Alumni I want to say thank you. I cannot express enough how much this award means to me. I am so unbelievably excited to start my college education in the fall but I won’t lie it has been a scary process. I can’t help but be scared about the payment process. You do not know how much this scholarship means to me. Also, this award has made everything worth it for me. I have tried to be the best person that I can in and outside of my sports and events especially at Lisle. I feel recognized. It is as if all of my hard work payed of by receiving this award and I couldn’t feel happier about it. I want people to look up to me. I have always looked up to my mom growing up and I want someone to do the same for me. One last time, I wanna say thank you so much, it means so much more than you think. This award is such a great accomplishment of mine that I will never forget about.
 
Thank you,
Meg de Buhr

​When Alan asked me to share a story about coach Nalley, my thoughts ranged from 1966 when a new family moved into the Oak View subdivision, and their backyard was our left field. Our home plate was in the Janowski twins' backyard, and we needed to get approval from the new neighbors.
Yours truly was drafted to seek permission, a scary task for a ten-year-old. I knocked, and Mrs. Nalley answered with a big smile. And she said of course and introduced me to Johnny. That could have been where "Little Johny's" nickname came from.
 
Then my thoughts then went to 1994. I would walk our son Donny to the bus stop and throw the football until the bus arrived. The bus pulls up, doors open, and there is Coach, then school superintendent." Coach introduced himself to Donny and said your dad was a heck of a football player.
Coach explained to me that he road all the bus routes at the beginning of the school year, starting with the lowest grades, to make sure they took the best route and did not miss anyone. How many school superintendents do that?
 
But the one thing that God continued to put on my heart was:
His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.' Luke 19:23
 
Carlin Nalley took what Lisle had to offer and went to work.
Starting with a muddy football field, then crowning it and motivating the town people to lay new sod, my father and I were among the volunteers.
The track went from a dirt path to one of the state's top-rated track & field facilities. And there are many other examples.
Coach didn't stop there. Utilizing commonsense solutions, he guided the Lisle Park District to new heights.
As Lisle's school superintendent, Lisle schools' gained numerous awards and recognitions.
These accomplishments pale compared to the thousands of students he touched and worked to keep on the "right path."
 
Well done, good and faithful servant; the world needs more men like you.

I was with about half a dozen teammates watching and listening as Coach broke down game film when Mrs. Nalley walked up, a soft drink in each hand and said, “Carlin, let the boys get back to their dates.” It was the Homecoming Dance my senior year.
All night you could hear the whir of the Super 8 projector coming from the darkened corner of the Commons between songs.
The consummate multi-tasker, you simply could not out-work the Coach even when he was a chaperone.
It’s as if the Good Lord figured out how to combine Knute Rockne with a Swiss army knife
Coach Nalley was my grade school basketball coach
He WAS the Lisle Park District in its infancy and early years
He taught me how to triple jump, how to run the wishbone, how to get a good start from the blocks, how to read a defense.
He taught me the team came first and hard work will always pay off.
He coached me and hundreds of others with the same personal attention.
He also created my self-survival techniques like exiting the football field as far away from him as possible if his hat was in his hands, hands on hips, disbelief in his facial expressions. If the hat was freshly stomped, I learned to just stay on the field or fake an injury for the sympathy angle. It never worked
Coach pulled me out of last period study hall more than once to go to Hayden’s Sporting Goods in Aurora. I will treasure our conversations to and from Aurora forever.
On one of those trips, he said he was going to have the academics speech at practice.
The goal was to make sure we focused on schoolwork first.
He held up two fingers and said, “Academics first,” then held up one finger and said, “football second”. So, if Dr Miller asks, I can say you have all been told.
Coach was sneaky funny
He took me on college recruiting trips and was the first non-family member I called after picking the Indiana Hoosiers.
I learned if you needed a roll of tape, a practice jersey, or a relay baton there had to be one buried somewhere in the back of his VW bus which housed a warehouse full of gear, jerseys, and football play diagrams.
For years we knew about Johnny and Karla, but suddenly there was Alan. We figured he had been there all along, just buried in the back of that VW bus under a mountain of track results sheets.
My senior year my 440 relay teammates and I were on the track in Charleston at the class Double A state meet. Countless people stopped us to say hello, and all said, “You must be Carlin’s boys”
We proudly answered yes. And for each of us, it did not end at graduation. The title lasted forever in Coach’s eyes. Any of his athletes were forever his boys.
And it became a generational thing
A week after my daughter Lauren and her Naperville Central teammates won their second consecutive state basketball title, Coach handed me a giant envelope packed with articles. Lauren’s name highlighted in yellow every time it appeared.
He handed me the packet and proceeded to rattle off the accomplishments of the children of his former players. To him, our kids were de facto Lions, and he was an encyclopedia of their accomplishments.
As a parent, I found myself measuring my kids’ coaches against the Carlin Nalley standard. It was never a fair fight. Both of my kids simply call him “Coach,” as they’ve heard a lifetime of stories and lessons from him through me.
To the Lisle alums who were not athletes he will always be the beloved “Mr. Nalley”
In 2020, I released my first novel. Coach read it, told me he liked it, then proceeded to give me exactly twenty-three laps. One for each major cuss word in the book. You see, I broke the team rule about cussing, and it was going to cost me.
Walking out of Chicken Unlimited on Maple one Sunday around dinner time, I was putting two packs of Winston’s from the vending machine into my pockets when I looked up to see Coach holding the door. He sighed, shook his head and said, Grochowski…. did you have to wear your letter jacket.
“Sorry Coach”
He knew they were for my dad, but I certainly violated another rule. And I’m sure I did some laps.
Mrs. Nalley, I really wish you had made meatloaf or something that night.
He used to say he trusted us to not let the team down with violations like that, his favorite saying was
“If I see you coming out of the Squirrel Cage, I’m going to assume you were only in there to get change for the parking meter.”
I learned that if you really wanted to get Coach going, ask him about Johnny, Karla, and Alan as I did in the 1980’s, and again in recent years about his grandkids. Pride always oozed from every pore.
I also took every opportunity to remind him that a batch of his grandkids are Polish.
To summarize Coach considered all Lisle alums, our kids, and grandkids as members of his extended family.
On June 26, the Nalley Foundation will host our annual golf outing and fundraiser. October 15 hundreds and hundreds of alums will be back in Lisle for our fifth “All Year’s Reunion”
Every time the most popular question we get in advance of both events is not about the price, registration details, or location. Easily the most popular question is. “Will Coach be there”?
The answer this year is
“Always and forever”