Connie Zullinger Seacrest
For many of us our memories of Connie were as a high school cheerleader and then as our Color Day Queen in 1965. Despite these times in the high school spotlight Connie remained a quiet and rather private person. A classmate recently paid a high compliment in saying, "What I remember most about Connie was that she was always nice to me." Little did we or even Connie suspect that she would eventually be thrust onto the national and even international stage by virtue of the huge success of her children.
After high school Connie graduated from the Fashion Institute of Atlanta and worked as the Assistant Buyer in Bridal at Davison's Department Store in Atlanta. Although her husband Gary Seacrest graduated from nearby Greencastle High School, Connie and Gary met through mutual friends in Georgia where Gary was enrolled in Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning. They married in February, 1970. After his military commitment, Gary enrolled at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta. Children Ryan and Meredith were born in Atlanta.
As many of you are aware, Connie's and husband Gary's son Ryan has earned wide acclaim as a radio and TV host as well as a highly successful and busy producer. Among Ryan's accomplishments are replacing Casey Kasem on radio's "American Top 40", hosting "American Idol" on TV beginning in 2003, picking up Dick Clark's mantle in hosting the "New Year's Rockin' Eve" from Times Square, and more recently co-hosting "Live with Kelly and Ryan". In addition to Ryan's success Connie's and Gary's daughter Meredith is a successful executive in the entertainment world as well. Meredith was Manager of Communications for Entertainment Tonight and The Insider and is currently busy as Executive Director and Chief Operations Officer for Ryan Seacrest Foundation.
The Ryan Seacrest Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on pediatric hospitals and is run by all four members of the Seacrest family. Ryan is the Founder and Chairman, Gary is President and CEO, Meredith is Executive Director and COO, and Connie is Vice President for Community Affairs and Hospital Relations. At a time when Connie was settling comfortably into retirement, she launched into a highly demanding but equally rewarding career promoting the Seacrest Foundation. The foundation's website http://ryanseacrestfoundation.org states the foundation's mission.
RSF's
first initiative is to build broadcast media centers, named Seacrest Studios,
within pediatric hospitals for patients to explore the creative realms of radio,
television and new media.
The foundation
currently has studios in Children's
Healthcare of Atlanta, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's
Medical Center of Dallas, Children's Hospital of Orange County CA, Levine
Children's Hospital in Charlotte
NC, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center,
Boston Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora, Monroe
Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville TN, and Children's
National in Washington D.C. The latest addition is Arnold Palmer's
Hospital for Children in Orlando
The glamour and exposure of Connie's current life are initially appealing to most of us from the perspective of our far quieter lives, but the excitement and opportunities come with a price. Imagine the constant scrutiny from the public and the press and the frustration of dealing with a barrage of news and frequently misinformation about your family. Connie continues to handle it all with the poise and dignity that we would expect and with a deep dedication to service to ailing children through her work with the foundation. The Class of '65 is justifiably proud of our Connie.