Seacrest Family to Receive Alumni Family Tree Award
Released on 04/26/2004, at 2:00 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The Nebraska Alumni Association will present the 2004 Alumni Family Tree Award to the Seacrest family during its salute to alumni achievement May 7 at the Nebraska Champions Club.
The Alumni Family Tree Award honors a family that has a tradition of attending the University of Nebraska. The recipient family must include a minimum of three generations of graduates. At least two of the family members must have records of outstanding service to the university, the alumni association, their community or their profession.
Although primarily known as a newspaper family, the Seacrests also have had success throughout the years as doctors, attorneys, community activists, philanthropists and businesspeople.
The Seacrest legacy began in the late 1880s when Joseph C. Seacrest and his bride, Jessie, moved to Lincoln from Pennsylvania to make their fortune in newspapers. Unable to ever attend college themselves, they made it a goal that their children and their children's children should graduate from college. Although many of the Seacrest family have attended the University of Nebraska over the years, only 11 have been fortunate enough to complete their degrees.
Seacrest family members to graduate from Nebraska include:
* Dr. Wayne Southwick (married Ann Seacrest in 1944) earned a bachelor's degree in 1945 at NU and a medical degree in 1947;
* Joseph Seacrest earned a juris doctorate in 1949;
* James Seacrest earned a bachelor's degree in 1963;
* Gary Seacrest earned a bachelor's in 1972 and a juris doctorate in 1976;
* Earl Wright (married Nancy Seacrest in 1962) earned a zoology degree in 1965;
* Joe Seacrest received an honorary doctorate in 1975;
* Shawn Seacrest Farrar earned a teaching degree in 1975;
* Michael Kelly (son of Jettie Seacrest Kelly) earned a bachelor's degree in 1970;
* Ryan Seacrest earned a bachelor's in English in 1989;
* Ann Seacrest earned a nursing degree in 1994; and
* Donald Seacrest (son of Mark Seacrest) graduated with a bachelor's degree in finance and accounting in 2001.
Many of the Seacrests have been active in newspapers -- most notably the Lincoln Journal -- and publishing. Joseph, James, Gary and Joe all held leadership posts at the Lincoln Journal and at the Western Publishing Co. in North Platte.
CONTACT: Marti Paquette, Alumni Association, (402) 472-2841