By KELLI LACEY
Alumni News staff
She moved from her hometown of Hastings to Washington, D.C., when her husband was a U.S. Senator and Secretary of Interior for several years in the 1950s. During her time in the nation’s capital, she devoted herself completely to her family.
But when she returned to Hastings with her husband and children, she began giving more of her time and attention to her community as she and her husband, Fred, purchased several newspapers, radio stations and television stations across the Midwest.
After her husband’s unexpected death in 1974, she continued to manage most of the family businesses.
Until her death in January, she was an active member of the Hastings community, and her legacy also lives on the NU campus in the form of an endowment.
She was Gladys Seaton.
Seaton, who died in January, is remembered by her family and friends as a compassionate woman who was deeply devoted to her husband and children but who also, through her business and community successes, made an independent name for herself in her 88 years of life.
Sen. LaVon Crosby of Lincoln said Gladys Seaton was very family-oriented. Crosby, a personal friend and past personal secretary to Fred Seaton, said Gladys supported her husband and children but still was able to make her place as an individual.
Fred and Gladys Seaton adopted four children. Their son, Donald, who has been the publisher of the Hastings Tribune since Fred died, said, “We four kids were very lucky to be adopted by these two wonderful parents.”
Seaton said his mother grew up in a struggling farm family in Kansas as an only child.
“She made the transition from small town Nebraska to Washington, D.C., very well,” Seaton said.
Even upon the return to Hastings after a few years in the D.C. area, Seaton said his mother adjusted well, something that may have been difficult for most people.
“I’ve always admired her a lot,” Crosby said. “I always thought she was a strong help to her husband.”
In addition to her traditional duties as a wife and mother, Gladys Seaton worked with her husband to purchase and run several newspapers and television stations in Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming and Texas.
“She was always there for Fred,” Crosby said. “She was a strong woman who had her own interests and pursued them but was still the keeper of the flame at home.”
After Fred’s death in 1974, Gladys went into business in a more significant way, Crosby said.
She purchased a radio station in Scottsbluff, which she later sold. She became involved in the political affairs in the Hastings community, serving as board member and vice president for the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce, as a trustee of the Central Technical Community College Foundation and as a director of the University of Nebraska Foundation.
“Her children, home and family were number one. However, she could still be herself,” Crosby said. “She was still Gladys Seaton.”
Don Seaton remembers his mother as someone who was very involved but who never lost sight of the importance of her family.
“She was frugal but yet very generous,” he said. “My sisters were very into horse shows. She would always follow their interest in that and would accompany them on their trips.”
Gladys Seaton’s generosity that so affected her family and her community has also benefited the NU College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Seaton’s donation to the University of Nebraska Foundation in 1982 created the Fred and Gladys Seaton Distinguished Professorship of Journalism.
Dr. Larry Walklin, broadcasting professor, was named the first Seaton Professor and continues to hold the honor. Since its founding, however, the endowment has grown under the stewardship of the University of Nebraska Foundation and now supports two professorships. George Tuck, news-editorial professor, was named the second Seaton Distinguished Professor in 1991.
The Seatons had known Neale Copple, director and then dean of journalism, for many years. Will Norton, the college’s current dean, said the Seatons respected the reputation of the school and wanted to support journalism education in Nebraska, where they had several newspapers and broadcast outlets.
“Their generous spirit set a pattern for many who have donated to the college in the years that have followed,” Norton said. “As a result, the college endowment continues to grow significantly, and we are fortunate to have our college associated with the excellence in journalism for which the Seaton name stands.”