Constance “Connie” J. Horak, an exemplary Trojan who continued her active career at USC into her retirement years, passed away on October 24. She was 84.
Connie was hired in 1975 as a Program Manager for Overseas Studies at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. She then worked for Annenberg as the Director of International Programs. She loved to travel and to show USC students new areas of the world they had never seen before. She was one of the founding members of Women in Management (WIM) and a founding member of the Staff Assembly. Connie served as Staff Assembly President in 1996 and 2004.
After her retirement in 2007, Connie committed her time and energy in support of the USC Emeriti Center, her fellow staff retirees, and toward the betterment of the campus community in spite of several serious health challenges. As a member of the important Emeriti Center Benefits and Resource Committee, Connie was instrumental in producing the valuable publication “My Confidential Documents” which has been very helpful to retirees and others. She had also volunteered with the informal “Trojans Helping Trojans” group to produce a paper on helpful hints for anyone, especially seniors, who live alone.
Connie recently served as the SRA Vice President. She worked on essential details far beyond what could be expected and excelled in coordinating a strong group of volunteers. During this time, she made important friendships with the staff in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Administrations. Her efforts have helped make the retiree integration into the general Trojan Family that much stronger.
Her interests in volunteering allowed her to be active in both in and out of the USC community. Connie was involved with not only the church program for the homeless, but also as a weekly volunteer chaplain at the County Jail for women. She was also engaged with many other different associations, from music and artistic events to a lively book club, continuing interaction and communication across cultures and generations.
Connie will be remembered and missed dearly by her close friends and the USC retiree community.