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2008 SEAFAIR ROYALTY REIGNS OVER SUMMER
Seafair King and Queen Serve their Seattle Community

The 2008 Seafair King Neptune LIX, George W. “Skip” Rowley and Queen Alcyone IX, Dr. Constance Rice have been selected to reign over the 2008 Seafair Festival. Both Rowley and Rice were crowned for their noble giving and philanthropic endeavors not only in the Seattle area, but also globally.

Skip Rowley is Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rowley Properties, a third-generation family business founded in Issaquah in 1954. Skip started his career in 1958 digging ditches. In 1963, he became the firm’s Superintendent and in 1989, Skip was elected CEO. Skip is a member of Performing Arts Center Eastside (PACE), ArtsFund, and Issaquah Historical Society, Eastside YWCA Advisory Committee and Overlake Hospital. Skip has won numerous awards for community service and achievement, including 2008 City of Issaquah Hall of Fame, Issaquah Citizen of the Year, Issaquah Businessman of the Year, and Issaquah Schools Foundation’s Golden Apple Award. A native of Bellevue, Washington, Skip and his wife Debra have three daughters and two grandsons.

Dr. Constance Rice was hired in May, 2004 to serve as the Managing Director for Knowledge Management for Casey Family Programs where their mission is to provide, improve and ultimately prevent the need for foster care. As founder and past president of Strategic Education Centers, Dr. Rice and her advisory board established two centers in Swaziland, dedicated to providing a livelihood to adolescents and abating the spread of HIV/AIDS. Dr. Rice has also served as the national founding Executive Director of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation and helped to establish the first Martin Luther King Jr. Math-Science Celebration among many other accomplishments. Dr. Rice is married to Norman B. Rice, former Mayor of the City of Seattle.

As King and Queen, Rowley and Rice will be featured as honored guests in the Southwest Airlines Torchlight Parade at Seafair. Throughout the Seafair Festival, they will perform several knighting ceremonies recognizing outstanding citizens in the Seattle area and provide support to Seafair’s Royalty Program, consisting of 2007 Miss Seafair Emily Suen and the 2008 Seafair Scholarship Program for Women participants.