July 19, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information contact:

Holly Martin, director of communications

816-383-5143

hmartin@angus.org

To download a photo, click here.

Caption: Jerry and Sharon Connealy were inducted into the Honorary Angus Founation on July 15, 2021, during the 2021 National Junior Angus Show. Pictured from left to right are: Thomas Martin, executive director of the Angus Foundation; Jerry Connealy, vice president American Angus Association Association; Sharon Connealy and Barry Pollard, chair of the Angus Foundation.

A promise to the future – 2021 Honorary Angus Foundation announced

Jerry and Sharon Connealy honored at the 2021 National Junior Angus Show.

Humble, hardworking and committed to the Angus breed: these qualities easily make the Connealy family deserving to be awarded as the 2021 inductees into the Honorary Angus Foundation. For two generations the Angus cow has supported Jerry and Sharon Connealy’s family in the Sandhills of Nebraska, and because of it they are passionate about giving back to the breed, and specifically, the next generation. 

“There is no question that both Jerry and Sharon are extremely deserving of being inducted into the Honorary Angus Foundation,” said Mark McCully, chief executive officer of the American Angus Association. “Their dedication to pushing the breed forward and their service from a time perspective to the breed is truly invaluable.”

“Our family has made their living off of Angus cattle for two generations, and with that being the case, I feel the need to try and give back to the Association and the breed for allowing us to make a living doing what we love to do — and that is raise Angus cattle,” said Jerry Connealy back in an interview in 2014.

Jerry Connealy embodies the essence of the American rancher — respected but modest, honest but kind and generous to his community, school and church.

Connealy Angus is a familiar name throughout the Angus industry and Angus family. From the time the land was homesteaded in Whitman, Nebraska, to when Jerry Connealy’s parents, Marty and Dorrie Connealy, purchased the first set of 25 registered Angus cows in 1960 — they could have never known that would be the start of a nationally recognized operation. In the words of Dorrie Connealy, “It has been a love for the business and a love for Angus cows.” 

Today, Jerry and Sharon’s children Jed, Hannah and Gabriel all play a role in the success of their business; while their son Ben serves as a strong advocate for the beef industry and his family’s livelihood. The family and their valued employees manage 2,000 head of Angus cows while serving the commercial bull buyer and the purebred buyer.

Jerry and his family have always assumed a philanthropic posture, but have done so very quietly. In 2014 the family donated the Angus Foundation Heifer Pick that was sold at the National Western Stock Show and raised $110,000 to benefit the mission of the Angus Foundation. In addition to the donation of the heifer pick, the Connealy family has consistently donated monetarily to the Angus Foundation to support the future of the breed. 

Beyond supporting education, youth and research, Jerry has donated his time, knowledge and talents to serving on the American Angus Association Board of Directors and various committees. He currently serves as the vice president and vice chairman of the Association Board as well as the chair of the Angus Productions, Inc. (API) Board. He previously served on the boards of Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB^®), Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI^®) and the Angus Foundation.

For the Connealys, education has always been paramount within their family, and complacency has never been an option. It is through that belief that they have proven their dedication to providing opportunities to move the breed forward.

For information on how to nominate someone for the Honorary Angus Foundation award, go to https://www.angus.org/Foundation/GetInvolved/Events/HonoraryAngusFoundation.

— Written by Karen Hiltbrand, Angus Communications

About the Angus Foundation

Established as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1980, the Angus Foundation remains focused on its mission to support Angus education, youth and research. The organization has distributed more than $3.5 million in youth scholarships since 1998 and has also invested more than $1.3 million in beef cattle research throughout the past decade.

For more information, contact the Angus Foundation at 816-383-5100 or visit www.angusfoundation.org.

ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS. The American Angus Association^® is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving more than 25,000 members across the United States, Canada and several other countries. It’s home to an extensive breed registry that grows by nearly 300,000 animals each year. The Association also provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers and others who rely on Angus to produce quality genetics for the beef industry and quality beef for consumers.

For more information about Angus cattle and the American Angus Association, visit www.angus.org.