Former VP of public affairs John Seelig dies

John Earl Seelig, vice president for public affairs at Southwestern Seminary and namesake for Seelig Banquet Room in the Naylor Student Center, died on Jan. 17. He was 94. 

Seelig was born on Dec. 11, 1924. He did undergraduate studies at Hardin-Simmons University, and later completed his master’s in religious education at Southwestern Seminary, graduating in 1949. 

Seelig married Virginia Garrett in 1947. Also a Southwestern graduate, she joined the faculty of the School of Church Music in 1958 and taught voice for 27 years. Seelig, meanwhile, served in local churches and was involved in denominational work until he was hired by then-president Robert Naylor as Southwestern’s vice president for public affairs in 1960. 

Seelig’s responsibilities included overseeing all the school’s publications (including the Southwestern News magazine), maintaining alumni files, hosting campus visitors, representing the school at conventions, and “all school mimeographing.” 

These responsibilities developed over the following 30 years, and as enrollment doubled during that time, Seelig was part of administrative teams that oversaw the construction of eight major buildings on the Southwestern campus; growth in the seminary endowment from $4.4 million to $46.9 million; and budget increases from $1.4 million to $18.5 million. 

“You could not overstate the contribution of John Seelig to the seminary,” Naylor said upon Seelig’s retirement in 1990. “His sense of personal debt and his creative mind have combined to make up one of the most prolific contributions in the life of this institution.”

In a news release about Seelig’s retirement, Seelig said the impact he had on individual lives remained the most personally significant aspect of his work at Southwestern. This often manifested through Seelig calling students personally to inform them that they would receive scholarships. 

On one of these phone calls, the pregnant wife of a student told Seelig that, due to recently having to quit her job because of complications with her pregnancy, the scholarship was a direct answer to their prayers. “That’s the joy of this job,” Seelig reflected. “This is what it’s all about.” 

“Everyone who has any awareness of Southwestern Seminary over the past 30 years knows of the valuable contributions Dr. Seelig has made,” said then-president Russell Dilday in the same news release. “Those in development work outside the seminary family know Dr. Seelig as the ‘dean’ of Southern Baptist fundraisers.” 

Following his retirement, Seelig and his wife spent a year in Hawaii serving the Hawaii Baptist Convention. After their return to Texas, the couple became active members of Southcliff Baptist Church, teaching the early-bird senior adult Sunday School class for 30 years. 

Southwestern’s board of trustees named a room in the Robert E. Naylor Student Center the John and Virginia Seelig Banquet Room in honor of their decades of service. In 2008, the seminary also honored the Seeligs by giving them the L.R. Scarborough award.

Seelig was preceded in death by his wife of nearly 64 years, Virginia, and their son Stephen. He is survived by one son, Timothy; four grandchildren; and multiple great-grandchildren. 

Visitation will take place on Sunday, Jan. 20, at Greenwood Funeral Home from 2-4 p.m. The funeral service will follow on Monday, Jan. 21, at Southcliff Baptist Church at noon.