ALSIP — Rochelle’s Connie Kessen was honored with an IWCOA Lifetime Service Award for over 25 years of service at the local and state levels. Connie, who was born and raised in Rochelle, was recognized during a banquet at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Alsip on April 27.

Connie originally was brought into the sport of wrestling through her brother Chuck, who was a 167-pound wrestler for Rochelle Township High School during the early 1980s. From that point on she fell in love with the sport, a love which only grew when her son, IWCOA Hall of Fame official and past-president Nate Kessen, began wrestling.

Connie attended Rochelle Township High School and Kishwaukee College. She was a softball player, playing competitively in the elite circuit well into her 20s. She also coached youth softball for many years where she consistently produced championship caliber teams.

Throughout the past 40 years, Connie has served as a volunteer, organizer, bench official, bracket master, scorekeeper, timer, club director, coach and most of all, a fan and supporter of the sport. She has volunteered at the IHSA Individual State Wrestling Finals for the past two decades, serving as a bench official, scorer, timer and supporting the grand march organizing. 

For the past 15 years she has volunteered at the IHSA Dual Team Championships in the same capacity, also working as a weigh-in official. She has volunteered at every girls high school state finals ever hosted, including those hosted by the IWCOA.

For the past 15 years, Connie has served and supported the IWCOA in many capacities. She received a silver award in 2016 and again in 2019. From 2010 until her retirement she served as the IWCOA banquet programs printer, in 2011 bringing both the Hall of Fame and All-State program to their current color format.

For the past two decades, she has served as a tournament worker and volunteer extraordinaire at the annual IWCOA championships held in Springfield, including volunteering for all six days of tournaments during the 2021 COVID season championships.

Connie served as a volunteer board member with the Rochelle Wrestling Club for 20 years, including serving as the club director for 15 years. She was an active member within the north section for both the IKWF and IWF, serving on many committees and as an alternate sectional director.

During this time, she also coached and cornered wrestlers who specifically asked for her in their matches. Even after she passed the reins of the Rochelle club onto her successors, she continued to volunteer at regular and postseason tournaments hosted by the club. 

For her dedication and impact, she received a Lifetime Service award from the Rochelle Wrestling Club Board of Directors. In addition, she served on the high school boosters helping organize fundraisers, concession stands and working conference and IHSA postseason tournaments that the school hosts.

To this day she continues to travel to support the team at various dual meets and tournaments, and volunteers at any tournaments the program hosts. In 2024 the Rochelle High School program presented Connie with their Lifetime Service award.

For 31 years, Connie worked at Kishwaukee College where she managed the campus printing and mail services. During her time at Kish, she served as union president for three successful collective bargaining terms and then became an advisor as she moved into professional administration. She retired from Kish in 2020.

For the past 39 years she has volunteered and worked at HOPE of Ogle County, a domestic violence agency. She continues to serve in the same capacity. Connie lives in Rochelle where she continues to support her local sports teams. When she is not volunteering at a wrestling event she can be found spending time with her three granddaughters.