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In 1970, she met the love of her life, Clayton Cooke, and they married in 1973. With Clayton and her three stepsons, she began playing tennis at Lakeside Country Club where, over the years, she won a record nine doubles club championships and earned a state ranking with Clayton in Husband / Wife Doubles. It was also at Lakeside Country Club that she began her involvement in organizing and chairing events when she served on the board of the Lakeside Women’s Association and as president of the Lakeside Ladies Tennis Association.
In 1988, she began writing a society column for a statewide tennis newspaper which led to writing a society column she called “Movers and Shapers” for Houston Health & Fitness Magazine. That catapulted her into the social and charity fund-raising scene where she began writing society columns for local and state magazines including L’Entree Magazine, Texas Woman Magazine, Philanthropy in Texas, Sense Magazine, and Smart Set Magazine. She also photographed the events for her columns and did double duty as Fashion Editor for Texas Woman and Smart Set. She also hosted her own society segment on two local television stations. She began chairing charity galas and luncheons which gave her a great sense of satisfaction in giving her time to many outstanding organizations. After attending Rice University to study novel and screenwriting, her love of writing led her to write her first novel, Fade to Dark, a suspense thriller, which was published in 2006. She recently completed her second novel, Cayman Heat, another thriller set in the tropical paradise of Grand Cayman and the elite social stratosphere of Houston's movers and shakers. She is presently writing her third novel, Cayman Wind, a sequel to Cayman Heat.
In 1999 Connie and her husband, Clayton, were named Pacesetters of the Year at Houston's Cancer League Luncheon and were honored with the Alkek Ambassador's Award at the 2007 Cancer League Luncheon. She was also honored as one of "Houston's Ten Elite" at the 1996 Citizens for Animal Protection “Celebrity Paws” Gala. Connie was named a 2006 ABC Channel 13 Woman of Distinction in Houston and was honored at the 2006 Winter Ball. She was named one of H Texas Magazine's 25 Most Beautiful Houstonians of 2008.
Connie serves on the Board of the Houston Humane Society and served for six years on the Board of the Partnership for Baylor College of Medicine, four of those years on the Partnership's Executive Board serving as Communications Chairman for two years and Corresponding Secretary for one year. She is a Junior League of Houston Tea Room Patron, a member of the Houston Ballet Guild, the Salvation Army Auxiliary Guild, the Houston Symphony League, CCFA Guild, Children's Assessment Center Guild, Trees of Hope, March of Dimes Guild, advisory board of the Cancer League, and the Partnership for Baylor College of Medicine. Connie's previous board memberships include Breakthrough Houston, the Executive Committee and Board of the University of Houston Moores School of Music, the Advisory Board of The Council on Alcohol & Drugs Houston, the Executive Board of the Houston Symphony League, and the boards of the March of Dimes Guild, the CCFA/Gulf Coast Chapter, the United Cerebral Palsy Guild, and the Silver Grace Hope Foundation. She is a member the The Houstonian Club and Westside Tennis & Fitness Club, and is a former member of the International Committee of RodeoHouston.
Connie holds a life insurance license and real estate agent license which she uses in assisting her husband in his insurance and financial services business. Her treasured leisure time is spent traveling the world with her husband and spending time at their Lake Travis home in the Texas Hill Country with their family and precious Chihuahuas, Baby and Coco.
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