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American Morning
Interview with Carole, Ed Strayhorn
Aired January 09, 2003 - 09:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, absence makes the heart grow fonder as the old saying goes. It definitely holds true for high school sweethearts Carole and Ed Strayhorn. They planned to get married 45 years ago, but Carole's disapproving parents split them up.
Now, check this out -- look at the pose, last weekend in almost the identical pose, they finally made good on a high school vow, and Carole and Ed, the newlyweds, join us live from Texas. Congratulations to the two of you.
CAROLE STRAYHORN, NEWLYWED: Thank you so much, Paula.
ED STRAYHORN, NEWLYWED: Thank you, Paula.
C. STRAYHORN: I tell you -- I tell you my parents loved Eddie, they just said you're not old enough. Well, you know, now, we're old enough, and it's great to be 16 and 63 all at once.
ZAHN: Well, isn't that fantastic. So you think your parents would give you their approval now? They're smiling on you?
C. STRAYHORN: I know that my parents and Ed's mom are smiling on us, saying now you're old enough.
ZAHN: Ed, what I love about this story is you bought this ring back in '50s.
E. STRAYHORN: That's correct.
ZAHN: Now, her parents kind of broke you guys up, you went on to two separate lives, but you held on to the ring. Let's check out this ring. You never thought about giving this ring to another woman?
E. STRAYHORN: No, I didn't.
ZAHN: But you were married a couple more times?
E. STRAYHORN: That's right.
ZAHN: And what was it about Carole that made you think you might have a life together somewhere way down the road?
E. STRAYHORN: Paula, to be honest with you, I just never thought about it because our lives had just gone separate ways, you know, she had her family and I just, for some reason, held on to the ring, but not ever thinking it would wind up where it did.
ZAHN: So, Carole, what does it mean to you that he was sentimental enough to hang on to it?
C. STRAYHORN: I cried when he gave it to me again at the December 2002, Paula. I have still got the box. This a wonderful '50s -- he kept it in this Zale's (ph) box that he gave it to me in 1957, and this is the ring that is on my finger. A friend of ours made our wedding bands -- like this ring will be on my finger forever. It is kind of an incredible fairy tale really, and though we touched base through the years, I have four wonderful grown sons, he has a wonderful grown son. I've got four granddaughters, we now have five sons and four grand daughters, and we got all of the family together, first time we could get them together, we didn't want to tell them individually, so got them all here, got them together, told them one evening, got married the next afternoon at home last Saturday. I told the world at my swearing in on Tuesday -- and let me tell you what, it's great to be the first woman comptroller and be reelected, but it doesn't get better than being Mrs. Eddie Joe (ph) Strayhorn.
ZAHN: Oh, that is so nice to hear.
Ed, you have been able to follow Carole's life in politics. She has broken a bunch barriers along the way, is that how you kind of checked in on her over the years?
E. STRAYHORN: Well, it wasn't hard to check in with Carole because she was always on the news. She just went from one to the other, and she's been real successful, and we're real proud of her.
ZAHN: Did you knew she had ambitions back then?
E. STRAYHORN: No. All I knew back then was how much I cared about her, and we both played tennis and looked forward to ever meeting because we were so far away that we just had to try to plan things around tennis tournaments and that's the way it worked out.
ZAHN: Now Carole, I know you're not one to shy away from tough questions here. You went on to have this wonderfully successful family, two of your children we should say the public already knows, one of them is the new head of the FDA, the other one we often see speaking for the president, one of his White House spokesmen. How much did you think about Ed during your other marriages?
C. STRAYHORN: Tell you the truth, I never quit thinking about Ed Strayhorn. And, as I said, we'd touch base. We would see each other, we would visit, but our lives were never in sync, and he met that eldest son of mine who is the commissioner, had lunch with us one time, but I'm proud of all my sons, by the way, I have got two great lawyers in the middle, too, Mark, Scott, Bradley, Dudley (ph), they are wonderful. Love my new son, Tom Strayhorn and I -- I love Eddie Strayhorn, and you know I kept -- while he kept the ring, I wanted to be an artist in high school, I kept a portrait I did of him 48 years ago when I was in high school. That was before he asked me to marry him, 45 years ago. He lived in Pyote, Texas with four people in his graduating class, I was in Austin, Texas 400 miles away and he asked me to marry him when he was a sophomore, I was a freshman. He had a full tennis scholarship to UT. Tennis is how we met. He is a much better tennis player than I am, but I got the most important thing from tennis -- and I'm kind of a giddyish bride, I forgot what I was going to say -- I am never without words.
ZAHN: That's OK -- we are just so excited to be able to share this with you. I just got one quick question. We only have ten seconds left. Has this new union gotten a presidential endorsement since one of your children works for the president?
C. STRAYHORN: I believe absolutely. Scott said yesterday the president was thrilled when he read about this in the front page of the "Dallas Morning News."
ZAHN: Well, we are thrilled again to share your story with the rest of our audience out there. Best of luck to both of you, and Ed, take it easy on her, OK, on the tennis court. You want her around for a long time.
E. STRAYHORN: Thank you, Paula. I'm going to teach her how to play golf now.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good luck.
ZAHN: A little safer on all the joints. Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Ed Strayhorn, again, congratulations.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 9, 2003 - 09:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, absence makes the heart grow fonder as the old saying goes. It definitely holds true for high school sweethearts Carole and Ed Strayhorn. They planned to get married 45 years ago, but Carole's disapproving parents split them up.
Now, check this out -- look at the pose, last weekend in almost the identical pose, they finally made good on a high school vow, and Carole and Ed, the newlyweds, join us live from Texas. Congratulations to the two of you.
CAROLE STRAYHORN, NEWLYWED: Thank you so much, Paula.
ED STRAYHORN, NEWLYWED: Thank you, Paula.
C. STRAYHORN: I tell you -- I tell you my parents loved Eddie, they just said you're not old enough. Well, you know, now, we're old enough, and it's great to be 16 and 63 all at once.
ZAHN: Well, isn't that fantastic. So you think your parents would give you their approval now? They're smiling on you?
C. STRAYHORN: I know that my parents and Ed's mom are smiling on us, saying now you're old enough.
ZAHN: Ed, what I love about this story is you bought this ring back in '50s.
E. STRAYHORN: That's correct.
ZAHN: Now, her parents kind of broke you guys up, you went on to two separate lives, but you held on to the ring. Let's check out this ring. You never thought about giving this ring to another woman?
E. STRAYHORN: No, I didn't.
ZAHN: But you were married a couple more times?
E. STRAYHORN: That's right.
ZAHN: And what was it about Carole that made you think you might have a life together somewhere way down the road?
E. STRAYHORN: Paula, to be honest with you, I just never thought about it because our lives had just gone separate ways, you know, she had her family and I just, for some reason, held on to the ring, but not ever thinking it would wind up where it did.
ZAHN: So, Carole, what does it mean to you that he was sentimental enough to hang on to it?
C. STRAYHORN: I cried when he gave it to me again at the December 2002, Paula. I have still got the box. This a wonderful '50s -- he kept it in this Zale's (ph) box that he gave it to me in 1957, and this is the ring that is on my finger. A friend of ours made our wedding bands -- like this ring will be on my finger forever. It is kind of an incredible fairy tale really, and though we touched base through the years, I have four wonderful grown sons, he has a wonderful grown son. I've got four granddaughters, we now have five sons and four grand daughters, and we got all of the family together, first time we could get them together, we didn't want to tell them individually, so got them all here, got them together, told them one evening, got married the next afternoon at home last Saturday. I told the world at my swearing in on Tuesday -- and let me tell you what, it's great to be the first woman comptroller and be reelected, but it doesn't get better than being Mrs. Eddie Joe (ph) Strayhorn.
ZAHN: Oh, that is so nice to hear.
Ed, you have been able to follow Carole's life in politics. She has broken a bunch barriers along the way, is that how you kind of checked in on her over the years?
E. STRAYHORN: Well, it wasn't hard to check in with Carole because she was always on the news. She just went from one to the other, and she's been real successful, and we're real proud of her.
ZAHN: Did you knew she had ambitions back then?
E. STRAYHORN: No. All I knew back then was how much I cared about her, and we both played tennis and looked forward to ever meeting because we were so far away that we just had to try to plan things around tennis tournaments and that's the way it worked out.
ZAHN: Now Carole, I know you're not one to shy away from tough questions here. You went on to have this wonderfully successful family, two of your children we should say the public already knows, one of them is the new head of the FDA, the other one we often see speaking for the president, one of his White House spokesmen. How much did you think about Ed during your other marriages?
C. STRAYHORN: Tell you the truth, I never quit thinking about Ed Strayhorn. And, as I said, we'd touch base. We would see each other, we would visit, but our lives were never in sync, and he met that eldest son of mine who is the commissioner, had lunch with us one time, but I'm proud of all my sons, by the way, I have got two great lawyers in the middle, too, Mark, Scott, Bradley, Dudley (ph), they are wonderful. Love my new son, Tom Strayhorn and I -- I love Eddie Strayhorn, and you know I kept -- while he kept the ring, I wanted to be an artist in high school, I kept a portrait I did of him 48 years ago when I was in high school. That was before he asked me to marry him, 45 years ago. He lived in Pyote, Texas with four people in his graduating class, I was in Austin, Texas 400 miles away and he asked me to marry him when he was a sophomore, I was a freshman. He had a full tennis scholarship to UT. Tennis is how we met. He is a much better tennis player than I am, but I got the most important thing from tennis -- and I'm kind of a giddyish bride, I forgot what I was going to say -- I am never without words.
ZAHN: That's OK -- we are just so excited to be able to share this with you. I just got one quick question. We only have ten seconds left. Has this new union gotten a presidential endorsement since one of your children works for the president?
C. STRAYHORN: I believe absolutely. Scott said yesterday the president was thrilled when he read about this in the front page of the "Dallas Morning News."
ZAHN: Well, we are thrilled again to share your story with the rest of our audience out there. Best of luck to both of you, and Ed, take it easy on her, OK, on the tennis court. You want her around for a long time.
E. STRAYHORN: Thank you, Paula. I'm going to teach her how to play golf now.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good luck.
ZAHN: A little safer on all the joints. Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Ed Strayhorn, again, congratulations.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
