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Jay and his wife Jan grew up in small rural towns in Northeast Kansas and chose Nebraska to be their home following graduation from Kansas State University in 1975 where Jay received a Bachelor of Arts degree in radio/ television and his wife received a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education. They raised two children, Joanna and Joe, both UNL graduates. Joanna, after a number of years in secondary music education, is now a broadcast journalist and Joe is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
As a 35-year Nebraska radio broadcaster, Jay has served many roles in radio sales and marketing, station management and, today, ownership of GI Family Radio/Home Town Family Radio and 15 radio stations serving Grand Island/Hastings/Kearney, North Platte/Ogallala, McCook/Imperial and Scottsbluff/Gering. His son-in-law Alan Usher is the CEO of his broadcast company which enters its sixth year of service in Nebraska. Jan continues her career as an elementary school educator at Jefferson Elementary in Grand Island.
Community involvement, community service and family are important to Jay. He has served in many volunteer capacities from community fund raising drives to outdoor conservation organizations to election efforts and service with the Red Cross, the United Way, high school booster clubs to chamber of commerce and economic development activities. Jay is proud to have served in recent elected public service in 2002-2006 as Mayor of Grand Island. During his term as Mayor, his community successfully recruited the Nebraska National Guard to locate an aviation facility, adopted a local economic development program and expanded taxpayer services in a new law enforcement center, fire station, expanded city library and senior citizen center while successfully recruiting many new employers and expanding new employment growth.
After an unsuccessful, yet rewarding effort in the 2006 Republican primary election as a candidate representing the Third Congressional District in Nebraska, Jay remained active as a member of Grand Island's State Fair legislative relocation recruitment, Red Cross Board of Directors, Hall County Merit Commission, volunteer of the Central Nebraska Friends of the NRA, an elected trustee of the Grand Island Area Economic Development Association, Chamber of Commerce Main Street Downtown Economic Vitality Committee, and the newly elected Vice Chairman of the Nebraska State Fair 1868 Foundation. Vavricek is a 2010 candidate to once again resume elected public service as Mayor of Grand Island.
