Bell gets a big donation..

This from the ABC News local station website today:

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=4272224

Bell is keeping pace with Perry in terms of fundraising, although $100K came from a single source. However, that's good money at this point - it may provide the leverage for additional fundraising he will need to move forward.

Interestingly, the Perry spokesman in the article attacked C4n3p by saying the people will elect either a Democrat or a Republican. That Perry strategy may benefit Bell. At any rate, the unusual campaign contribution got Chris some much needed publicity - a double windfall!

I really hope that Bell wins and that Houston oilman A. Earl Swift can see the benefits of his donation wherever he is now. May he rest in peace.



Sonia

...might have "legs." It's an interesting story, and I would hope that the reasons that a dying man would give such a large donation to an underdog get publicized. Was Mr. Swift an old-school, yellow dog? Did he like what Chris Bell has been saying? Was he ticked with the GOP and Specifically with Rick Perry?

I don't mean to sound cynical - I just think that this type of gift is incredibly kind, and that the reasons for it might cause others to think a little bit. I would hope this gets more publicity....and that would benefit Chris.

June 7, 2006, 1:23AM
OBITUARIES
Swift, 72, founded energy company


By LYNWOOD ABRAM
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

A. Earl Swift, founder of a small Houston-based drilling company that grew into an oil-and-gas enterprise with reserves in three states and New Zealand, died May 30 of colon cancer. He was 72.

Swift was president of Swift Energy Co. from 1979 until 1997 and chief executive officer until 2001, when his son, Terry Earl Swift, succeeded him. Terry Swift, of Houston, was elected chairman of the board after his father's death.

"Swift Energy is a testament to (Earl Swift's) values and determination," said Bruce Vincent, president of the company, in a prepared statement. "He touched the lives of each of us at Swift Energy throughout his 27 years at the company."

Swift Energy, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, is "the largest crude oil producer and most active driller in Louisiana and a longtime producer of natural gas in South Texas," according to a company statement.

The company has reserves in Texas, Louisiana, Alaska and New Zealand.

Swift's policy was that the company should positively affect the communities where it operates and that his employees should feel they are integral parts of the business.

After hurricanes Katrina and Rita damaged Swift operations, according to a family statement, the company retained the affected employees and assisted storm-damaged communities, especially in Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana.


Leading the way
In articles in World Energy magazine, Swift voiced his belief that businesses should lead the way for religious, political and social institutions to find peaceful ways of competing with organizations that promote conflicting values.

He was writing a book on the subject at the time of his final illness.

In 2000, Swift joined the board of Interfaith CarePartners, which helps congregations assist families in times of chronic or terminal illnesses and other difficulties.

He had been chairman of the organization for the past four years.

Swift and his wife, Terralynn Walters Swift, also established the Terralynn and Earl Swift Endowed Scholarship at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy in Malibu, Calif. At St. Edward's University in Austin, Swift established the Edith Jackson Swift Memorial Endowed Scholarship in memory of his mother.

Aubrey Earl Swift, the son of Virgil and Edith Swift of Tulsa, Okla., was a third-generation member of an oil-drilling family. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1955 with a degree in petroleum engineering and received a law degree in 1968 from South Texas College of Law.

In addition to his wife and son Terry, survivors include daughters Katrina Swift of Houston and Kennebunkport, Maine, and Vanessa Suzanne Taylor of Huntsville, Ala.; son Nicholas Gorman Swift of Austin; a brother, Virgil Neil Swift of Austin; a sister, Lorraine Swift Abbott of Knoxville, Tenn.; and a longtime friend and business associate, Linda H. Hagerman of Houston.

Services were Saturday at Brentwood Baptist Church.