Helping Pat Crow

This is off topic, but call it a point of personal privilege. I'm about to head out to a benefit for a dear friend, mentor and long-time Austin-based campaign manager Pat Crow, who suffered a stroke last year during heart surgery. Her friends and supporters (she managed 22 political campaigns over the years, including a slew of judicial candidates) are hosting a benefit tonight.

A grass-roots field general of the first order, Pat is one of the folks who taught me the nuts and bolts of political campaigning when I was a young pup. Pat changed my life in all sorts of odd, unpredictable ways, looking back, just from knowing her. Though our political paths diverged after a few years as I began focusing more on criminal justice stuff, she was a truly important figure in my life and it's quite arguable that, if it weren't for Pat Crow, I'd never have set out on the path that, years later, led to the creation of this blog - for good or ill.

Check out an excellent Austin Statesman story on Pat promoting the event, and also an article written by my better half, Kathy Mitchell, who profiled her soon after her stroke for what turned out to be the final issue of the Austin-based Good Life magazine.

If you know Pat (and if you run in Austin political circles, she's hard to miss) but can't make it to the event, go to the gorgeous website established to help her pay back $65K in medical and rehab expenses. Needless to say, given that kind of debt, if you're able, contribute generously.

Thanks for your indulgence ... and now back to our regularly scheduled programing.