Oliver North Raises Thousands For Operation H.O.P.E.

I spent part of this past weekend at a fund-raiser for Operation H.O.P.E, a non-profit organization started by Lubbock surgeon John Thomas.  The guest speaker was Colonel Oliver North of Fox News Channel.

North spoke for about 30 minutes, mostly about military heroes and the importance of the good work done by Operation H.O.P.E.

Here are a few odds and ends from the evening:

• North spent some time at the head table talking with Mayor Tom Martin (see picture), who later made North an honorary citizen of Lubbock.
• The audience learned that North is a native Texan, born in San Antonio.
• I found out the mayor and I something in common.  The mayor revealed to the crowd  that Dr. Thomas was the doctor who performed his recent hernia operation.  Dr. T has operated twice on me.  (I know that's more than you wanted to know.)
• Brian Duncan and Baron Batch of Tech football fame had roles in the fund-raiser.  I don't know Baron, but I've got a great story to tell you some day about Brian -- nice guy.
• At the end of the event, Oliver North challenged members of the audience to donate $1000.   That alone brought in $30,000 (way to go Ollie) in addition to other fund-raising aspects of the event.
• In person, Col. North was very nice, taking time to sign autographs and posing for pictures with the crowd.
• Dr. Thomas and I serve on the board of Lubbock Right to Life.  He's a great humanitarian, a man of faith, and I endorse his Operation H.O.P.E.!