By James Thompson

 

According to Project Vote Smart, S. Reed Morian is tied with Nancy Hunt and R. Steven Hicks as the seventh, eighth and ninth highest contributors to Greg Abbott’s campaign. They each contributed $150,000.

 

Forbes magazine describes Mr. Morian as follows: “S. Reed Morian joined the Board of Directors of GP Natural Resource Partners LLC in 2002. Mr. Morian has vast executive business experience having served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of several companies since the early 1980s and serving on the board of other companies. Mr. Morian has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the general partner of Western Pocahontas Properties Limited Partnership since 1986, New Gauley Coal Corporation since 1992 and the general partner of Great Northern Properties Limited Partnership since 1992. Mr. Morian worked for Dixie Chemical Company from 1971 to 2006 and served as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 1981 to 2006. He has also served as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of DX Holding Company since 1989. He formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas-Houston Branch from April 2003 until December 2008 and as a Director of Prosperity Bancshares, Inc. from March 2005 until April 2009.”

 

According to Texans for Public Justice, Mr. Morian contributed $372,500 to the campaign of Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Mr. Perry is currently under indictment for abuse of power. He is well-known for his thinly veiled to Texas seceding from the union. These references were seen by many as a throwback to the Confederacy.

 

Nancy Ann Hunt is the wife of Ray L. Hunt who was reviewed in a previous post on this website.

 

R. Steven Hicks is described by Forbes magazine as follows: “Mr. Hicks has served as a director of Gentiva since October 2013, when he was elected to the Board of Directors and appointed vice chairman of the Board of Directors in connection with our acquisition of Harden Healthcare Holdings, Inc. and in accordance with a Stockholders’ Agreement that Gentiva entered into with certain former stockholders of Harden Healthcare Holdings, including Mr. Hicks. Since 2000, Mr. Hicks has served as executive chairman of Capstar Partners, LLC, a private investment firm, which has invested in a broad range of industries including media and broadcasting, healthcare services, e-commerce, financial services and real estate. Prior to founding Capstar Partners, Mr. Hicks was active in the radio industry for many years and was the founder and chief executive officer of Capstar Broadcasting Corp., a leading consolidator of middle market radio stations across the United States. Mr. Hicks has served as a Regent on The University of Texas System Board of Regents since 2009 and currently serves as the board’s vice chairman. Mr. Hicks was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of The University of Texas Investment Management Co. (UTIMCO) in 2011 and was reappointed in September 2013. Mr. Hicks was a director of HealthTronics, Inc. from 2004 to 2010.

 

Wikipedia writes about Mr. Hicks as follows: “Hicks bought his first radio station at the age of twenty-nine. He was the CEO of GulfStar Communications, Inc., from July 1987 to January 1997. Over the next 14 years, he acquired stations in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, and South Carolina. He also co-founded and served as CEO of SFX Broadcasting, Inc. from November 1993 to May 1996, including the initial public offering of the stock in 1993.[4] In 1997, Hicks was named the Radio Executive of the Year and was ranked one of the 10 Most Powerful People in Radio by Radio Ink. In 1996, Ernst & Young named him Entrepreneur of the Year and recognized as Broadcaster of the Year by the Texas Association of Broadcasters.[1]

Later, he founded and served as chief executive officer of Capstar Broadcasting Corporation, which he also took public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1998. In 1999, Capstar Broadcasting merged with Chancellor Media Corp to form AMFM Inc. Hicks served as vice-chairman and chief executive officer of the new media division of AMFM. In 2000, AMFM was bought by radio station behemoth Clear Channel Communications. In December 2002, Hicks was appointed to the board of directors of XM.[5] On February 2, 2005, Hicks was appointed to the board of directors of sound equipment maker SLS International, Inc., a publicly trade company[6](the firm filed chapter 11 in 2009[7]).

In February 2009, Texas Governor Rick Perry appointed Hicks to a term on The University of Texas System Board of Regents.[1] He was confirmed by the Texas State Senate on April 1, 2009, took office the following day and his term expires February 1, 2011. He serves on the Facilities Planning and Construction Committee as well as the Student, Faculty, and Staff Campus Life Committee.”

Texas voters should consider these contributors to Greg Abbott’s campaign before casting a ballot in November.