United Way of Greater Houston

Alexis de Tocqueville Society Welcomes Rex Tillerson

From left: Rich Kruger, Dorothy Ables, Rex Tillerson, Anna Babin and Bobby Tudor

More than 250 members of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society extended a warm welcome to Exxon Mobil Corporation Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson at a reception held at River Oaks Country Club on Nov. 4. It was Tillerson's first appearance at an Alexis de Tocqueville Society event in Houston and a rare opportunity for members to meet and mingle with the man who leads the world's largest publicly traded international oil and gas company.

Tillerson, a native Texan and a graduate of the University of Texas, joined Exxon Company USA in 1975 and held a number of responsible management positions before assuming his current position in January 2006. Rich Kruger, president of ExxonMobil Production Company and United Way board member, introduced Tillerson to Society members.

With more than 30 years of oil and gas experience, Tillerson reflected on the state of our nation's economy and the important role the oil and gas business will play in getting America moving forward again. He shared insights about the magnitude of the industry's impact on our economy over the last 150 years, the growing worldwide demand for clean energy and the investments in new technologies required to meet energy demand in the twenty-first century, as well as a number of innovative research and development projects under way at ExxonMobil.

Tillerson spoke about being a good corporate citizen and ExxonMobil's long-term support of United Way in the communities where employees live and work. He reflected on how Alexis de Tocqueville, while visiting our country in 1835, was inspired to write about Americans working together to solve problems and help people in need. Before closing, Tillerson thanked Society members for all they do to help the community through their support of United Way.

Bobby Tudor, Alexis de Tocqueville Society co-chair and chairman and CEO of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. LLC, thanked ExxonMobil for its incredible support as the single largest contributor to United Way of Greater Houston. In 2008, 91 ExxonMobil employees and retirees contributed more than $1.2 million as de Tocqueville members.

Tudor also thanked members for their outstanding leadership in the Houston community and their generous support. "You are the cornerstone of the United Way," he said. He asked members to consider increasing their gifts this year and reminded them about the benefits of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society Match.

Here is how the match program works:

A new Society member contributing $10,000 annually will generate an additional $5,000 match for United Way.

Existing members who increase their gifts by 10 percent will generate a dollar-for-dollar match. Increases of $5,000 or more will generate a two-for-one match. For example, an existing member who contributed $10,000 in 2008 and who increases their 2009 gift to $15,000 will generate a two-for-one match and be recognized as a Major Donor at $25,000 and invited to the Major Donor Dinner on April 14, 2010.

Dorothy Ables, Alexis de Tocqueville Society co-chair and chief administrative officer of Spectra Energy, expressed her appreciation for members' can-do spirit and for reaching out to our neighbors who are facing the challenges of their lives this year. Ables extended an invitation to guests in the audience to join the Alexis de Tocqueville Society. "Our members are incredible leaders who know how to get things done," she said.

Members attending the reception included Anna Babin; Kim Bates; Sue and Rusty Burnett; Pam Darwin; Susie and Joe Dilg; Marianne and Neil Duffin; John Eldridge; Richard Everett; Harriet and Joe Foster; Ted Frois; Carol and Frank Gruen; Joe Hafner; Jim Hall; Paul Hanson; Harriett Hart and Sonny Wallace; Phil Hawk; Peggy Heeg; Diana Hudson and Lee Kaplan; Ann and Stephen Kaufman; Linnea and Steve Kirchhoff; Terry Koonce; Lynne Liberato and James Flodine; Beth Madison and Dick Kuriger; Billie Carole and Joe McMillan; Robert Olsen; Meg O'Neil; Sara Ortwein; Sue Payne; Nancy and Bob Peiser; Jim Postl; Bobby Reeves; Pattie Dale Tye; Lisa and Clay Vaughn; Al Walker; Rick Weber; Jack Williams; and Ling and George Yang.

We deeply appreciate Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. LLC for generously sponsoring this event.

For more information about the Alexis de Tocqueville Society, contact Diane Likeness at 713-685-2319.

View a photo gallery of this event.