Long After a Visit, a Legacy

I met the Twetens 14 years ago when they invited me to pay them a visit on my drive from Seattle to San Francisco.

I was fresh from an exciting two-day conference Government Accountability Project had organized about the massive contamination problems at the Hanford Nuclear Weapons Facility. Our conference penetrated the pretense, and for many hours 200 federal officials, state regulators, national public interest activists, local concerned citizens, Native Americans and whistleblowers talked to and not past one another.

Emil and Myrtle Tweten shared my enthusiasm and optimism.

During our time together, I learned that it was our effective use of insider information and expertise to address difficult national concerns that most impressed them. From that day forward, the couple doubled their annual giving.

Over the years, this quiet couple passed away. When their gifts ceased, we had assumed their priorities or needs had shifted. It was a shock when we learned that they had left $305,000 of their estate to Government Accountability Project.

Because of their daily sacrifices, we were able to extend our efforts far into the future. We honor and thank them for creating this legacy, which will enable us to accomplish our shared vision for years to come.

—Louis Clark, Government Accountability Project President