Judge Pete Lowry

By Judge Pete Lowry

As a longtime supporter of community organizations such as The Salvation Army, I was interested to read that the institution is planning to go digital in its fundraising strategies—after all, one of the strongest images associated with The Salvation Army is bell ringers standing in front of department stores and major retail outlets. These volunteers also set up distinctive red kettles, into which festive shoppers are encouraged to drop cash donations.

In early November, The Salvation Army announced that it is testing out a new mobile payment device, developed by the start-up venture Square, Inc., and built into phones donated by Sprint. The handheld device allows credit cards to be quickly scanned, with a 2.75 percent service fee added to all donations. A Salvation Army spokesperson speaking to The New York Times attributed the need for this technology to the fact that many these days simply don’t carry cash when holiday shopping. The mobile device was implemented earlier this year by a Girl Scout troop in Silicon Valley. The troop was selling boxes of cookies at Facebook’s headquarters, and one of the troop members’ fathers, who works for the company, noticed that his colleagues simply did not carry cash. Equipped with a Square device, however, the troop sold some 400 boxes. 

During the 2011 holiday season, The Salvation Army is testing digital donation devices in ten locations in the cities of Dallas, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. Interestingly, this is not the first time that the nonprofit has allowed credit card payments during its Red Kettle Campaign. In 2008, The Salvation Army introduced credit card processing terminals. However, the amount these stations collected was small, just $60 million in 2009, compared to nearly $150 million raised through traditional cash donations. The Square handheld devices are touted as being effortless and intuitive, and The Salvation Army hopes to expand its fundraising capacities significantly through the technology. 

Whether successful this year or not, it is likely only a matter of time before swipe-and-go donations become commonplace. During the upcoming holiday season, I encourage shoppers to support The Salvation Army, either through a clink of the coins or a swipe of the card.

About the Author:

Judge Pete Lowry has nearly four decades of experience in the Austin, Texas, community, as a judge and lawyer handling complex litigation and civil law issues. Judge Lowry contributes to several community organizations in addition the Salvation Army, including Hospice Austin and Partners in Health.

Retired Judge Peter Lowry shares a University of Texas connection with writer John Graves, and takes particular pleasure in reading his works. The author, like Judge Peter Lowry, holds a deep connection to his “blood’s country” and an abiding respect for nature. Graves, born in 1920, grew up in Fort Worth and studied at Rice University with famed instructor George Williams, who also taught Texas authors Larry McMurtry and William Goyen. Upon graduating in 1942, Graves entered the United States Marine Corps. Serving as a first lieutenant in the Pacific Theater, he received serious wounds in Saipan, losing sight in one eye.

After World War II, John Graves completed a Master’s degree at Columbia University and taught at The University of Texas at Austin for two years before taking time off to travel in Europe and Mexico. In 1958, he joined the faculty of Texas Christian University, where he remained for seven years. A memorable canoe trip he had taken down the Brazos River in 1957 became the subject of writing Goodbye to a River, which came out in 1960. Following its success, Graves bought land near Glen Rose, Texas, the inspiration for Hard Scrabble: Observations on a Patch of Land, published in 1974.

While working on his Master’s degree, Graves had written the short story, “Quarry,” which The New Yorker published, and he continued to supply material for that publication and several other magazines for a number of years. He wrote stories and articles for Esquire, The Atlantic, The American Southwest, Texas Monthly, and other periodicals. Graves also penned introductions to other authors’ works and wrote the text for photography books.

Additional works of John Graves include “Texas: You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” which appeared in The Water Hustlers, a Sierra Club publication; and From a Limestone Ledge: Some Essays and Other Ruminations about Country Life in Texas, a collection that included essays formerly printed in Texas Monthly. In keeping with his devotion to the land, John Graves also worked for Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall for three years, writing and consulting on the preservation of the Potomac River Basin.

For almost 40 years, Judge Pete Lowry served Austin, Texas, as a lawyer and judge with experience in civil law and complex litigation resolution. Judge Pete Lowry matriculated at the University of Texas, where he studied journalism, English, and law. In 1968, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, as well as a Bachelor of Laws, or LLB. The pursuit of an LLB is one that typically requires enrollment in a number of courses pertaining to the classics. Being a bibliophile, these classes were a pleasure for him to undertake alongside his law-oriented studies. Judge Pete Lowry enjoyed the opportunity to expand his grasp of the English language while analyzing prose used to create cherished literature. Following graduation, Judge Pete Lowry began his tenure as a Briefing Attorney at the Supreme Court of Texas in Austin. In that role, he prepared legal memoranda and wrote drafts detailing legal opinions. He also handled a great deal of legal research. In 1969, he became a Partner at McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, L.L.P., a firm in Austin that focuses on civil law. As a Partner, Judge Pete Lowry represented clients before entities such as trial and appellate courts, and administrative agencies. In September 1997, Judge Pete Lowry became a judge in the 261st Judicial Civil District Court of Travis County, Texas, the state's highest court. Over the following two years, Judge Pete Lowry oversaw trials before courts and juries, and dispensed judgments. In this capacity, 13 of his peers selected him to serve as a local administrative judge for seven years. Prior to retirement, Judge Pete Lowry was one half of a partnership that formed Meyers and Lowry, a legal dispute resolution firm based in Austin. He maintained the practice until retiring in 2005. Judge Pete Lowry spends his newfound spare time digesting books from my expansive collection. He also partakes in outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, and raising livestock.

I am a former member of the Austin Bar Association, which was founded in 1893 to support attorneys throughout Travis County in Texas. The ABA creates a community of legal professionals for networking and promoting the community’s success. The association also provides for public awareness of the legal system and promotes professionalism and camaraderie among the legal community. Since its inception, the organization has grown to over 4,100 attorneys representing 21 unique legal specialties. Working together, these legal professionals provide a range of volunteer services and raise thousands of dollars annually for local charities. In 2005, the Austin Bar Association established the Austin Lawyers Assistance Program, which continues to educate legal professionals and the public about issues related to mental health. Through the distribution of small cards, individuals gain access to the essential contact numbers for drug and alcohol abuse programs, emergency psychiatric care, and crisis counseling program. The Assistance Program empowers those in the Travis country area to seek help. The program also created the Justice Mack Kidd Fund, which provides funding for attorneys with depression or other mental illnesses, allowing them to seek counseling or other medical treatment. In 2003, the Texas Access to Justice Commission created the Deborah G. Hankinson Access to Justice Award in order to recognize bar associations with the highest percentage of donations given to the commission’s campaign. The Austin Bar Association has been honored with the reception of the Hankinson Award every year since its foundation. This past year, the ABA’s newsletter, known at the Austin Lawyer, was given an Outstanding Newsletter Award from the State Bar of Texas. In addition to the honors that it receives, the ABA also recognizes exceptional lawyers that are a part of the association. In 2003, I was proud to receive the ABA’s “Distinguished Lawyer Award.”