Friends,

I am near the bottom of the earth—having made it to Antarctica at long last.

The adventure of my lifetime begins as another banner year at Buckeye comes to a close.

We have accomplished extraordinary goals together in 2022, and are ready for even more in 2023.

I couldn’t be there to celebrate the signing into law of so many tremendous victories in person because I am embarking on a personal dream, inspired by the Sir Ernest Shackleton stories I read in my youth that captured my imagination and never gave it back.

These are, indeed, worthy goals.

For some, the unshakeable cold, dangerous trekking, dehydrated sustenance, lack of plumbing, and separation from loved ones for weeks on end would be dissuasive in undertaking an endeavor like this one. But I am called to the cause of freedom, mountaineering, and honoring my late father.

Dad was the old-fashioned kind. He didn’t say much. He was relentless in his work ethic and pursuit of excellence. He was a highly-regarded physicist, who worked on classified projects including the invention of second-generation night vision for the military while serving as a beloved university professor—Dr. Bob, as he was affectionately known, taught thousands of students about the mechanics and rules of the physical universe using good humor, bad puns, and sharp wit.

In his free time, dad completed triathlons, countless ultra-marathons (because why stop at 26.2 miles when you can run double or even quadruple that distance?), and ordinary marathons as though they were nothing. He made it to Mt. Everest basecamp (17,598 feet) in his 60s.

He left an incredible personal legacy—one which I was too close to fully appreciate during his lifetime. Unfortunately, I was often distractedly busy with my own budding legal career on the opposite coast—figuring I had plenty of time to accompany him hither and yon sometime “later.” I didn’t know enough back then to understand that he was not getting any younger, and none of us is guaranteed tomorrow.

My brilliant father began suffering a particularly cruel demise from dementia and ultimately  died more than a decade ago. Despite invitations to join him on whatever his latest outdoor adventure was, I never got to climb a serious mountain with him, let alone one of the Seven Summits of the World. As you can guess, I live with regret. I didn’t “have the vacation time available.” I would do so once I was “more established and settled professionally.” And of course I always intended to get around to going with him. You get the idea. There are heart-wrenching songs about this age-old dance between father and son.

My respect and admiration for his patience, fortitude, and self-discipline has grown exponentially as I have matured and aged. He was a quiet man—physically and mentally stronger than most. I would give everything I own to have him with me here in Antarctica. He would have loved every second of this wild expedition. Instead, I am faithfully carrying his ashes in order to spread a piece of him on each major peak I reach—fulfilling his dying wish that he be placed high in the mountains.

I hope he would be proud that I have finally taken up his hobbies in earnest, but I missed the opportunity to hear any wise words he would have shared on all of those journeys I didn’t take alongside him.

My New Year’s wish for you dear Buckeye supporters is that you don’t wait until it’s too late to do what matters most.

Carpe diem and get after it. My own laborious climb up Vinson Massif (the tallest mountain in Antarctica) with my six-man team commences imminently. Wish me luck, send your thoughts and prayers this way, and I’ll see you all in mid-January—reinvigorated to be back at it again and hopefully thawed out in Ohio and states across the country that desperately need sound policy advice and guidance on how to advance the best strategies while keeping government in its place 
and out of our lives and businesses.

I also hope you will make a generous end-of-year tax-deductible contribution before the stroke of midnight on Saturday, December 31, to support our valiant fight. You can also mail a check to our office if you prefer.

Your donation will go further here than almost anywhere else. Buckeye’s return on investment for our lovely and loyal supporters is unrivaled. We are ruthless about results, tireless in our efforts, and lean in our spending. We know you work hard for your money, and—accordingly—we put every last dime to its highest best purpose in the cause of freedom.

Thank you for considering our work at Buckeye in your year-end giving, and—for Dr. Bob’s sake—please do give your loved ones the extra time, love, and appreciation they deserve this holiday season and always.

Upward,
Robert Alt
President and CEO