Clinton Howard Swindle
Encyclopedia
Clinton Howard Swindle (November 20, 1945- June 9, 2004), also known in his writing as Howard Swindle, was an accomplished investigative journalist
and editor for The Dallas Morning News
and an author of six books.
Attending Hamilton High School and playing on the Bulldogs football and basketball teams, Howard Swindle would work weekends at Howard Shipman's ranch in Indian Gap. Though he looked at Howard Shipman as a stern and stingy man, he would later describe working on the ranch as some of the best years of his life, and was promised along with his brother, Jimmy Swindle, that they would split the land after his uncle.
Told it was not worth it to go to college by a high school counselor, Howard Swindle was later accepted into the University of North Texas
, and studied journalism. Shortly after graduation from UNT (1968), he worked for a short time at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
.
definitely impacted Howard Swindle, and even his writing. His first book, Once A Hero was about a helicopter pilot in Vietnam who robbed banks using helicopters.
Told by his brother Jimmy Swindle that Howard would probably soon be drafted, Howard Swindle enlisted in the United States Navy in 1968, hoping not to be drafted into the Army or Marines, as the casualty rates were rising in the overseas conflict. Awarded Honorman of his basic training company, Howard Swindle went to a signal intelligence school at Corey Field in Pensacola, FL, and was later assigned to the USS Oklahoma City, a cruiser patrolling the Gulf of Tonkin in North Vietnam. One of his later stories involved receiving a message from President Nixon, to give to the Commander of the Seventh Fleet before Operation Moneypenny, or the mining of Haiphong Harbor.
After serving a longer-than-usual tour of 14 months, Howard Swindle was honorably discharged from the Navy, and returned to Dallas, where he got a job at The Dallas Times Herald
, which he lost in the mid-70s over a dispute with an editor over a news story.
Dileberate Indifference,
Trespasses,
America's Condemned - (with Dan Malone),
Jitter Joint, - later made into the movie Eye See You or Detox,
Doin' Dirty.
Howard Swindle was also Edgar-nominated, and received three Pulitzer Prizes for The Dallas Morning News
, among many other numerous awards.
, and he underwent surgery in January 1999. After his surgery, he lost a substantial amount of weight that he never regained with chemotherapy. After a lengthy recovery, it was discovered three years later in 2002 that he had a small tumor in his lung, which was taken out without trouble. In December 2003, he was again diagnosed with lung cancer, though they could not operate with the amount of scar tissue from the previous operation. Undergoing an experimental drug program in San Antonio, in April he started to decline, and moved in with family friends in Stephenville, TX, where he later died on June 9, 2004.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and editor for The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
and an author of six books.
Early life
Clinton Howard Swindle was born in Houston, TX on November 20, 1945. He was born to Clinton Swindle and Woodye Shipman. At around age 13, Clinton and Woodye divorced, and Howard and Woodye moved to Hamilton, TX, as one of Woodye's brothers, Howard Shipman, owned a ranch in the nearby ranching town of Indian Gap, TX.Attending Hamilton High School and playing on the Bulldogs football and basketball teams, Howard Swindle would work weekends at Howard Shipman's ranch in Indian Gap. Though he looked at Howard Shipman as a stern and stingy man, he would later describe working on the ranch as some of the best years of his life, and was promised along with his brother, Jimmy Swindle, that they would split the land after his uncle.
Told it was not worth it to go to college by a high school counselor, Howard Swindle was later accepted into the University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
, and studied journalism. Shortly after graduation from UNT (1968), he worked for a short time at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal is a newspaper based in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. It is owned by the Morris Communications Company.-History:The Lubbock Avalanche was founded in 1900 by John James Dillard and Thad Tubbs. According to Dillard, the name "Avalanche" was chosen due to his desire that the...
.
Vietnam
VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
definitely impacted Howard Swindle, and even his writing. His first book, Once A Hero was about a helicopter pilot in Vietnam who robbed banks using helicopters.
Told by his brother Jimmy Swindle that Howard would probably soon be drafted, Howard Swindle enlisted in the United States Navy in 1968, hoping not to be drafted into the Army or Marines, as the casualty rates were rising in the overseas conflict. Awarded Honorman of his basic training company, Howard Swindle went to a signal intelligence school at Corey Field in Pensacola, FL, and was later assigned to the USS Oklahoma City, a cruiser patrolling the Gulf of Tonkin in North Vietnam. One of his later stories involved receiving a message from President Nixon, to give to the Commander of the Seventh Fleet before Operation Moneypenny, or the mining of Haiphong Harbor.
After serving a longer-than-usual tour of 14 months, Howard Swindle was honorably discharged from the Navy, and returned to Dallas, where he got a job at The Dallas Times Herald
Dallas Times Herald
The Dallas Times Herald, founded in 1888 by a merger of the Dallas Times and the Dallas Herald, was once one of two major daily newspapers serving the Dallas, Texas area. It won three Pulitzer Prizes, all for photography, and two George Polk Awards, for local and regional reporting...
, which he lost in the mid-70s over a dispute with an editor over a news story.
Books and Awards
Once A Hero,Dileberate Indifference,
Trespasses,
America's Condemned - (with Dan Malone),
Jitter Joint, - later made into the movie Eye See You or Detox,
Doin' Dirty.
Howard Swindle was also Edgar-nominated, and received three Pulitzer Prizes for The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
, among many other numerous awards.
Death
It was discovered in late December 1998 that Howard Swindle had esophageal cancerEsophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
, and he underwent surgery in January 1999. After his surgery, he lost a substantial amount of weight that he never regained with chemotherapy. After a lengthy recovery, it was discovered three years later in 2002 that he had a small tumor in his lung, which was taken out without trouble. In December 2003, he was again diagnosed with lung cancer, though they could not operate with the amount of scar tissue from the previous operation. Undergoing an experimental drug program in San Antonio, in April he started to decline, and moved in with family friends in Stephenville, TX, where he later died on June 9, 2004.