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In 1979, Wead, Dan O'Neill and Pat Boone organized the first Washington Charity Awards. First Lady Rosalynn Carter hosted the guests in an East Room reception. The following year Mercy Corps was organized. Five First Ladies from Lady Bird Johnson to Nancy Reagan to Laura Bush have served as honorary chairpersons for the event. Mercy Corps has distributed more than $500 million in food and medicine around the world. During the early 1988 George Bush presidential campaign, Wead reported to son, George W. Bush and served as a liaison to constituent groups. He was Deputy Director of voter coalitions and later served as Special Assistant to the President in the Bush Senior, White House. Time magazine referred to him as "the man who coined the phrase the compassionate conservative in 1982." |