NEIGHBORS

from Scottsdale Progress - 6.27.2021

by Times Media Group

FOOD

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Cowboy artist needs help after stroke

BY KRISTINE CANNON

Progress Staff Writer

Contemporary cowboy artist Michael Swearngin and his sister, Lindsey Nix, are in search of the community’s support.

Nix set up a GoFundMe on May 30 to raise money for Swearngin, who recently suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side.

“He makes his living as a painter and now he can barely move or talk,” wrote Nix. “He has visual and mobility impairments. He needs financial help to cover the doctor bills from his surgery and stroke.”

The stroke followed surgery to correct the artist’s hydrocephalus, what the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describes as an abnormal buildup of fluid in the cavities deep within the brain. The excess fluid causes the ventricles to widen, in turn putting pressure on the brain’s tissues.

According to Nix, Swearngin’s insurance stopped paying for his therapy in early June.

The money raised by Nix’s GoFundMe will go toward paying for Swearngin’s therapy as well as his assisted-living costs.

Swearngin is currently staying at Hazelwood Manor Assisted Living in Scottsdale, where his monthly room and care expensive costs $3,500 out of pocket.

“He is still not able to walk, move his right arm, talk well, and see properly. He needs all the help he can get,” Nix said.

Nix added, “Will you help Michael?”

Other ways the public can help Swearngin is by purchasing his original artwork from his Etsy page, michaelswearngin, and his website, contemporarycowboy.com.

Local contemporary cowboy artist Michael Swearngin suffered a stroke after he had surgery for hydrocephalus. (GoFundMe/Lindsey Nix) seeSTROKE page 21

Longtime swimmer marks 91 in the pool

BY KRISTINE CANNON

Progress Staff Writer

Nancy Moore was shocked to see dozens of friends and family members gather around the pool at Westminster Village on recent Monday morning.

Nancy and her family – including husband Bud Moore and her three kids – thought they would celebrate her 91st birthday with a smaller, more intimate group of people who would cheer her on as she swam one mile in the pool.

That mile would commemorate her past triumphs as a competitive swimmer in her 70s.

But instead, her birthday celebration and aquatic feat attracted her many friends.

“And when Nancy saw the crowd, she said, ‘I kind of like it,’” laughed Kim Eavenson, spokeswoman for Westminster Village, a retirement and assisted living facility in northern Scottsdale.

On June 21, Nancy rang in her 91st birthday, greeting and mingling with her many friends and family before hopping in the pool to swim several laps.

As spectators hollered and cheered, tables displayed signs that read, “Nancy’s Fan Club.”

“I swam at Alcatraz, and I thought I can show them I can do it again,” Nancy said, citing her past experiences swimming the Alcatraz “Sharkfest” Swim in San Francisco.

“She came up to me the other day and said, ‘I’m going to do something for my

Nancy Moore celebrated her 91st birthday swimming one mile in the Westminster Village pool, as her many friends and family cheered her on. (David Moore)

SWIMMER �� page 19

birthday. I’m going to swim a mile.’ And I think she came up with the idea because I never come up with a very good gift,” Bud joked.

Nancy’s swimming history didn’t start with Sharkfest.

She was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, and started swimming at age 6.

While attending Kansas University, she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority and competed in swim competitions as part of the sorority.

Although she competed at the Jewish Community Center as a member of a relay swimming team, it wasn’t until much later in life that Nancy started swimming the open waters.

Not only did Nancy decide to compete in the Alcatraz “Sharkfest” Swim at 70 to prove “that 70 is not old” but she placed first in her age group three times and remains the oldest woman to compete and finish the annual San Francisco event.

To prepare for the race, Nancy spent months training with personal trainer Bill Crawford at Basic Training Gym in Scottsdale.

Next, Nancy needed a wetsuit. So, she contacted Speedo’s Manager of Speedo Sports Promotions Jill Jenkins, who was so impressed by Nancy being the oldest and only woman to ever register for Sharkfest that Speedo became Nancy’s sponsor for all three races.

Nancy competed in three swims, which attract anywhere from 800 to 900 swimmers who compete for fastest time covering the cold 1.5-mile stretch from the east side of the old Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on Alcatraz Island to Aquatic Park: in 2001, in 2003 and then in 2009, the latter at the age of 79.

“It’s the adrenaline rush you get from attempting such a feat,” Nancy said.

Nancy and Bud have lived for the last five years at Westminster, where she is described as caring, fun, active, and sociable.

“She really, I think, as a resident exudes what we are as a community here at Westminster: She is a very caring individual. ... She just has a heart of gold,” Eavenson said. “She’s just amazing.”

Nancy’s friend of about eight years, Jan Evans, describes her neighbor as thoughtful and deserving of celebration and attention.

“I wrote to her, it’s not because you’re 91 years old, and it’s not because you swam one mile, and it’s not because you’re so darn cute,” Evans says with a laugh. “It’s because you’re Nancy. You’re so real. You’re so friendly. You’re so caring and thoughtful of everybody.”

Swearngin also has many of his contemporary American cowboy artworks exhibited at local and out-of-state galleries, including Wilde Meyer Gallery and Xanadu Gallery.

At both Scottsdale galleries, he has anywhere from five to 15 pieces currently for sale, ranging in price from $395 to $4,000.

“If you would rather purchase a print or an original painting that would be great, too,” Nix said.

Swearngin began his art career in 1973, after moving to San Antonio, Texas.

His interest in the American Cowboy, however, began at a young age.

As a kid, Swearngin’s grandfather taught him the heritage of the cattleman and rancher.

His paintings now combine contemporary art with the imagery and heritage of the American cowboy; and it’s through these vibrant, vivid paintings that he helps keep the West and its history alive.

“It is through my art form that I intuitively paint to express the worn rugged spirit of the American West in my contemporary style. Every painting is an exploration of these experiences, and my objective is to share them with the viewer,” Swearngin once said about his work.

So far, Nix’s GoFundMe has raised more than $3,500 from 20 donors toward its $15,000.