I get to go to work everyday knowing that I have someone near me who will look out for me.  But, most importantly, I go to work everyday knowing that I have someone near me who wants to see me thrive, succeed and do more with my life than work in a bar.  I am writing this on my last day as one of Don's employees, but I know that he will always welcome me into his life.  By leaving the bar industry and moving on to a career I know that Don is not angry that I'm leaving, but extremely proud of all of my accomplishments.  What is important to him is not only that you're happy and safe working for him, but that you will pursue every positive opportunity that occurs in your life.  And if he can help you along the way, all you have to do is ask.

Don says his life is an open book.  You can ask him anything about himself and you will receive the truth, good or bad.  Don is purely honest, sincerely concerned and openly generous.  He has taught me a little about bartending and so much about life, and as I leave Texas I am able to reflect on my time behind the bar under Don's care as more than just a job. 
 

May 07, 2006

Honorable Judge Yeakel

United States District Judge

Austin, Tx

Honorable Judge Yeakel,

I am William M Fleshood and I am currently deployed in Iraq for the Defense Information Systems Agency under the Department of Defense.  Don King informed me of his situation.  He has stated that he has decided to accept responsibility for his involvement in the federal case against him.  

I have known Don King, aka, DK, since approximately March of 1997.   I worked with DK as his security manager.  I have to admit that when I first met him, I did not know what to think of him.  After all, the rumors of his generosity, charity, and high principles, as well as his interpersonal and management skills had to be inflated.  However, nothing could be further from the truth.  This is a man who thrives on helping those around him, including people he does not know.  This is evidenced through his countless efforts, contributions and compassion towards individuals and charities that are too numerous to name.   There are many who would quickly judge this man to be of questionable character simply because of his career choice and the stigma attached to the cabaret industry.  Yet, it is these same people that cower away or feel less of themselves when they discover that DK has dedicated much of his life to making a difference in the lives of other people.  They are shocked to discover that DK has made and continues to make a difference in many people lives through charities such as those for battered women, abused children, the homeless, and even those individuals who just can not seem to catch a break.  How many individuals do you personally know that will invite the homeless to their own home on Thanksgiving?

As a manager at the Yellow Rose, Don King continually tried to instill higher principles in his employees by setting an example through his own actions.  He motivates his employees and others to strive to do more with their lives.  He has been a dependable constant in many people’s lives, including my own.  When others walked away, DK stepped up and extended his hand without the expectation of anything in return.  This is true selflessness.  To give to someone else without any expectation of anything in return, other than the satisfaction that he made a difference. 

I have personally been the recipient of his caring and compassion.  Approximately one week after meeting DK, my wife and I were in a head on collision with a drunk driver.  I was injured and had to be transported to the hospital via ambulance.  DK arrived on scene to just to see if there was anything that he could do.  While I was treated in the emergency room, DK stayed with my wife.  He was the only person to remain until I was released ten hours later.   During my recuperation, DK constantly monitored my condition and made himself available for any of our needs.

DK was one of the key people to help rebuild my life after the end of my seventeen year marriage to my wife.  I was emotionally defeated and lost.  I could not figure out how to move forward.  DK made his home available to me anytime that I needed and offered to help me financially.  Though I never accepted his offer, he was the first to be there for me.  Thing was, he did not even like my wife.  Regardless, he knew how much she meant to me.  He stood beside me and helped to rebuild my life when I felt I had nothing left in this world.

Through working side by side with Don King, I have learned much from his interactions with his employees, customers, everyday people and those who are less fortunate.  I have learned much from his experiences as a manager and as a man.  I do not know of any other man who has given more of himself to others than DK.

If there is anything that you gain from reading this letter and many others like this one, it is that DK is truly a man of honor and compassion.  To sentence him to prison would mean a loss to those who need someone in their life who can make a difference when they can not do it on their own.

If I must appear in court to attest to his character or if you have any questions, please contact me at any time.   

Very Respectfully,

William M Fleshood, CISSP GS-13

Defense Information Systems Agency
Information Assurance Network Engineer/IAM
Camp Taji - Taji, Iraq
mike.fleshood@taji.sig54.army.mil

mike@securintel.net

To Whom It May Concern,

I am Laura King, wife of Don King's twin brother Ron. I am forty-four years
old with no children. My father was a hardworking carpenter and my mother
was a quadriplegic for the last thirty years of her life. My father and I
focused all our efforts on easing her suffering as best we could. She
remained in our care at home until her death at age sixty-three. I have no
memory of my parents that is not marked by the devastating effects of her
disease, Multiple Sclerosis.

Yet I consider myself fortunate as I have known the love and support of some
very special people. Kind neighbors, caring doctors and nurses, supportive
teachers and friends without whom I would not have long survived. I am not
an eloquent or influential person, my accomplishments are few, but I need to
impart to you the most important fact of my life.

Two people above all others have sustained me through all my years of
hardship and grief - my wonderful loving husband of twenty-six years and his
generous life-enlarging brother Don. Words cannot really describe the impact
these two kind, supportive, honest, encouraging and unfailingly loyal men
have made on my life for the last thirty-one years. Words like mentor,
friend, and savior apply equally to both of them. They took my problems and
made them theirs, never questioning the cost to them-selves, never hesitating
to do anything they could to support me and my family. I have been so
incredibly fortunate to know them.

I have never met nor am I ever likely to meet another person like Don. You
see I am not the only recipient of his loving and generous friendship. He
has been so many things to so many people, many of whom had no one else to
turn to in their times of need. I cannot begin to tell you how many people
have said to me "Don has been so good to me" or "Don saved my life". He
loves people and he lives to make a difference in people's lives, often
times at great expense to himself,

Very few people have the capacity to make such a difference in our troubled
world. I implore you to consider the devastating void that would come with
his absence in our lives.

I have known Don like a brother since I was a child and without exception I
have never known him to be deceptive or calculating or malicious. As
benevolent benefactor, his good deeds cannot be measured and his good name
means almost as much to him as his desire to help others. He is an asset to
the community and beloved by me, my husband and too many friends to ever
count.

These very qualities have made Don vulnerable too many times to people with
less than good intentions, as he always sees the best in people. I would
give anything if I could have protected him from people who would take
advantage of his good heart. It is my greatest hope that you will see Don
for what he is and always has been - a loving son, brother and friend,
someone that can always be counted on by those in need. Please do not hold
his trusting nature against him. If there were more people like Don in this
world, we would all be the better for it.

So dearly loved, he would be so sorely missed. This is the most important
letter I have ever written and I pray that you will be able to see Don for
the incredible human being he is. Thank you for reading this.

Sincerely,

Laura King                     1-979-849-8448

To whom it may concern;

 I am writing in regards to my dear friend, Donald
King. I do not know the details of this case and I am
not sure as to how much help my letter will really be,
however Don has helped me so many times, in so many
ways,  I feel honored with the chance to lend my hand
to him.

I have known Don for four years now. In the time that
I've known him, I have learned a number of things
about his character and have looked to him as an
example. For me, Don was very much a Father figure. I
could never be able to list the times that he has
either counseled me, guided me, protected me, defended
me, scolded me, or lectured me. He has always cared
for me the way a true friend should.

There was a period of time that I went through a while
back, that was extremely hard on me. I had a world of
personal issues weighing on me. I am not proud of the
way I reacted to the stress and heartache I was
experiencing, but I began drinking to the point of
destruction. I remember being hurt when Don didn't
side with me on the way I was acting, and feeling
almost betrayed that a friend would want nothing to do
with me in that state. I realize now that it was
"tough love". I also remember how proud he was of me
when I got my life straightened out and how his
encouragement was boosting to my self esteem. Although
there was a time that Don was so upset with me, I
dreaded seeing him, I knew all the while, if I needed
anything, he'd be there.

In the time that I have known Don, I have also
witnessed his relationships with many other people. I
would say he is an Austin celebrity. I have gone to
other cities and when telling people that I was from
Austin, numerous times they would ask if I knew "DK".
Out of all my encounters with people who know him, I
can honestly say I have never heard one bad thing from
their mouths about him. When putting this into
perspective, I ask "how can someone so popular have no
enemies?" I think the obvious answer would be; he is
genuinely a good person. There are countless times I
have seen him bend over backward for people he hardly
knows. Someone who's intentions weren't true, would
not be able to keep up the good deeds for the time
that he has. His heart is so big, he has adopted a zoo
of dogs (literally about six) to keep them out of the
shelters.

Donald King is an amazing roll model to me, and many
others. He has managed to put himself out to be taken
advantage of, while also not allowing people to run
him into the ground. He does it with grace, and
integrity. His daily actions should be proof enough of
his true character.

Thank you,
Kirsten Willis

Don,,,as I start to reply to you I watch the cursor on my computer blink
endlessly while I collect my thoughts. I had the luxury of reading every
single letter that has been sent on your behalf regarding "the situation". I
have broke bread with presidents, governors of state, political candidates,
state supreme court justices, attorney generals, United States Marshalls,
media personalities, sports personalities, detectives, officers of the law,
some of the wealthiest our country has to offer, and the poorest. As have
you.  I am not a people person as you know. I could give a damn about
someones status or gain as percieved., and saddened that perception as
reality is so accepted as a truism in our society. I look for the meat in an
individual. I go to their core. There I find my reason to respect, to
"like".  A facade is easy to maintain. When attention is drawn to someone,
they become the person they are percieved to be,,, then when drawn
away,,they become who they really are. Time being the truly great equalizer.
You have withstood the test of time. You are who you are, and it is
overwhelmingly good and easily recognizable. The numerous testaments to you
consistently bring up the same descriptive words, I hope the judge in your
case, without really "knowing" you, can trust in his intelligence and
inherent skills as an interpreter of the words these people have used to try
to describe who you are or have been to them.  I remain your friend,
comfortable in the fact that I can see you next week, or next decade and
still feel like we just finished 18. DD

Don M. Dalton
Bentwater Resort
179 Wedgewood Drive West
Montgomery, Texas 77356
448 Julia Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
DonMDalton@hotmail.com

To Whom It may concern, 

I am writing this letter on behalf of my friend Don King.  

I have known Don more than half of my 32 years.  I met Don through my Grandfather Thomas Casper Steiner Jr., who also considered Don a good friend.  

During those 17 years I've learned that there are not many people left in the world who value ideals like Respect, Honor and Truth. Who still live in a place where a handshake is as binding as your word to God.
 
My Grandfather was that kind of man. The kind of man John Wayne wanted to be. He instilled in me this code of living and made me more aware of that attitude in others.  

Don King IS that kind of man. 

Simply stated, I would trust Don with the keys to my house, my money and my girl.   

Now, I'm sure this will be one of many letters to read as there are no shortage of people that know and love Don.  We are writing to best represent our personal interpretations of Don's character.  By itself, this will only be words written by a stranger, as they all will be, but my hope is that it will also show a collective consensus. That we all know Don King to be a truly good man.

Sincerely,

Tommy Shane Steiner

512-633-1744

To whom it may concern,



Several years ago, I was assigned to write a feature profile of Don King. A

friend of mine, a writer for a national

magazine, thought King's story would make for an interesting read, and I

and my editors agreed.



In the course of my reporting, I interviewed between 15 and 20 current and

former employees, business associates,

friends and customers, all of whom praised King's fairness and generosity

of spirit. King struck me as a manifestly

decent guy working in a business commonly perceived as one where people

like him are quite rare. That made for an

interesting story.



To his credit, King was an open book. But because of King's business, my

editors required me to do more extensive

background checks than usual. Those checks revealed nothing to indicate

that King wasn't exactly who he portrayed

himself as. Moreover, he is well known in the community as someone who

raises money for numerous charities and

helps out friends when they're down.



My knowledge of the case in which King is now involved is limited to what

I've read in my own newspaper, the Austin

American-Statesman, and this letter should not be construed as the

institutional view of that paper; it is merely the

view of someone professionally obligated to check Don King's story.



Patrick Beach

Writer

Austin American Statesman

April 16, 2006

To Whom It May Concern;

I have been working for Don King, or DK as everyone
calls him, for four years. I got a job waitressing at
the Yellow Rose right after I graduated from
University of Texas. I received a Bachelors of Arts
degree and had a lot of trouble trying to find a
"normal" job. A nine to five job in which a degree
would be necessary is what I meant by "normal." I
started at the Rose for just a short term job, just
until I could find something else. But once I started,
I surprisingly discovered that I really enjoyed it.
Don King made me feel right at home.
Over the years, DK promoted me to the hostess
position. I love my job and over the last four years I
have seen all the kind things he has done for the
people that work for him, and for numerous customers
and friends who call him and come see him daily.

Everyone loves Don, and everyone he meets he makes
them feel special and welcomes them completely.
Among the acts of kindness that I mentioned seeing
over the last four years are too numerous to name. I
will site a couple of instances that say alot about
his strong character. One such instance, happened just
this week. One of the entertainers who works at the
Rose, was upset, crying because she hadn't made enough
money, and wanted to go to Mexico to visit her
daughter for her birthday the following day. Don
immediately opened his wallet and pulled out two
hundred dollars, gave her a hug and kiss, and let her
leave early. This is something that I have seen him do
on numerous occasions. I know that times have been
tough for him financially, lately, but that is the
type of person he is. The next night the same woman
came in on the way to the bus station and told me that
I was to give her a hundred dollars more from the
drawer and that DK would be in later to pay me back. I
didn't hesitate, because of what I had witnessed the
previous night and I knew that it sounded just like
something that Don would do. After he got to work,
repaid back the drawer, he told me that he wanted her
to get more money so that she would have plenty of
extra cash when she arrived in Mexico.

Another instance, that I know has happened at least
two times times over the years, I have witnessed DK
receiving a phone call from some upset girl in another
state, who was stranded without money and wanted to
come home. He immediately got out his credit card and
bought her a plane ticket home. Now these aren't
necessarily his best friends or even people he knows
well, but because he has such a kind heart when people
ask for help he ALWAYS delivers. Whether that is
paying for a customer or employee a safe ride home in
a cab, or helping organize huge charity events for
people. He never refuses people who need help.  I
think he knows he will probably never be paid back for
all the loans and nice things he does, but still after
years of doing this, DK never gives up on people. He
always tries to see the good in people and give them a
chance. Sometimes numerous chances. Unfortunately, I
think he sometimes gets taken advantage of, as do
other people with this quality.

For me personally, DK knows how much I love to travel.
So when I posed him the question asking how it would
be if I left for a month, he said "do it." He said,
"Have fun, experience life, and your job will be
waiting for you." That is the main reason why I have
stayed so happy and lasted for so long at the Yellow
Rose. DK gives me the freedom to live life. I do not
think that I would be able to work the mundane 40
hours a week day job, with the two week vacation a
year like what my college degree would earn me. I know
that since DK has been involved in all this court
legalities, one of the saddest things, is that they
took his passport away. So when I wanted to go
gallivanting around Africa, I believe he felt like
someone should, since he couldn't. A lesser man would
have not been happy about letting an employee take off
for a month, when he could not. Yet he was genuinely
happy for me.

I thought this letter would be difficult to write, I
am not great at expressing what gifts I see in other
people, but this was easy. I could write all day at
all the amazing things I have seen DK do for all types
of people.

If anyone has in questions on the character of this
great man, call me. I can vouch for him 100%.

Thank You,
Ashley Harness

512-350-5977
ashley_brook@yahoo.com