Kenneth L. Lay

Kenneth L. Lay, the "former Enron chief executive and chairman convicted on fraud and conspiracy charges" on May 25, 2006, suffered a fatal heart attack early on Wednesday morning, July 5, 2006, in Aspen, Colorado. 

Profiles
Kenneth L. Lay, President of Lay Interests LLC, Houston, TX, was a member of the class of 1998 and is a member of the Horatio Alger Association (HAA). According to the HAA Web Site:

"Kenneth L. Lay was raised in the Ozarks of Missouri and in central Missouri in the 1940s. Finances were difficult for the Lay family, Mr. Lay's father sold farm equipment and served as a Baptist minister. As a young boy, he managed three paper routes and drove tractors for local farmers. Mr. Lay received a scholarship to the University of Missouri, where he earned a bachelor's and a master's in economics. He went to work for Exxon in Houston as an economist, at the same time, earning his Ph.D. in economics. Mr. Lay served as a Naval Officer in the mid 1960's and later as Deputy Undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Interior. In the 1970s, Mr. Lay became vice president for the Florida Gas Company. During the next decade, he served as president of Florida Gas, president and COO of Transco Energy Company, then chairman and CEO of Houston Natural Gas (HNG). When HNG was sold and renamed Enron, Mr. Lay became President and COO and four months later Chairman and CEO of the combined company until retiring in 2002."

Lay was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Forum for International Policy.

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Bush administration and the Enron connection

Profiles

 * NNDB profile, Kenneth Lay
 * Center for Responsive Politics Kenneth L. Lay Donor Profile 1990-2002.

Articles & Commentary

 * Briony Hale, "Kenneth Lay: A fallen hero," BBC, July 8, 2004: "Enron's former chief executive Kenneth Lay has protested his innocence since the day the scandal broke in 2001, pinning the blame firmly onto his former colleagues instead."
 * "Enron bosses 'stole to pump egos'," BBC, May 15, 2006.
 * "Lay 'too busy' to spot law break," BBC, May 23, 2006.
 * "Enron's Lay and Skilling guilty," BBC, May 25, 2006.
 * "Enron bosses 'shocked' at verdict," BBC, May 26, 2006.
 * "Enron's Ken Lay Dies Of Heart Attack. Enron Founder Was Awaiting Sentencing On Fraud And Conspiracy Charges," CBS News/Associated Press, July 5, 2006.
 * "Enron ex-chief Kenneth Lay dies," BBC, July 5, 2006.