Sat. services for Adam H. Swope, 38, Chesco campaign strategist

Services are set for Saturday, Nov. 18, for Adam H. Swope, 38, of Malvern, a political strategist, who died Saturday, Nov. 11, in a nine-car accident on Route 202 in West Goshen, Chester County.

Mr. Swope was driving south when a tractor-trailer overturned in the northbound lane, striking his car and causing a massive fire. West Goshen police said Tuesday that the accident was still under investigation.

The son of Robert H. and Kathleen Q. Swope, Mr. Swope was born in Reading and graduated in 1997 from Reading Senior High School. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in political science from West Chester University and a master's degree in public administration from Villanova University.

He worked on numerous political campaigns in Chester County, first as a volunteer and then as a paid staffer. Most recently, he was an administrative analyst for Chester County as well as the campaign chair for Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone, who is running for lieutenant governor.

"He had a brilliant strategic political mind and patiently waited for you to realize he was right," Cozzone said. "However, he also could figure out how to get folks comfortable doing what needed to be done, even if that meant he didn't get what he was looking for 100 percent of the time."

He served in senior roles on Joe Hoeffel's 2004 U.S. senatorial campaign and on Dan Wofford's 2002 and Lois Murphy's 2006 campaigns for a seat in the Sixth Congressional District. All three lost.

In 2008, when Barack Obama was running in the primary election for president, Mr. Swope was a regional field director in Pennsylvania.

"He took pride in the fact that Obama won Chester County handily, even while Hillary Clinton won the statewide vote," his family said.

After the election, Mr. Swope was appointed statewide director of the Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans. For seven years, he advocated for seniors and worked on state and federal policy matters affecting their lives.

As chair of the Willistown/Malvern Democratic Committee, he worked to elect a slate of candidates to the Malvern Borough Council earlier this month.

The news of his death stunned his friends and colleagues. "In a field where self-promotion can be the norm, Adam was a thoroughly unpretentious and decent human being who could smell a phony a mile away," Wofford said.

Amy Yozviak was close to Mr. Swope. "For the past 20 years, Adam has been my best friend, fellow student leader, colleague, and mentor – a brother forever," she said. "I'll be one of many people carrying on his legacy."

In addition to his parents, Mr. Swope is survived by his grandmother Mary Quartieri; step-grandfather, John Paris; and extended family.

A visitation from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday will be followed by a memorial service at 3, both at the Reading Country Club, Exeter Township, 5311 Perkiomen Ave., Reading, Pa. 19606. Burial is private.

Donations may be made to the Adam H. Swope Scholarship Fund, c/o Reading Senior High School, Principal's Office, 801 N. 13th St., Reading, Pa. 19604, Attn: Corine McElroy. Checks should be payable to Reading Senior High School and note in the memo line: Adam H. Swope Scholarship Fund.