NPR and KMBH in Harlingen, Texas, have received donations from a devoted listener who passed away in 2009. Wallace Cameron, a former professor of languages at Ohio University, left NPR $600,000 in his will.
Cameron retired from Ohio University in 1992 after a 36-year career at the school. He lived in the Rio Grande Valley and was a fan of KMBH and NPR, says Robert Gutierrez, g.m. of KMBH. The station and network learned of the gift earlier this year.
“This is definitely a blessing from up above,” Gutierrez says.
The unrestricted gift supported the station’s operations and is one of the biggest donations KMBH has received from an individual donor, he says. Gutierrez would not disclose the amount to KMBH but said it was “significant.”
NPR has been airing an underwriting credit acknowledging Cameron’s gift.