GBH in Boston has received $6 million in a bequest, the largest unrestricted gift in the station’s history.
Louis and Anthony Maglione, of Malden, Mass., combined their life savings to make the bequest, according to GBH’s announcement. Louis Maglione died in November 2019 at age 67. Anthony Maglione died in March 2021.
The funds will be used at the discretion of the station’s board of trustees. So far, GBH has said some of the funds will be invested in “local community outreach, including events and programming at the GBH Boston Public Library Studio; innovation in content distribution; and, among other things, GBH News’ digital transformation.”
Born and raised in Malden, the brothers never married and lived in the house they grew up in until their health declined, according to GBH’s news release. The brothers enjoyed local politics and town events. As baseball fans they supported the Boston Red Sox, of course.
They were also lifelong viewers of GBH and especially fond of historical documentaries from American Experience, the PBS prime-time series produced by their hometown station.
Family friend Linda Giallongo said the Magliones “enjoyed the simple pleasures in life,” and their bequest was a way to give back to their community, according to the release.
“They thought their gift to GBH would be good for everyone. They wanted the money to help GBH continue to produce its programming,” said Giallongo. “That meant a lot to them.”
In its local story, the Boston Globe joked that the brothers must’ve had a “ton of tote bags.”
Both brothers invested in the stock market. John McLaughlin, a partner at law firm Berluti McLaughlin & Kutchin who handled Anthony’s estate, told the Globe that he “bought conservative, dividend-paying stocks like Gillette, General Mills, and the telephone company.”
Anthony Maglione graduated from Malden High School in 1968 and worked at the Gillette Company in North Andover for 25 years.
Louis Maglione graduated from Don Bosco Technical High School in East Boston and ran on the track team. After high school, he joined the U.S. Air Force, served during the Vietnam War and received a discharge as a 2nd Lieutenant. He went on to graduate from Lowell State College and worked at the Veterans Administration facility in Jamaica Plain at the time of his retirement. He also was a member of the Revere Italian American Post, where he served as adjutant.
“We are honored by the trust that Anthony and Louis Maglione have placed in us with this wonderful gift,” GBH CEO Susan Goldberg said in the news release. “An unrestricted grant allows us to direct the funds in the ways that will have the most significant impact, strengthening the organization for the future and helping us reach new audiences. We hope this gift will inspire others and highlight the deep level of public trust that GBH has with its audience.”
In January, GBH received a $16 million award from the Mellon Foundation, its largest private grant ever, to support the preservation of public radio and television programs through the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, a collaboration between GBH and the Library of Congress.