Read about supporters who believe in enriching people’s lives through programs and services that educate, inspire, entertain, foster citizenship and culture, as well as the joy of learning, and the power of diverse perspectives.
Susan Burns
“I thought about how I could help the greatest number of people, how I could reach the biggest audience in one fell swoop. It’s public television, it’s a no-brainer. No matter how old you are or what your circumstances are, you can watch public television.”
Richard and Suzanne Wing
“GBH is one of our favorite channels due to its educational, informational, and entertaining programming. We want our legacy to ensure that these programs will continue to inspire future generations.”
Jane Owens
GBH has enhanced my life on an almost daily basis.I decided to include GBH in my estate plan as a way to express my gratitude. “You don’t have to possess immense wealth or financial expertise; you just need a bit of curiosity and a generous spirit.”
“GBH is a big part of my life, so whatever I can do to keep it going, I will do.”
-June Carter
Sandra Stratford and Oscar Malcolm
“My involvement with GBH really rounds me out. GBH covers all the facets of people’s lives—the programs are diverse, historical and current. And they’re high impact.”
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Both Sandra and her husband Oscar Malcolm, who met as undergraduates at Yale University, value that capacity to educate. “GBH as a media and communications organization has a really wide reach—that makes a huge difference, in terms of reaching communities that may not be exposed to the broad range of important issues,” said Malcolm, a GBH trustee emeritus and longtime patron of the Ralph Lowell Society.
“We’d like to see more of the world’s untold stories be seen by broader audiences,” said Malcolm, who grew up in Panama and came to New York City at age 15. “It’s difficult for the work of people of color to get support and financing,” he said. “We hope our investment will prompt others to support this kind of programming.”
Debbie Chung
“We’ve had decades of education, enlightenment and entertainment from MASTERPIECE, GBH and Oregon Public Broadcasting. GBH offers such a wealth of programming that is free to all. That is essential quality content for families who can’t afford premium channels or streaming media.”
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Debbie was an avid GBH binge watcher in the early 2000s, long before bingeing became a thing. Working abroad in Hong Kong and starved for her favorite GBH programs, she devised a solution that started when she came home summers to Portland, Oregon.
“We would program our computer to tape MASTERPIECE and MASTERPIECE Mystery! then copy the programs onto CDs or VHS tapes and bring them back to Hong Kong,” she said, “This was well before streaming.” That ingenuity is quintessential Chung.
Through her estate plan, she wants to do what she can do to ensure that people can enjoy free and public programming like this for years to come.
Bob Harberts
“When I discovered NOVA, there was the thrill of ‘here’s a program dedicated to things I’m interested in or don’t even know I’m interested in yet,’ but now I see the hidden magic of crafting and distilling a story. It’s entertainment, but I also learn.”
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Currently working on NASA’s Earth Observing System Data and Information System at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Harberts has spent his career in systems engineering, science and technological research. He has contributed to the International Space Station, polar-orbiting and geosynchronous satellite missions, Earthobserving satellite missions and advanced research for future space missions and digital science.
Bob says at this stage in life, he’s been thinking about how he can give back in some way. “I was working up a trust and since I don’t have a family of my own, I want to contribute to the things that I believe in. Public media, with its high standards and standout content, is vital for culture and civilization.”
June Carter
“On my way out of the festival, I happened to meet the volunteer coordinator. I thought, I like what this station is doing, so I’d like to contribute my time, as well as my money. That’s how it all started.”
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Carter ended up volunteering with the Ralph Lowell Society (RLS) hand writing letters and stuffing envelopes.
A GBH member since the 1990s and an RLS member since 2000, she has increased her giving over the years, eventually naming GBH in her estate plan, providing valued unrestricted support to her beloved public media.
Her engagement with GBH deepened after she retired from Brighton Marine Hospital, where she had served as a nurse anesthetist. Off duty, she said she depended on GBH for intellectual stimulation and amusement. “GBH gives me what I want. If anything were to happen to GBH, I don’t know what I’d do,” she said.
Now age 94, Carter listens to news on GBH 89.7, watches British drama and crime shows on GBH 2 and GBH 44, but her favorite program is Stories from the Stage on GBH WORLD. “I find it fascinating,” she said.
“I think we all lead pretty insular lives—we do the same things all the time, with the same people. It’s so interesting to hear what happens with other people.”
Carter remembers growing up toward the end of the Depression in a poor family. A special possession was the combination radio-phonograph, which had come with free classical records. “I discovered when I was very young that I really enjoyed classical music. It just caught my ear,” she said. “GBH is a big part of my life, so whatever I can do to keep it going, I will do,” Carter said.
“You can count on me.”
Join Great Blue Hill Society
WGBH established the Great Blue Hill Society to honor those forward-looking individuals who ensure through their legacies that WGBH will have the resources to create public media for generations to come. All of us can leave a mark on the institutions we value.