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Although Lewis and I never met, we share the same generation, and we both discovered early that kindness was a better way to live than cruelty. But Lewis converted his natural kindness instinct, that we are all born with, into a code to live by before I did. Lewis refused to kill people when killing was an obligation in WWII. Lewis spent the war in prison. But I was unaware that I had a choice. Lewis, after the war, had his humanity intact, while my humanity needed attention.
Fortunately I knew some very progressive people in New York after WWII, people Lewis either knew or knew about, who helped me with my bruised humanity.
In NYC I used the GI Bill to repair my lost education, as an illiterate high school dropout, unable to read, write, add, or subtract, but was neverthless accepted as a candidate for a degree at Columbia University, because everyone was kind to veterans back then, unlike today.
I returned to the Berkeley area in the late 1950s to use my new Masters Degree in Education as a teacher. At that time KPFA was growing rapidly. I had been in the station a few times, and may have seen Lewis, but still hadn’t met him.
I discovered the history of KPFA. Lewis bought an FM license cheap because nobody had an FM receiver. The FM radios available had very few stations playing only recorded clasical music, with no human voices.
So Lewis, seeking paid subscribers, offered free FM Radios to new members. It worked. Listeners were happy to subscribe to get a free radio with a commercial-free progressive station. After the FM radio deal ended, new listeners were needed to pay the bills, the station income was low and survival was uncertain. But after the listeners were informed, they came knocking on the door asking what they could do to save the station.
This was not the last time the listeners came to rescue the station. It was a love-relationship with both sides wanting to preserve their shared kindness and hope.
Today there are about 30,000 KPFA members involved in this relationship, with twice that number of listeners unwilling or unable to join this KPFA lovefest. The listner-members, inspired by Lewis Hill’s kindness example willingly share their station with those unable to join. But there are still another 30,000 non-member-listener-potential-members to help ease the financial burden. Getting them to join is a challenge for KPFA management, with LSB support. Solving this solvable financial-dilemma is one reason I want to join this Board.
Another reason is to protect the station and this Board from those few in Berkeley who do not share Lewis Hill’s values of kindness. I knew them 60 years ago in NYC, before they came to Berkeley, and I want to keep some light on this cruelty-in-disguise threatening KPFA.
My Board-member references include
Sarv Rendhawa, Conn Hallinan, Andrea Turner and Sherry Gendelman
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