Singer Ray Charles Donates $2 Million to Wilberforce University
WILBERFORCE, Ohio
Singer Ray Charles has donated $2
million to Wilberforce University — the largest gift ever to the private historically Black school that traces its roots to 1856.
The university thanked Charles in a special convocation. Charles and his foundation made the donation last year after the university made him an honorary doctor of humane letters.
“It was what I had to do, and the reason I had to do it is too many people have been good to me,” Charles says.
The donation established the Ray Charles Chair in Music and Arts and the Ray Charles Scholarship Endowment in Music and Arts. Each year beginning this spring, Wilberforce officials will select eight students to receive the renewable scholarships.
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