Ray Charles donates $1M to study black culture

The renowned musician Ray Charles has donated $1 million for an endowed chair at Dillard University to study the cultural matrix of African American music, food and tradition.
“This is a passion of his,” said Marc Barnes, director of major gifts and planned giving, of the study of African American material culture. “And he could not think of a better place to have it than New Orleans.”
The donation, given by the Robinson Foundation for Hearing Disorders, which Charles heads, was presented to Dillard University President Michael Lomax at a closed meeting in October between Lomax and Joe Adams, Charles’ longtime assistant, during the university’s annual anniversary celebrations.
Lomax, the former Atlanta politician who was Fulton County Commission chairman there, announced during the celebrations that the school had received an anonymous $1 million gift.
In order to avoid fanfare, said Maureen Larkins, director of university communications and relations, the university waited until Nov. 10 to announce that Charles was the donor.
Barnes said that a $1 million chair is usually created by pairing $600,000 from a private donor and $400,000 matched by the Louisiana Board of Regents.
In this case, “We are going to use the remaining $400,000 from his gift to help us with professorships and programmatic costs to establish a program in material culture,” Barnes said.
When Charles, the blind singer, pianist, saxophonist, composer and band leader, was honored in 1986 by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, the center called him “a towering figure in popular music.”
“He not only defined modern soul music but also helped escape country music and influenced dozens of rock singers. He performs with a gospel fervor that brings to his concerts the atmosphere of a revival meeting. He has been successful with ballads, blues, gospel music, rock ‘n’ roll, and Broadway show tunes and still remains true to a tradition rooted in the blues, spirituals, and Baptist gospel music of the Deep South,” the center said.
“New Orleans is a very special place for Ray Charles,” added Portia Williams, Dillard University media planner, saying that New Orleans was one of the places where Charles’ performing career began.