Tom Brokaw makes personal gift of $100,000 to World War II Institute

NBC News Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw was on campus in March 2009 to announce a personal gift of $100,000 to the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience.

The gift establishes the Baumgarten Gibbons Endowed Fund and was specifically named for Dr. Harold Baumgarten, a retired physician who lives in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., and The Honorable Sam Gibbons, a former U.S. congressman of Tampa, Fla. Brokaw decided to honor both veterans because of their service to their country and the profound impact their stories had on him when he wrote The Greatest Generation, a 1998 best seller.

Brokaw’s employer, General Electric, which is the parent company of NBC Universal, will match the $100,000 gift with a gift of $100,000 and in turn the state of Florida will eventually match the $200,000 contribution at a rate of 50%. With a commitment from Florida State University of an additional $100,000, the total endowment will be $400,000.

Brokaw first became involved with the WW II Institute after the publication of The Greatest Generation, when he received thousands of letters, photos, and other memorabilia from veterans and their loved ones. While he was able to use some of the materials in later books, he also realized that the materials needed a permanent home.

“Collections like this should be stored at institutions like Florida State,” Brokaw said, “where everything is well organized, and students and researchers have access to it.”

To learn more about Brokaw’s visit to campus, read the story at http://www.fsu.edu/news/2009/03/23/brokaw.gift/ or watch the 2-minute video at http://www.fsu.com/pages/2009/03/23/brokaw_endowment.html