Friday, September 5, 2008
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 |  Appreciation for "the most wonderful public radio station in the nation" prompts $1 million gift To grasp the enormity of Karin Larson's $1 million gift to The Next Standard and her being named Outstanding Philanthropist of 2004 by the Los Angeles chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, you need to turn the clock back to 1961. That's the year that Larson, a native of Minnesota, decided to move to California, armed with a combined undergraduate degree in business and international relations from the University of Minnesota. She got a job as a secretary for The Capital Group Companies, one of the world's most successful investment management organizations. Six years later, she was promoted to investment analyst. Today, Larson is Chairman of Capital International Research, a subsidiary of the Capital Group Companies. And her 44-year tenure at Capital is second only to that of the son of the company's founder, who died in 1979. "It's the great American dream story," states Larson. "My father worked in a warehouse and my mother in a laundry. I was the first college graduate in my family. I've been so fortunate, blessed really, because Capital is a very supportive organization. I couldn't have done this anywhere else. I even earned an MBA from USC while at Capital, which Capital paid for. I would go to my professors and say, 'I'll be away 25 percent of the time this semester traveling for business and they would say, oh really, if you think you can make it, okay.'" When asked if she plotted her career moves, Larson laughs. "I've never been good at planning," she says. "I'm not goal-oriented, something people find hard to believe. Truth is, a door would open for me because I'd be leaning against it. And I'd fall right in." "Minnesota Public Radio is one of only two cultural organizations I support." Larson continues to work full-time, saying that "retirement goes into my mind and then out." Nor does she plan to retire another passion anytime soon: her philanthropic interests. For over 20 years, Larson has given both time and support to a number of organizations. Aid organizations are especially high on her list of priorities, including The Salvation Army, United Cerebral Palsy, and Union Rescue Mission. In light of this emphasis, Larson's $1 million gift to Minnesota Public Radio is all the more significant. In fact, Minnesota Public Radio is only one of two cultural organizations that Larson supports, the other being the Center Theater Group in Los Angeles. But she's quick to note that she's not nearly as generous with the latter. Larson's support of Minnesota Public Radio began eight years ago, when she started making regular listener contributions. "I have a lake home in Minnesota," she says. "When I'm in Minnesota, I listen to the classical music station. It's terrific. I'm a big fan of Saint Paul Sunday and A Prairie Home Companion." "Other radio stations in the country don't measure up in any way." About three years ago, Larson was asked to be on MPR's Board of Trustees. There's a smile in her voice as she recounts how this invitation came about. "Bill Kling is on the boards of several of Capital's mutual funds. When we would have meetings, I would be asked to sit next to him because we're both from Minnesota. I kept telling him that Minnesota Public Radio is the most wonderful public radio station in the nation and people don't appreciate how great it is. But I've traveled everywhere, so I know." Larson's profound appreciation of the service Minnesota Public Radio provides prompted her to make a gift of $1 million to the capital campaign, the single largest contribution she'd made to any organization at the time. "As I told Bill," she says, "other radio stations in the country don't measure up in any way." | |
Meet a few of our contributors:  Tad and Cindy Piper Karin Larson Jerry Christenson Charlotte Dobosenski Jorga Fleezanis and Michael Steinberg Toni and Fred Green Fran and Joe Leek Pam Moret Glen Nelson Amaria Najem and Kelsey O'Leary Tricia Sargent
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