Vermont Public Radio would like to thank members of the Phillips Society for naming VPR as a beneficiary in their wills, trusts, charitable gift annuity agreements, retirement plans and other estate plans. Their support provides for the financial future of VPR and for programming for future listeners.

To learn more about the Phillips Society, call David Warren at (800) 639-2192 ext. 188 or email him at .

*Deceased

In 2005 we were saddened to learn that Bill Berry, a long-time VPR Producers Circle member from West Wardsboro, passed away. In spite of our sadness, we were grateful to learn that Bill had included VPR in his will and named VPR as a beneficiary of his IRA. True to what he had said to VPR staff many times, he instructed that the bequest was to be used to build VPR's endowment fund.

Bill believed that just as families plan for changing financial demands in life, VPR needs to plan for its own future and should steer away from a 'hand to mouth' existence. Bill said, "VPR is a unique educational and entertainment source for our people, and an endowment fund is as necessary for VPR as it is for any college or university. Since I listen to VPR and only VPR all the time, it is most important to me that VPR remain financially strong into the future."

Bill was born in Queens, NY, and attended Lehigh University for two years before serving in the U.S. Navy in submarine service and then finishing college at Hofstra University. Upon graduating, he worked as a salesman for various industrial distributors and started his own business selling machine tools in 1969.

Always a humanitarian, Bill joined the Peace Corps when he retired and served for two years in Poland as a business consultant, helping local businesses learn western management methods. Bill was the founder of the West River chapter of Habitat for Humanity and a tireless supporter of Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend. He divided the bulk of his estate equally between VPR, Habitat for Humanity and Grace Cottage.

VPR will never forget Bill's generosity and vision. We continue to miss him and are grateful to him for so thoughtfully contributing to VPR's long-term stability through his estate.