Richard Leroy Walters

Richard Leroy Walters (May 3, 1931 – August 19, 2007) was a jet propulsion engineer who died homeless in Phoenix, Arizona and left a bequest of $4 million to charities, including National Public Radio and the Mission of Mercy, in Phoenix.

During the Korean War he served in the Marines. According to the 1959 Purdue University yearbook, his hometown was Huntington, Indiana and he was a member of the honorary engineering societies Pi Tau Sigma, Tau Beta Pi, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He earned a bachelor's degree with honors in mechanical engineering from Purdue University in 1959 and a master's degree in teaching from Ball State University. He never married, had no children, and was estranged from his two brothers.

audio1 = Homeless Man Leaves Behind Surprise: $4 Million, 3:34, July 27, 2009, NPR He was buried with full military honors at the Military Cemetery in Phoenix. Belle was the executor of the estate, as well as a beneficiary. Several charities received about $400,000 each from the estate, including National Public Radio and the Mission of Mercy. NPR announces on air: "Support for NPR comes from the estate of Richard Leroy Walters, whose life was enriched by NPR, and whose bequest seeks to encourage others to discover public radio."