Warm smiles, quick wits, and “roll with it” attitudes best describe Don and Anne Wemple. The couple are longtime KPBS volunteers -- supporting the station with their most precious gift of time for four decades. They have volunteered in virtually every capacity possible: auctions, wine and food festivals, studio pledge drives, station screenings, and studio audience broadcasts like “Club Date.”
“Whether in the office or at an event, they always have big smiles on their faces that let you know that supporting KPBS is a joyful experience. Recognizing them in the KPBS Hall of Fame is now our joy.”KPBS Interim General Manager Nancy Worlie
In the early 1970s when their five children were old enough to be left home alone, the Wemples had a chance meeting with a KPBS staffer at a volunteer recruitment fair. “We started on the pledge drives when they were at San Diego State University in a little studio there,” recalls Anne Wemple. “No computers. All pen and pencil. Telephones lined up. And it was rotary. So you really wanted to be on phones one through five so you got a call.”
Don also served as a Radio Reading Service volunteer and a guide for public tours of the station. Up until the pandemic, they worked together in the membership office every Tuesday where they would prepare mailings and packages (many filled with those coveted KPBS license plate frames) for new and returning members.
Members since 1989, they share a dedication and commitment to KPBS that is exceptional. In reflecting on what it means to be inducted into the KPBS Hall of Fame, Anne and Don are at first stumped for words. “We just feel like KPBS has given us more than we’ve ever given them,” says Anne. “So it's an honor. But we’re still amazed.”
“Don and Anne are like family,” says KPBS Interim General Manager Nancy Worlie. “Whether in the office or at an event, they always have big smiles on their faces that let you know that supporting KPBS is a joyful experience. Recognizing them in the KPBS Hall of Fame is now our joy.”
Scientist, scholar, and educator Dr. Arthur Getis has been a strong advocate for public media, realizing the importance of a free and independent press to democracy. His philanthropy to KPBS spans four decades and has been inspired by news programming, major projects, and the recent campaign to renovate the KPBS building.
Getis, who is a professor emeritus of geography at San Diego State University, spent his life's work researching, writing, and educating others on spatial statistics, pattern analysis, and urban and population geography. With this perspective, Dr. Getis’ appreciation of public media intensified.
I'm glad to hear that Art will be a member of the Hall of Fame. His research of geography and world populations has made significant impacts on education. It's an endorsement for KPBS that he has given so generously to support well-researched and trusted journalism.Trina Hester, Former KPBS Associate General Manager, Development & Grants
“One of the reasons why I support KPBS is simply because it is the most honest, the truest, the most impartial, the most clear, the most intelligent broadcasts that exists in San Diego,” says Dr. Getis.
In addition to his charitable gifts, Dr. Getis was an active participant in many KPBS events, including previous Hall of Fame celebrations, film screenings, and more. In 2012, Getis joined 30 other Producers Club members and station supporters on a cruise along the Rhine River, which included an opportunity to meet NPR Paris Correspondent Eleanor Beardsley.
“Dr. Getis has shown great commitment to KPBS over the years,” says Worlie. “His support has helped the station grow and thrive yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is a Visionary in every sense of the word.”
One of the reasons why I support KPBS is simply because it is the most honest, the truest, the most impartial, the most clear, the most intelligent broadcasts that exists in San Diego.Dr. Arthur Getis
The 2021 KPBS Hall of Fame honorees will be celebrated at a virtual event on October 20. Previous KPBS Hall of Fame honorees include such local philanthropists as Dan and Phyllis Epstein, Steve and Sue Hart, Carol Vassiliadis, KPBS founder Ken Jones, journalist Gloria Penner, and “About San Diego” host Ken Kramer.
To receive an invitation to the KPBS Hall of Fame 2021 Celebration, email us here.
