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NOLA Life Stories: How Philantrophist Joe W. Brown Earned His Fortune

Historic New Orleans City
Paul Spencer stands beside a portrait of Joe W. Brown, the founder of the Brown Foundation.

It’s estimated that local non-profits have annual expenditures of over $550 million and must rely on government subsidies, fundraising campaigns and grant proposals to complete their missions. Philanthropic groups, like the Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation, develop their own mission statements to support those institutions and spend the year deciding where to allocate funds.

But where does an organization of that stature get their money? Paul Spencer, Director Emeritus of the Brown Foundation, shares their back story on this edition of NOLA Life Stories.

PaulSpence_OnlineMaterial.mp3
Paul Spencer arrived in France in 1945 and spent six weeks on the front lines before being shot.

Paul Spencer is a World War II veteran and accountant by trade. He has been involved with the Brown family since 1949, when he became the accountant for Joe W. Brown. This interview was conducted by the Historic New Orleans' Collection oral historian, Mark Cave, and produced for WWNO by Thomas Walsh.

Thomas Walsh is an independent radio producer and audio engineer who lives in New Orleans. You'll see him around town recording music, podcasts, short films, live events and radio features. He's practically glued to his headphones. A movie geek to his core, he's seen every film listed on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Movies and would love to talk to you about them.