Obituary: Joseph Rosenmiller, Donor to Unconventional Causes

Joseph Rosenmiller, a broadcasting magnate whose foundation gave tens of millions of dollars to causes largely ignored by traditional philanthropies, died at age 87 Sunday at his Manhattan home, writes The New York Times. The cause was pneumonia, arising from a leukemia-weakened immune system.

Mr. Rosenmiller co-founded Greater Media, which grew from a single Massachusetts radio station into a national network and was an early investor in cable television. He sold his share of the firm in 1994 and two years later endowed the Solidago Foundation, to which he gifts eventually totaled $40-million.

An aspiring social worker before his broadcasting career, Mr. Rosenmiller directed Solidago’s funds into voting issues, domestic workers’ rights, and a successful campaign to stop oil giant Chevron from expanding a Northern California processing plant, among other causes.

He also worked for the New York mayor’s office of volunteers and founded a nonprofit group, Volunteer Opportunities, to match people with organizations in need of help.