Practically on a whim, Joan Kroc made the biggest public radio pledge in history: around $250 million dollars to NPR.
She could afford it. Her husband was McDonald's corporation founderRay Kroc, and Ray and Joan were worth billions. Ray's life was well-publicized, most recently in the Michael Keaton film The Founder.
That film is based on a true story.
A new book from journalist Lisa Napoli might serve as a companion piece to the film, because the book is a true story, a meticulously-researched biography exploring Ray and Joan's tumultuous relationship and her unpredictable, idiosyncratic generosity.
Lisa Napoli joins us to talk about Ray & Joan: The Man Who Made The McDonald's Fortune And The Woman Who Gave It All Away.
It's very possible that Joan would have disapproved of Ray & Joan being written and published, because she sometimes avoided the limelight. Napoli spent five years tracking down information to finally tell Joan's story.