The Ray Charles Foundation is demanding the return of a $3 million donation that it made to Albany State University, a historically Black educational institution in Georgia. Legendary singer Ray Charles, a native of Albany who died in 2004, had given the university $1 million in 2001 and $2 million in 2002. The foundation states that the money was to be used to build a performing arts center on campus that would be named for Ray Charles.
But the foundation claims that $1 million remains in the bank and that $2 million was used to fund the Ray Charles Presidential Scholars program. The university states that the gifts were not restricted to any particular use.
