Lewis Hill was the founder and guiding spirit of the first listener-supported radio station in America, KPFA, and its network of progressive Pacifica stations.
Both into wealth in Kansas City, KS, Hill studied at Stanford University. He refused to be drafted during World War 2, choosing to serve time in the Coleville, CA camp for conscientious objectors. Hill and other conscientious objectors formed the Pacific Foundation in 1946.
The same year, he and his wife Joy Cole Hill moved to San Francisco, intending to start a cooperative radio station. KPFA went on the air in April 1949.
Hill was a pioneer in FM broadcasting, independent media and community-based radio, and left a legacy that has only grown stronger over the succeeding years.