Homeless Man Gives Money Real Meaning

Money doesn't mean everything. We've heard of a couple of people who have consciously chosen to forgo it altogether, giving away material belongings and living in caves. Now, NPR reports on Richard Leroy Walters, a man who didn't live with money, either. He just saved it for everyone else.

Walters was once a Marine and an engineer with a masters degree from Purdue University. Apparently, after he retired from his engineering job, he gave up everything including his car and home. And although he never married, he had friends. One was Rita Belle, a worker at a senior center in Phoenix, where Walters sometimes stayed. He told her he slept on the grounds of the center and got his meals at the hospital. When Walters died two years ago, Belle became the executor of his estate — worth $4 million.

One of the few material possessions he did have was a radio. When he died, Walters donated $400,000 each to National Public Radio and several other charities.

Especially in these times of financial hardship for many, it's a reminder that money doesn't have to just mean mortgages and car payments. The point of money is to exchange it for goods, or in this case, for good.

Photo courtesy of Jenn_Jenn, via Flickr.