Putting the "I" in "Gift"

It's good to see that at least one former radio DJ understands the spirit of giving. Stephen Aechternacht has pledged to donate 13,000 CDs to Georgetown’s Southwestern University. A mix of classical, rock and jazz, the gift will quadruple the university’s music collection. Of course the original plan was to bequeath the lot to his alma mater, Southern Methodist University, but the Dallas school wasn’t enthusiastic enough. No ticker tape parade, no tapes. Sufficient ass kissing ensured SWU won out over SMU.

A sudden fear of death prompted the 57-year-old to make sure his collection will have a suitably grateful home when he passes on. Aechternacht gave an initial installment of a whooping 60 albums to Southwestern in November, but plans on saving his most precious CDs until the bitter end.

“There are some CDs in my collection that you’re going to have to pry out of my cold, dead hands,” he told the Statesman. Those gems include Tori Amo’s Little Earthquakes. An album usually reserved for angst-ridden teenage suicide attempts, it does seems oddly fitting as the funeral dirge for a prima donna healthcare director.