Ralph D. Foster
Ralph David Foster (April 25, 1893 – August 11, 1984) was an American broadcasting executive and philanthropist who created the framework for Springfield, Missouri, to challenge Nashville, Tennessee, as the nation's country music capital during the 1950s. His KWTO was a stepping-stone for many top country artists; and with his music businesses, led to creation of Ozark Jubilee, the first U.S. network television program to feature country's top stars.
Ralph D. Foster
Ralph David Foster
April 25, 1893
August 11, 1984 (aged 91)
radio station owner
radio and TV program creator-producer
Ralph Foster Museum[edit]
Foster was an avid hunter and fisherman and a strong conservationist. He collected Native American and Western artifacts and firearms for many years, and in the 1960s donated a large collection to the museum at The School of the Ozarks (now College of the Ozarks) in Point Lookout, Missouri, near Branson. In 1969, Foster's financial donations saw to the addition of a new wing, a new entrance, and a new name: the Ralph Foster Museum.[1]
The museum's focus is the history and culture of the Ozarks region. Exhibits include the original vehicle used in the television series The Beverly Hillbillies, antiques, weapons, dolls, circus toys and miniature model circus, metal banks and toys, furniture and household items, glassware, natural history, mounted animal displays, personal hobby collections and a display on Ozark music personalities.