"I'm speechless," said Michael T. Walenta, WGVU station manager. "We've never received a gift of this level before. Mr. Rouse believed so well in public broadcasting, he left us virtually every asset he had. We are touched by his unbelievable generosity."
Rouse lived in Grand Rapids, never married and had no children. He was an active Boy Scout as a child and as an adult leader. He had a keen interest in ecology and conservation, and earned a degree from Michigan State University in horticulture. Rouse had said that watching nature programs on WGVU-TV was his primary entertainment.
Rouse worked for Professional Home Improvement in Comstock Park for 29 years in clean-up and delivery. "Lyle was one-of-a-kind," said Bob Gardner, president of Professional Home Improvement. "He was the hardest, steadiest worker I've ever known. He rarely missed a day of work in his 29 years and, at one point, had five years of vacation coming. We received many compliments about his work; he was known as the 'human vacuum.'"
Gardner described Rouse as quite eccentric, somewhat of a hermit and very generous. He said, in 1978, Rouse gave the first $1,000 to start his company.
"People like Lyle Rouse are becoming rare," said Pat Smith, deputy university counsel at Grand Valley State University. "His generosity to public broadcasting deserves recognition. He lived frugally much of his adult life and then gave such a wonderful gift. You don't see that type of loyalty for cable or satellite stations."
