Carol and William “Bill” Eckerle left $18 million to three Cincinnati arts institutions as part of a legacy gift, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Bequests of roughly $6 million each will support the endowments of the Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Museum Center, and Taft Museum of Art. Bill Eckerle passed away nearly one year ago, a little more than two years after his wife died. The couple’s donation is among the top five largest gifts Cincinnati Museum Center has received at one time, the center told the Enquirer.

“Carol and Bill had an abiding interest in the youth of our region and [in] providing opportunities to build a better Cincinnati from the universal starting point of individual respect. Their gift amplifies the power of art to interweave our community and is characteristic of the embrace they felt for our museums,” said Cincinnati Art Museum director Cameron Kitchin. “I will forever remember the warmth and optimism that surrounded them at every event and occasion at the Cincinnati Art Museum.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/jenoche)