The Tassadduk and Anneliese Moghul Charitable Fund has been established to support programming at WVIA Radio. The new fund honors the memory of Dr. Tassadduk Moghul and his wife, Anneliese Moghul, immigrants who carved out a life for themselves in the United States.
This funding is crucial as it comes at a time when the current Administration has zeroed out funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a major source of revenue for public media.
The couple’s story
The couple immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1950s, becoming naturalized citizens in 1962.
Tassadduk (Tass) Moghul was a native of Pakistan. He received his medical degree from King Edward Medical University in Lahore, Pakistan and completed his residency in general surgery at several hospitals in England. Upon his arrival in the U.S., Dr. Moghul served as an instructor in surgery and was a research fellow at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Moghul served as a Reserve Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps and received his honorable discharge at the rank of major in 1965.
In 1960 he joined the Veterans Administration (VA), first as a staff surgeon at the VA Medical Center in Tupper Lake, N.Y. and subsequently as Chief of Surgery at the VA Medical Center in Manchester N.H. From 1970 to 1980 he served as staff surgeon and from 1981 until his retirement in 1990 as chief of the rehabilitation medical service at the VA Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre. In addition, he was an assistant clinical professor of surgery at Temple University until 1974 and a senior clinical instructor at Hahnemann Medical School until 1990.After retirement, he served as a consultant in rehabilitation medicine at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre and Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.
Tass thoroughly enjoyed the scenic beauty of Northeastern Pennsylvania, and could often be found hiking his favorite wooded trails around Mountain Top.
Dr. Moghul passed away in 2005.
Anneliese Moghul, a native of Berlin, Germany studied nursing in the United Kingdom, graduating as a state registered nurse. Anneliese added two more years in obstetrics, graduating as a state certified midwife. During her student nursing years, she met Tassadduk Moghul, M.D., who was completing his surgical residency in the U.K. Upon her arrival in Boston, Anneliese immediately began working as an operating room nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and successfully passed the American exam to become a Registered Nurse (R.N.).
The couple relocated to Mountain Top in 1970 when Tass was posted to the VA Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre. Following the birth of the couple’s son, Alan, Anneliese was a homemaker and pursued numerous volunteer and philanthropic pursuits. She was a writer for the Mountaintop Eagle for nearly twenty years and an occasional contributor to the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. She volunteered with Mountaintop On The Move (including serving a term as president), was a member of the Postal Customer Council in Wilkes-Barre (which included lobbying to keep a branch of the post office open and located in Mountain Top), and volunteered as a nurse at local American Red Cross blood drives. In 2018 Anneliese was named Grand Marshal for the annual Fourth of July parade in Mountain Top for her involvement in local civic organizations and her local philanthropy.
Anneliese passed away in 2025.
Anneliese’s love of classical music and support for WVIA
Anneliese had a passion for classical music, including opera, and soon discovered WVIA Radio after moving to Mountain Top. She immersed herself in the daily classical music program hosted by Libby Smith. As time progressed, she befriended Bill Kelly, WVIA’s then-President and CEO, as well as retired Senior Vice President Chris Norton and retired on-air announcer Larry Vojtko. Her classical music relationship continued with the current on-air hosts Lisa Mazzarella and Erika Funke. Following her passing, Erika aired a special one-hour tribute to Anneliese.
Anneliese was a loyal contributor to WVIA Radio and the station’s regular on-air fund drives often surpassed their fiscal goals when an “anonymous donor from Mountain Top” put them over the finish line. Anneliese participated in various events hosted by the station, including a fundraiser tribute to Downton Abbey in 2018, a dinner/silent auction held at the Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino in 2016, and a State of Pennsylvania taping honoring Jim Lehrer, host of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer in 2006.
Anneliese’s support for – and friendship with – WVIA Radio spanned several decades of the station’s 60-year history.
“My parents came to America in an era when the U.S. was a beacon of hope to people worldwide,” says Dr. Alan Moghul, who established the fund in his parent’s name. “They brought to their adopted country dedication and a strong work ethic. In return they wished to improve the quality of life in their community.”
The establishment of the Tassadduk and Anneliese Moghul Charitable Fund, together with the naming of the Tassadduk and Anneliese Moghul FM Center through WVIA's Building the Future Capital Campaign, honors the couple's extraordinary commitment to public media and their belief that trusted news, classical music, arts, culture, and educational programming enrich communities. Together, these lasting tributes will support public radio programming throughout Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania while celebrating a legacy of service, philanthropy, and civic engagement for generations to come.
“We are deeply honored to be able to memorialize Tassadduk and Anneliese Moghul in such a meaningful way,” said Carla McCabe, WVIA President & CEO. “A fitting tribute to their love of the arts, classical music and community. This gift will help ensure WVIA continues to educate, inspire, and serve our community for generations to come.”
About WVIA
WVIA is the PBS and NPR affiliate serving over 22 counties in northeastern and central Pennsylvania. For nearly 60 years, WVIA has been committed to serving the people by offering informational, educational, and entertaining content that enriches and expands viewpoints and serves as a catalyst for positive change. WVIA television channels include WVIA TV, WVIA PBS Kids 24/7, and WVIA Create. WVIA’s radio channels include WVIA Radio, WVIA Arts, and the Chiaroscuro Channel. WVIA’s programs can also be found streaming live and on-demand on wvia.org and the WVIA app.