Children's Hospital of Orange County has announced a $30 million bequest from the estate of longtime supporter Robert L. Tidwell in support of its $125 million "Change CHOC, Change the World"campaign.

Some $15 million of the gift will be used to advance CHOC's master campus plan, including construction of a state-of-the-art patient care tower scheduled to open in the spring of 2013. In recognition of the gift — the largest in the hospital's history — the surgery center in the new facility will be named after Tidwell. The remaining $15 million will be placed in a board-restricted fund that will be used to recruit pediatric experts, including physicians, clinicians, and researchers; advance development of pediatric medicine through a clinical program; and fund the Robert L. Tidwell Endowment for Opthalmology.

Tidwell, an investment banker who passed away in 2009, left his entire estate to CHOC. The gift was recently transferred to the CHOC Children's Foundation, which raises funds for the nonprofit pediatric healthcare system.

"This generous gift will help CHOC achieve various strategic objectives as we progress from being a crucial regional pediatric care center to one of the nation's leading children's hospitals," said Kim Cripe, president and CEO of CHOC Children's. "The funds will be balanced between our construction needs and investment in future growth and development."