Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts has announced that it and four other organizations will share a $29 million bequest from the estate of William Binns Smith, a former student and local industrialist who passed away in 1952.

Following the death last January of Smith's last surviving daughter, Jean Smith Udell — who was adopted with her sister after their mother died — the estate is being distributed to institutions Smith and his family were involved with. WPI, which Smith left in 1907 to co-found a textile machinery manufacturer with his father, will receive $7 million for endowed professorships and graduate fellowships. Per Smith's request, preference will be given to the institute's mechanical engineering department. At the time of his death, Smith was president and treasurer of James Smith & Son, a director of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Worcester, and a trustee of Memorial Hospital (now UMass Memorial Medical Center).

The bequest includes nearly $10 million for the medical center to create a permanent fund that will be used to benefit patients at its four Worcester campuses. The other recipients are Children's Friend; the Eastern Orthodox Management Corporation/Washburn House (then known as the Home for Aged Females, where it is believed some of Smith's family members once resided); and the Visiting Nurse Association Care Network.

According to Children's Friend president Karen Ludington, the organization's share of the bequest is the largest gift it has ever received. "We are touched and thrilled that the work our agency did many years ago to bring a family together has resulted in a contribution that will enable us to help so many more children grow into happy and stable adults in loving families," said Ludington. "It will strengthen our ability to provide all our services, including outpatient mental health at the Ellsworth Center, adoption services, our Carriage House grief support center, and our newly renovated early education and care program, the Children's Friend Early Learning Center. I believe Mr. Smith would be proud of how his legacy will benefit children and families in our community."