The total value of William McLaren Bristol, Jr's gift, $5,250,000, representsthe largest contribution ever received by the college. It includes a sizablecontribution of stock from Bristol-Myers Squibb, the multinational corporationco-founded by Mr. Bristol's father in Clinton, N.Y., in 1887.
In addition to the scholarship program, the bequest establishes separateendowed funds to maintain the Bristol Campus Center, create a distinguishedguest-in-residence program, inaugurate a program to endow unrestricted AnnualFund gifts to the college, and fund an annual fellowship for internationaltravel.
"From the establishment in 1793 of the Hamilton-Oneida Academy, forerunner ofHamilton College, to the present, the Bristols have been Hamilton's firstfamily," said college President Eugene M. Tobin. "Once again, as has beendemonstrated by all seven generations of Bristols who have attended thiscollege, our students' educations will be enhanced tremendously through thegenerosity, forethought and wisdom of the Bristol family. Hamilton remainsenormously grateful for the leadership shown by Bill Bristol and his family."
The William M. Bristol, Jr. Scholars Program will provide renewable annualgrants of up to $10,000 each to academically outstanding students who havedemonstrated their proficiency in persuasive oral and written communication andtheir commitment to citizenship. The focus of the program recognizesdistinguishing characteristics of the college and calls attention to attributesthat Mr. Bristol valued from his own Hamilton education. Ultimately, thecollege anticipates providing annual support for 30 to 40 Bristol Scholars.
The endowment for the Bristol Campus Center will provide for the periodicrenewal of the college's center of campus activities. Built in the early 1960sunder the leadership of Mr. Bristol to honor his father, the Bristol CampusCenter houses the Student Assembly, the Honor Court and the Judiciary Board,along with offices for The Spectator and other campus publications.Guest rooms, the College Store, radio station WHCL, an on-campus travel agencyand numerous other meeting rooms for campus organizations are also housed inthe Bristol Campus Center.
The estate also establishes the William M. Bristol, Jr. DistinguishedVisitorsProgram. High profile experts in business, public service and the arts would behoused on campus, take their meals with groups of students, give lectures orperformances, take part in discussion sessions or panel presentations, and meetwith classes. The program supports one component of the college's recentlyannounced Residential Life Plan to connect more fully students' in-class andout-of-class activities.
In allocating $500,000 of the estate for use as the seminal gift to establishan endowed annual gift program, Tobin said the Bristol family is helping thecollege remain in the forefront of innovative fund-raising initiatives. The newprogram, the William M. Bristol, Jr. Fund, enables alumni to continue forever,through estate planning, their unrestricted annual gifts to the college.
The balance of the estate establishes the The William M. Bristol, Jr.Fellowship for International Travel. Recognizing that Mr. Bristol believedfirmly in the rewards of foreign travel, spent considerable time abroadhimself, and encouraged other members of his family to experience life outsidethe U.S., the new program enables independent foreign travel for one recentHamilton graduate each year. Designed to encourage discovery of self and theworld, and a greater appreciation and understanding of people and culture, thefellowship enables individuals to act on creative, and even visionary, ideas.Proposals will be judged on their authors' spirit of inquisitiveness andpotential for adventure.
The youngest son of the man who co-founded the Bristol-Myers Company, WilliamMcLaren Bristol, Jr., died on Oct. 23, 1994, at his summer residence in
Madeline Island, Wisc. He was 98.
After graduating from Hamilton in 1917, Mr. Bristol served as a volunteer inthe American Field Service during World War I in France. Upon returning home,he joined the family business, serving initially as plant manager andeventually as senior vice president for the company's international division.With his father's approval and assistance from his two brothers, Mr. Bristolbegan diversifying the company from its original focus on drug manufacturing tothe giant multinational corporation that it is today.
Throughout his life, William Bristol remained loyal to his alma mater. Heserved as president of the Alumni Association in 1941-42, and for many years,beginning in 1938, was a member of the Board of Trustees. In 1939, during atime of national economic depression, he led the effort that resulted in theconstruction of the Alumni Gymnasium.
Years later, Mr. Bristol recognized the need for, and became the singlegreatest contributor to, the campus center that bears his father's name. Infitting tribute to a lifetime of selfless dedicated service to his alma mater,Hamilton dedicated the William M. Bristol, Jr. Swimming Pool in 1988.
The Bristol family has been associated with Hamilton since its founding. Twolocal farmers
