‘Transformational’: Alumnus leaves Middlesex School projected $200+ million gift

A member of the Middlesex School class of 1963 has left his Acton alma mater “an extraordinary gift with a projected long-term impact of more than $200 million,” the private academy announced Saturday. 

Middlesex officials said the bequest from the late Victor Atkins is the largest the school has ever received. 

“With this gift, Victor leaves behind a profound legacy that will touch the lives of Middlesex students and faculty for generations to come,” Middlesex Head of School Bessie Speers said in a statement provided to The Acton Bridge in advance of a planned September 26 celebration of the academy’s 125th anniversary. 

The school called the donation “transformational,” with Speers saying that “by investing in our exceptional faculty, staff, and students, [Atkins] has ensured that Middlesex can continue to attract, support, and inspire talented and dedicated human beings.”

Middlesex recently received approximately 40% of the donation from the Atkins estate. The rest will come to the Lowell Road boarding and day school over time through an irrevocable trust.

Atkins previously donated approximately $50 million toward an athletic center, dormitory, and field house, which all bear his family name.

“Victor never forgot the impact Middlesex had on his life, and he believed deeply in the school’s ability to cultivate thoughtful, principled leaders to help to make meaningful difference in the world,” his brother, William Atkins, who graduated from Middlesex in 1967, said in a statement provided by the school. 

“It was Victor’s hope that his gift would inspire others in the school community to carry that commitment forward, both on campus and in their personal and professional lives,” he said.

Planning for the future

Atkins’s estate sets out how the gift will be apportioned: 

• 50% is unrestricted, with the head of school and board of trustees determining its use. Middlesex officials said the funds received to date have been added to the school’s endowment, which totaled $217 million as of its most recent tax filing.
• 25% is for the faculty endowment for recruiting and retaining instructors.
• 15% is for Middlesex’s financial aid endowment.
• The final 10% is earmarked for the residential life endowment. 

“Victor cared so deeply about Middlesex,” his wife, Victoria Ramsay Atkins, said in a school statement. “It was inspiring to hear his ideas and witness all the ways Middlesex impacted his life and, in turn, how his life has now impacted Middlesex. I know Victor would be pleased.”

Set aside in a charitable remainder trust, the portion of the donation not yet received will be distributed to the school “over the next several decades,” according to Allegra Zamore, director of communications for the Middlesex School.

Such trusts are set up to benefit non-profit organizations while also providing an ongoing income stream to beneficiaries, such as family members, over the course of their lifetime or up to 20 years.

Before the Atkins donation, Middlesex had the 19th-highest endowment among boarding schools with more than 400 students, according to Boarding School Review. The top nine had reported $400 million or more.

A philanthropist’s legacy

Victor Kennicott Atkins Jr., of Nevada, died at age 80 in April 2025.

According to his obituary, he was born in Seattle, raised in San Francisco, and graduated from Middlesex with honors. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in English, cum laude, from Harvard University. 

Atkins then served as a U.S. Navy officer during the Vietnam War, receiving the Bronze Star and other commendations. 

After receiving his MBA from Harvard, Atkins embarked on a career in finance, including at Blyth & Co. and E.F. Hutton. He went on to lead several businesses, including Polaris Industries, and was an active private investor and philanthropist. 

Besides Middlesex, Harvard, and the University of Oxford, museums and hospitals have benefited from his philanthropy.

Middlesex inducted Atkins into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010 and awarded him the Henry Cabot Lodge Distinguished Alumni award in 2018.

The 429-student school, which has a 4:1 student-to-faculty ratio and encompasses grades 9-12, is situated on a 350-acre Acton campus. 

“This incredible act of generosity is, quite simply, a gift that will inspire and influence generations to come,” Board of Trustees Chair Jason Robart said in a statement.