Virginia Tech has announced a $15 million estate gift from Helen Dessin Spurr and Frank Arthur Spurr Jr. will support the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
The bequest will establish an endowed research fund named in recognition of the donors. The fund will provide seed grants for researchers and support clinical trials of potential new treatments and diagnostic procedures for dogs and cats. The veterinary college’s expanded capacity will allow for more trials to take place.
Helen Spurr, who had a long career as a systems engineer at IBM, died in 2023 at the age of 98. Her husband, Frank, died in 2011 at the age of 87 after a career in telecommunications and several years as a volunteer leader in the American Red Cross system, including serving as board president of the national organization…