Philip J. Whitcome, Ph.D. ’70 of Madison, Conn., who died on December 6, 2005, has bequeathed a gift of $5.2 million to Providence College for scholarship purposes for needy and deserving students in the natural sciences, mathematics, or computer science.

The donation is the largest single gift designated for scholarships in College history.

“This generous bequest is particularly significant in light of the challenges we face in funding scholarships for deserving students,” said College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80. “We are grateful,” he added, “that Dr. Whitcome, whose successful and influential career in the field of biotechnology began at Providence College, had the foresight to give future generations of deserving students the same opportunity he had to study here.”

A molecular biologist, Dr. Whitcome earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from PC. He attended the College as a member of the Experimental Honors Research Training Program supported by the National Institutes of Health. He later earned an M.B.A. degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and received his doctorate in molecular biology from the University of California at Los Angeles(UCLA).

Dr. Whitcome most recently served as a director and chairman of the board of Avigen, a San Francisco-based company that develops gene-based therapeutic products for the treatment of inherited and acquired diseases. From 1988 to 1994, he was the president and chief executive officer of Neurogen Corporation, a pharmaceutical firm that developed products for the treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders.

Earlier in his professional career, he held various administrative and/or research positions at Amgen Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., and the Diagnostics Division of Abbott Laboratories.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Dr. Whitcome previously established the Whitcome Family Scholarship Fund in June 2001. The fund is for PC students pursuing a major in the natural sciences. He also sponsored a stained-glass window in St. Dominic Chapel on campus in honor of his late wife, Carla Witson Whitcome.

“Phil was a highly successful and respected scientist and businessman in the United States and abroad, yet he remained a refreshingly unpretentious person,” noted Joseph P. Brum ’68, PC special assistant to the president for development projects, who knew Dr. Whitcome for more than 20 years. “Despite the time and travel demands of his distinguished career, he stayed involved with PC and has a long record of generous charitable support. Phil was a caring individual who believed deeply in the College’s educational and spiritual mission. His gift is a fitting legacy.”