GILL — Northfield Mount Hermon School announced Thursday that it received a $50 million bequest from the late John Mitchell, representing the largest donation received by NMH and one of the largest given to an independent school in the country.

Mitchell, who died at the age of 83 in September 2022, was a donor to the school in previous years, but this is the largest financial contribution provided by the alumnus and former board of trustees member, according to Head of School Brian Hargrove.

“John put everything into making the school better,” Hargrove said of Mitchell’s commitment to his alma mater.

Although Hargrove could not provide particular numbers regarding how this $50 million stands against other independent school donations in the United States, he said he’s been in the business long enough to say confidently that this represents one of the largest. Prior to this donation, a previous $15 million outright gift to NMH’s Gilder Center in 2023 was the largest contribution the school had received.

Mitchell attended the school from 1952 to 1956, when it was the Mount Hermon School for Boys, and graduated as class valedictorian. He attended the all-boys school on a scholarship, coming from a working-class home on Cape Cod. He went on to earn degrees at both Yale and New York University, and was president of Pfizer Global Manufacturing (PGM).

Mitchell’s obituary in The New York Times states that Mitchell “built a world-class globally integrated supply organization,” and that his leadership led PGM to be an asset to Pfizer with its “commitment to quality, environmental protection, health and safety, cost reduction, assured supply of new products and outstanding customer service.” According to NMH, Mitchell worked for Pfizer and PGM for 40 years until he retired in 2004.

Mitchell did not start giving back to the school until the later part of his life, Hargrove said, but he became a member of the NMH board of trustees from 2006 to 2016. Hargrove, who has served as NMH’s head of school for six years, said he got to know Mitchell prior to his death and knew he had a large donation planned, but he was unaware of the magnitude of the bequest until the probate process was nearing completion.

With the $50 million secured for the school at the end of 2024, the money helped meet and surpass a $225 million fundraising goal as part of “This Place, This Moment: The Campaign for Northfield Mount Hermon,” which already had $180 million secured. This prompted the board of trustees to raise the goal to $275 million in the spirit of Mitchell going above and beyond for the school.

“Because the board of trustees felt strongly that [Mitchell’s] gift was really about challenging the whole community to step forward,” Hargrove said. “So not to say his gift is just allowing us to meet our goal, but rather just a call to action for our community to join in the campaign at even a greater level.”

When asked about the specific use of the money, Hargrove explained that this donation is primarily going toward the school’s endowment, which supports its operation. The endowment fund has helped increase financial aid and faculty compensation, and also supports retirement benefits for faculty.

Like Mitchell, 40% of NMH students receive financial aid through scholarships, according to NMH. A statement provided by Hargrove and NMH board of trustees Chair Monie Hardwick states the bequest represents a “transformational moment” for the school, and can help qualified students attend NMH “regardless of circumstances.”

Outside of Mitchell’s contributions to NMH financially, Hargrove said he used his position at Pfizer to offer events internationally for the school in places like Hong Kong or Korea, where he would travel for his work with the company.

Hargrove also recalls a unique gift that Mitchell provided to NMH during a mass power outage 15 years ago. To help, Mitchell bought a generator for the school to use, something Hargrove said speaks to Mitchell’s character.

“He wanted to help where other people weren’t necessarily willing to help out,” Hargrove said.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.