of McGill University in 1927 and of the Royal Victoria Hospital the following year, both institutions benefiting greatly from his generosity. Philanthropy McConnell quietly set about becoming one of his country's greatest philanthropists. He shunned publicity, and his own newspaper was never allowed to mention any of his charitable donations. To aid in the treatment of cancer, he purchased a cobalt 60Co therapy machine for the Imperial Cancer Campaign, and he donated them to the Jewish General Hospital, the Hôpital Notre-Dame, the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, and the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec in Quebec City. In 1937, McConnell founded the McConnell Foundation. A major benefactor of McGill University, McConnell served on the Board of Governors for 30 years (1928–58). He gave the university Purvis Hall in 1942, Chancellor Day Hall (James Ross mansion) in 1948, the McConnell Brain Imaging Centre at the Montreal Neurological Institute in 1952, and the McConnell Winter Stadium in 1956. In 1959, he donated the funds to build the McConnell Engineering Building, which doubled the number of engineering classrooms and offices, and in 1961, built Presbyterian College (Morrice Hall). After his death, the McConnell Foundation undertook the 1971 renovations to the McCord Museum. During World War II, after the United States Lend-lease program was launched in March 1941, fellow Canadian businessman Max Aitken, the then volunteer British Minister of Aircraft Production, asked McConnell to help finance the training of pilots, such as Jackie Cochran in the United States, to ferry American-built aircraft across the Atlantic. McConnell donated $1 million for the "Wings for Britain" campaign and in recognition of his contribution, a flying squadron was given his name. In the 1940s and 1950s, McConnell contributed money to build the following Boys, later Boys and Girls clubs. Service clubs and community groups participated in appropriate fundraising as well. 1949 Rosemount Boys Club. Followed by the 1950 East End Boys and Girls Club(Maisonneuve district) followed in short order by the Point St. Charles Boys and Girls Club in the Point, Unity Boys and Girls Club, in lower Westmount bordering on St. Henri, Dawson Boys and Girls Club in Verdun, plus one in Trois - Rivières. McConnell's benevolent works extended to individuals such as Maureen Forrester, who recounted in her biography how he had learned of the difficulty she was experiencing holding down a job while trying to develop her singing career. He contacted her and offered to cover her expenses