$1 Million Feinstein Bequest to Endow Scholarships

Largest cash gift ever from former faculty

Hyman Feinstein was a respected chemistry professor remembered by many alumni as an extraordinary, larger-than-life figure during Mason’s early days. Genevieve Grotjan Feinstein, who taught mathematics at Mason briefly, was a World War II cryptanalyst whose modesty belied her significance in history as a Japanese code breaker. Their devotion to one another as husband and wife, and to Mason, was strong and enduring.

The university is the beneficiary of a $1 million bequest from the estate of Genevieve Feinstein, who died last year at age 93. Hyman Feinstein died in 1995 at the age of 84. Her legacy, which will establish the Ellis F. Feinstein Scholarship Endowment in memory of the couple’s son, is the largest cash gift ever from a former faculty member.

“We are deeply appreciative of this thoughtful and generous gift from the Feinsteins—legendary members of the Mason family,” says university president Alan Merten. “Students across the university will benefit from their distinctive legacy.”